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British Railways #4 Trivia Quiz

More British Railways trivia...

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

Author
m1a2lt

Time
7 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
105,032

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
9 / 15

Plays
772

Last 3 plays: Guest 185 (11/15), Guest 2 (8/15), alaspooryoric (3/15).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. Which of these main lines was electrified first? Hint

East Coast Main Line

West Coast Main Line

East Anglia Main Line

North Wales Main Line

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Question 2 of 15

2. Name the poet that began a letter writing campaign to stop the construction of the Kendal and Windemere Railway.

Answer: (Last name only)

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Question 3 of 15

3. In 1959, Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Co. Ltd. introduced 20 1,200 hp Type-2 locomotives numbered D5700-D5719. What was unusual about these locomotives? Hint

The wheels were driven directly by the motor, not by electrical engines

They had a "Bo-Co" wheel arrangement

The locomotives could only be operated as pairs and not singally

They contained a prototype automatic train protection system for signalling and speed restrictions

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Question 4 of 15

4. What is Britain's longest bridge? Hint

Menai Straights Bridge

The Forth Bridge

The Tay Bridge

The Royal Albert Bridge

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Question 5 of 15

5. Speaking of bridges, who was commissioned to design the Forth Bridge? Hint

Thomas Bouch

All of these

Benjamin Baker

Sir John Fowler

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Question 6 of 15

6. What is Britain's longest mainline rail tunnel (not including the Channel Tunnel and London Underground)? Hint

Severn Tunnel

Wenvoe Tunnel

Mersey Tunnel

Aberglaslyn Tunnel

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Question 7 of 15

7. As of a 2001 Railtrack report, how much does vandalism cost the railways a year in Britain? Hint

24 million pounds

100 million pounds

10 million pounds

62 million pounds

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Question 8 of 15

8. Although the opening of the Channel Tunnel was heralded as an enormous success, Railfreight had one major embarassment after the completion. What was this embarassment? Hint

The new intermodal container cars could not operate in the tunnel.

The Class 92 locomotives bought by Railfreight could not operate past Dollands Moor Exchange Sidings to the rest of BR's network.

The rail routes to the tunnel were so roundabout that it was actually faster to move the freight by ferry than the tunnel.

There was no embarassment; everything worked perfectly.

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Question 9 of 15

9. How many cars are part of the normal Class 153 DMU rake?

Answer: (Number only)

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Question 10 of 15

10. The Class 53 fleet is composed of one locomotive, "Falcon". Why was only one locomotive of this class bought? Hint

The Class 56 locomotive project was completed before the first Class 53 rolled out, so "Falcon" was already obsolete.

The design and construction costs skyrocketed so only one was approved.

It was a prototype for the Class 47 locomotives.

The locomotive was extremely unreliable, so it was decided to keep only the prototype.

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Question 11 of 15

11. All the Class 55 "Deltics" have been withdrawn from British Rail service and all were scrapped.

True

False

12. One train diagram holds the record for the longest running service in the United Kingdom. It ran unchanged from June 1862 to World War II. It always departed Kings Cross Station at 10:00 AM on platform 10 to Edinburgh. What was the name of this train?

Answer: (Two Words (no "The"))

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Question 13 of 15

13. Which station has the most platforms in Britain? Hint

Birmingham New Street

London King's Cross

London Waterloo

London Euston

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Question 14 of 15

14. The London terminus of the Gatwick Express is at which mainline station?

Answer: (One Word)

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Question 15 of 15

15. The Settle and Carlisle Line is still in use.

True

False

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Most Recent Scores

Oct 27 2024 : Guest 185: 11/15
Oct 21 2024 : Guest 2: 8/15
Oct 19 2024 : alaspooryoric: 3/15
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Oct 12 2024 : Guest 87: 7/15

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which of these main lines was electrified first?

Answer: West Coast Main Line

The WCML electrification scheme was completed in 1974 when Carlisle and Glasgow were connected. The ECML and East Anglia Main Line were not completed until the 1990s. The North Wales Main Line has never been electrified.

2. Name the poet that began a letter writing campaign to stop the construction of the Kendal and Windemere Railway.

Answer: wordsworth

William Wordsworth believed that the Branchline being constructed would ruin the Lake District though, he said, the uneducated commoner not being able to appreciate the area and their negative impact on the local populations.

3. In 1959, Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Co. Ltd. introduced 20 1,200 hp Type-2 locomotives numbered D5700-D5719. What was unusual about these locomotives?

Answer: They had a "Bo-Co" wheel arrangement

Unusually, these locomotives had one bogie that had four wheels while the other bogie had six wheels. If anyone knows why this was, please let me know.

4. What is Britain's longest bridge?

Answer: The Tay Bridge

The Tay Bridge is 3,460 meters (2 miles, 264 yards) long and the original bridge was constructed in 1878. This bridge was also the site of Britain's worst railway-bridge disaster when it collapsed as an Edinburgh-bound train was crossing. 74 passengers and crew were killed.

Interestingly, although no-one survived the disaster, the locomotive was recovered and continued to run on northern routes. It was unofficially nicknamed "The Diver".

5. Speaking of bridges, who was commissioned to design the Forth Bridge?

Answer: All of these

Interestingly enough, all three of the individuals were commissioned to design the bridge. Thomas Bouch was the original designer, but was replaced by Baker and Sir Fowler when one of his other designs, the Tay Bridge, collapsed and the inquiry decided that it was an engineering fault that caused the disaster, although many have speculated (including the author William Topaz McGonagall in his poem "The Tay Bridge Disaster") that it was a policy of poor repair and maintenance to the bridge.

6. What is Britain's longest mainline rail tunnel (not including the Channel Tunnel and London Underground)?

Answer: Severn Tunnel

The Severn Tunnel is 7,070 meters (4 miles, 628 yards) long and was opened on 1 December, 1886 to connect England and Wales.

7. As of a 2001 Railtrack report, how much does vandalism cost the railways a year in Britain?

Answer: 100 million pounds

Believe it or not, it costs the British Railway companies this much PER YEAR to repair all damage done by vandalism (from broken windows to derailed trains). Furthermore, a study done by Railtrack with 11-16 year olds found that 30% had either trespassed or conducted vandalism against the railway in their lifetime.

8. Although the opening of the Channel Tunnel was heralded as an enormous success, Railfreight had one major embarassment after the completion. What was this embarassment?

Answer: The Class 92 locomotives bought by Railfreight could not operate past Dollands Moor Exchange Sidings to the rest of BR's network.

Railfreight bought 42 Class 92 locomotives to be used on container trains from Britain through the tunnel to mainland Europe. However, the locomotives used revolutionary new types of computers and electronics that could interfere with the signalling system on the rest of the network.

Therefore, the trains could only operate through the tunnel while the containers were brought to Dollands Moor by Class 47s. 42 locomotives to move freight 34 kms was rather excessive.

9. How many cars are part of the normal Class 153 DMU rake?

Answer: 1

The Class 153 is a single car DMU with a cab at both ends of the car.

10. The Class 53 fleet is composed of one locomotive, "Falcon". Why was only one locomotive of this class bought?

Answer: It was a prototype for the Class 47 locomotives.

"Falcon" was used for testing the design for the future Class 47 locomotives. However, since it was unique and actually was built to "type-5" specifications unlike the Class 47s (type-4s), it was given its own subclass. "Falcon" was withdrawn in 1975.

11. All the Class 55 "Deltics" have been withdrawn from British Rail service and all were scrapped.

Answer: False

D9000 is still used by Virgin for railtours or regular loco-hauled passenger services and D9016 is used by Porterbrook/Riviera Trains.

Answer: flying scotsman

The Flying Scotsman, which finally changed in WWII when it was combined with a London-Leeds express and departed at 9:36AM, ran the same route and departures for three-fourths of a century, making it the longest running train diagram in British history.

13. Which station has the most platforms in Britain?

Answer: London Waterloo

Waterloo has 38 platforms broken down the following way: 19 platforms (main station platforms) for trains to the suburbs and to the west counties, 6 platforms in Waterloo East for services to the South East, including Dover, 5 platforms for the Eurostar trains that work the Channel Tunnel and a further 8 platforms under the station for the London Underground.

14. The London terminus of the Gatwick Express is at which mainline station?

Answer: Victoria

The fastest way to get to Gatwick Airport by rail from central London is on the Gatwick Express, which takes around 30 minutes from London Victoria Station. It is also possible to get there by slower (and cheaper) trains from London Bridge and London St Pancras International.

15. The Settle and Carlisle Line is still in use.

Answer: True

This is true. The Settle and Carlisle Line, connecting the north-west of England with Edinburgh, was opened in 1875 by the Midlands Railway.

Source: Author m1a2lt

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ozzz2002 before going online.
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