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The Ultimate British Railways #2 Quiz | Trains

How much do you know about the British Railways network?

A multiple-choice quiz by m1a2lt. Estimated time: 7 mins.

Author
m1a2lt

Time
7 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
102,341

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
766

Last 3 plays: Guest 185 (7/10), Guest 67 (7/10), Guest 87 (3/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Where does the Channel Tunnel Rail Link go underground on the British side? Hint

Smeeth

Cheriton

Ashford

Westenhanger

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Question 2 of 10

2. This London station is the starting point for the majority of East Coast Main Line services: Hint

Waterloo

Euston

King's Cross

Paddington

3. When GNER took over operation of East Coast Main Line, they found they had a shortage of motive power for loco-hauled trains, so Class 89001 was brought out of retirement and ran the ECML between London and ________. Hint

Leeds

Doncaster

York

Edinburgh

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Question 4 of 10

4. In 2001, how many Virgin Cross Country diagrams were slated for Class 47 loco haulage? Hint

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Question 5 of 10

5. EWS replaced the majority of its ageing fleet of Class 47s with this locomotive, the Class __?

Answer: (Number only)

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Question 6 of 10

6. This station is the most northernmost in the British Isles. What is its name?

Answer: (One Word)

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Question 7 of 10

7. What is unusual about the North Wales Main Line going through Conwy? Hint

The North Wales Main Line does not go through Conway

The station is a terminus so trains continuing west must back out of the station to proceed

Parts of the medieval town walls were knocked down to allow railway access

The line follows a huge S shape, therefore effectively entering and leaving the town three times in a space of four miles

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Question 8 of 10

8. Easy question: This is the name of the chemical industry manager that created a report to the British Government in the 1960s for recommendations to turn British Rail into a profit making organization.

Answer: (First and last name.)

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Question 9 of 10

9. Since privatization, due to the need for faster trains, Class 86 locomotives can now be seen hauling regular 110 mile per hour expresses on the West Coast Main Line and the East Anglian Main Line.

True

False

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Question 10 of 10

10. OK, a REALLY hard question: What were the names of the two companies that were threatened by manslaughter charges after the Hatfield accident in 2000? Hint

Jarvis and Railtrack

Balfour Beatty and Railtrack

Railtrack and GNER

Jarvis and GNER

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Most Recent Scores

Oct 27 2024 : Guest 185: 7/10
Oct 14 2024 : Guest 67: 7/10
Oct 12 2024 : Guest 87: 3/10
Sep 04 2024 : Guest 86: 7/10
Sep 04 2024 : Guest 77: 5/10
Sep 02 2024 : Guest 92: 4/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Where does the Channel Tunnel Rail Link go underground on the British side?

Answer: Cheriton

Cheriton is the site of the Road/Rail link for the cross-channel car carrier trains, located right after Dolland's Moor Exchange Sidings. Ashford and Westenhanger are stations on the route from Paddington to the tunnel.

2. This London station is the starting point for the majority of East Coast Main Line services:

Answer: King's Cross

King's Cross is the starting point for all ECML hauled Cl.91 trains operated by GNER.

Answer: Leeds

The 89001 was slower than the Class 91 locomotives that normally ran on the ECML, so instead of running all the way to Edinburgh and slowing the Intercity 225 sets, it was decided to use them on the King's Cross-Leeds Electric inter-urban commuter runs.

4. In 2001, how many Virgin Cross Country diagrams were slated for Class 47 loco haulage?

Answer: 21

As of 2001, only 21 diagrams (mostly between the South-west and the Midlands were scheduled for loco haulage). They rapidly decreased in 2002.

5. EWS replaced the majority of its ageing fleet of Class 47s with this locomotive, the Class __?

Answer: 67

During the lifetime of the service, which has now ceased, the Class 67's, built by General Motors, were the mainstay of EWS postal services throughout the network.

6. This station is the most northernmost in the British Isles. What is its name?

Answer: Thurso

Thurso is by far the most northern station in the British Isles and is the turnaround point for the famous "Royal Scotsman" rail tour.

7. What is unusual about the North Wales Main Line going through Conwy?

Answer: Parts of the medieval town walls were knocked down to allow railway access

The North Wales Main Line was begun on 1 March, 1845 and completed on 1 August, 1848, the head engineer being Robert Stephenson. Conway presented an unusual problem since the city was surrounded by city walls so Stephenson received permission to knock down sections of the wall to make way for the railway, a concept that would certainly never happen today.

Answer: Richard Beeching

Dr. Richard Beeching, the author of the infamous Beeching Report, is today considered a villain in regards to the railways. His report recommended the closing of a large number of stations, branchlines and mainlines throughout the BR network. Even today, many of the lines and stations are being reopened due to Beechings short-sightedness and ignorance on the operations of railways.

Answer: False

Trick question: Class 86s have a top speed of 100 miles per hour, so they could not haul trains at 110 mph.

10. OK, a REALLY hard question: What were the names of the two companies that were threatened by manslaughter charges after the Hatfield accident in 2000?

Answer: Balfour Beatty and Railtrack

Balfour Beatty was a contracting firm that was contracted by Railtrack to monitor rail wear in the Hatfield area. Just prior to the Hatfield crash, inspectors from both Railtrack and Balfour Beatty failed to notice a cracked rail which caused the GNER 225 train to derail and cause the death of four passengers. GNER, although the operator of the East Coast Main Line, does not actually own the railway so no charges were brought against them and Jarvis was the inspection company that was identified as missing a faulty switch resulting in the death of 7 people as a Networker Express jumped the tracks in May, 2002. Ironically, this accident happened only a few miles down the line from the Hatfield crash.

Source: Author m1a2lt

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Exit10 before going online.
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