Tangy's rail brainbenders V

[rhubarbrhubarb]

Yes, Stratford is a mess, as Tangy says. Platform 7 used to be a London-facing bay, I think, as was platform 4 before it was taken over for DLR (before that decamped to the new platforms 4A and B). The new platform 3A will double-side the westbound Central line track which, I guess, will assist the expected crowds returning into central London from the Olympics.

I've heard that the main problem with re-numbering the platforms at somewhere like Stratford into a logical sequence is cost. Re-signing the station itself is pretty straightforward and not too costly, but other things that would have to be done would include re-programming the automated audible and visual information systems, altering the signalling diagrams (wherever they might be located), altering the electrical power supply diagrams (wherever they might be) and changing lots of paperwork and electronic information files (by Network Rail and the TOCs), the sort of documents which I'm sure Tubeguru (as a train driver) is far more familiar with than I am. Anything that refers to specific platform numbers would have to be revised.

The only thing that might persuade the parties concerned to sort out the platform numbering at Stratford is the Olympics. If the situation now (as Tangy describes it) is deemed to be unsustainably stupid, then something might get done.

Roger.

[tubeguru]

One of the more expensive outlays would be re-programming the theatre boxes on approaching signals so that they show the correct number when a route is set.

[tangy]

This quiz is now at the end of the line. Has this set of brainbenders been too brain bending? Only had five entries this tinme around.. and these came from:

Starkey:
1. West Coast Main Line
2. Shap
3. Merseyrail
4. Tyneside Metro
5. A circular piece of track
6. None
7. Craven Arms
8. Bristol Temple Meads
9. 390
0. Newport
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Garion:
1. Stansted Express: (London Liverpool Street to Stansted Airport
2. I had a feeling it would be this, its Shap Summit at 914 feet
3. The London Overground? (East London line)
4. North London line?
5. It’s a block train of hopper-type wagons that can both load and unload cargo while on the move. In UK terms, they are mostly in the form of coal trains delivering to power stations.
6. Nine: Water Orton, Coleshill Parkway, Wilnecote, Burton-On-Trent, Willington, Hinckley, Harborough, South Winston and Mania.
7. It’s the Llanwrtyd passing loop!
8. Inverness
9. Classes 17, 56 and 58
0. CARDIFF CENTRAL
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barrykas:
1. The Stansted Skytrain (as the Stansted Express was originally known).
2. Shap Summit, at 914 feet (278.59m) amsl.
3. The Northern City Line (Drayton Park - Moorgate)
4. Merseyrail
5. One that loads and unloads its cargo whilst moving (albeit at low speed!). Most commonly used on coal trains to power stations.
6. Nine: Water Orton, Coleshill Parkway, Wilnecote, Burton-on-Trent, Willington, Hinckley, Narborough, South Wigston and Manea.
7. Llanwrtyd
8. Inverness
9. Classes 56 and 58.
0. Cardiff Central
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rhubarbrhubarb:
1. Stansted Express
2. Beattock summit
3. The Merseyrail network
4. Drayton Park - Moorgate
(I'd also suggest the WJ - Euston DC line as an answer, as there is no longer a DC connection between that line and the SR network.)
5. Well, I think it's that the train runs round a loop at the unloading / loading point and that it unloads and loads whilst on the move. It just goes round - and around - and around ... !
6. A guess - 12?
7. Llanwrtyd
8. Inverness
9. I looked this one up, I admit! I got the answer classes 17, 56 and 58. But are there any 17s or 58s left?
10. Cardiff Central
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Tubeguru:
1. Stansted Express
2. Beattock Summit (1016ft ASL)
3. The Merseyrail thingy up on Merseyside.
4. North London line between Camden Junction and Dalston Junction, Camden South Junction to Kilburn High Road on the WCML line, and Drayton Park to Moorgate.
5. The coal wagons that were originally used in transporting coal from the coalfields to the power stations and which unload while on the move at slow speed.
6. Nine.
7. I can see two others on my map! Llandeilo and Llanwrtyd. The second platform at Llandeilo has been brought back into use only recently. The loop at Llanwrtyd is to be renewed on the 1st of August. I think this means there will be three passing loops.
8. For want of somewhere better I'll say Inverness.
9. Class 17, 56 and 58.
0. Cardiff Central, Stockport and Haymarket all have a platform 0. It's the latest railway craze man!

The official answers from the quizmaster will follow shortly.

[tubeguru]

This quiz is now at the end of the line. Has this set of brainbenders been too brain bending?

Are you kidding me? These were the easiest so far.

[scrxisi]

I forgot to enter :S

[Sam]

As did I despite having half the answers prepared in a PM draft

[tangy]

The official answers of Rail Brainbenders V from the quizmaster

1. The Class 322 units were built to launch the Stansted SkyTrain service (as the Stansted Express was then known) between London Liv. St. and Stansted Airport. The class 322 units have gone through numerous operators since then and have ended up in Scotland on the North Berwick service.
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2. The highest point above sea level on the WCML is Beattock Summit at 1,016ft (between Lockerbie and Carstairs), this beats Shap Summit which is only 915ft above average sea level
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3. The section of line between Drayton Park and Moorgate is physically isolated from the rest of the third rail system (this being part of a former London Underground line but with tunnels built to mainline height). Trains switch between OHLE and third rail whilst stopped at Drayton Park station.
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4. Another line that fits the above criteria is the Euston- Watford DC line which is solely operated on the third rail but there are no links off the line to another route that is also third rail electrified. Yes, there is a physical link to the Bakerloo line but that is under LU control (not NR) and uses the slightly different 4th rail system.

*Merseyrail is NOT a correct answer as although the green “Wirral line” and the blue “Northern line” appear separate from a passenger point of view, they are not. There is a third rail electrified link between Liverpool James Street and Liverpool Central (low level) allowing the 507/508s on the Merseyrail system to freely swap between the two lines (still under third rail power).
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5. In freight train terminology, a Merry Go-Round (MGR) train is one of bulk materials (usually coal) which is loaded and unloaded whilst still moving (at a slow speed) on a circular piece of track, thus allowing both the same loco and set of wagons to make several round trips.

*The most important feature of the MGR trains is the operation of loading/unloading on the move and this will gain full marks. If you only said circular track/loop at the terminal this will only gain you half a point
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6. Nine stations are served solely by trains operated by XC. These being: Water Orton, Coleshill Parkway, Wilnecote, Burton-On-Trent, Willington, Hinckley, Narborough, South Wigston and Manea. Although these stations are served solely by XC none of them are managed by XC, all the stations mentioned are managed on XC’s behalf by the local TOC for the area.
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7. Apart from Llandrindod, the other passing loop on the Heart of Wales line is at Llanwrtyd. I wasn’t aware of the Llandeilo loop being reactivated though (until tubeguru mentioned it via his PM). The loop at Llandovery remains out of use.
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8. Rose Street curve acts a by-pass/avoider for Inverness station.
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9. The Red Diamond coupling system allows class 56 and 58 (and class 17s although there are none currently registered for NR use) to work in multiple with each other.
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0. Cardiff Central, Stockport and Edinburgh Haymarket (any one of these answers is acceptable) all have the novelty of a platform 0 in addition to the recently opened platform at KX.

This concludes, Tangy’s Rail Brainbenders V, any queries about the above answers may be made as I know certain questions in this quiz have been the cause of discussion and clarification.

[tubeguru]

Questions 3 and 4 were badly worded in my opinion and I suspect many people misunderstood what you were after. I feel that anyone who said Merseyrail should be awarded points. I'm also mildly amused by the introduction of half points for not being specific enough on the MGR question.

Are the scores for this round due any time soon?

[Sam]

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2. The highest point above sea level on the WCML is Beattock Summit at 1,016ft (between Lockerbie and Carstairs), this beats Shap Summit which is only 915ft above average sea level
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Where is this exact answer found as I found a different figure for Shap Summit

[tubeguru]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beattock_Summit proves the height of Beattock, but I don't know where Tangy got his Shap figure from.

[Sam]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beattock_Summit proves the height of Beattock, but I don't know where Tangy got his Shap figure from.

Cheers

I like how the picture shows 1,016ft but the article says 1033ft, crazy

[Starkey7]

Yeah, you could say that the whole of the Merseyrail blue and green thing is separate from the rest of the third rail system.

[tangy]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beattock_Summit proves the height of Beattock, but I don't know where Tangy got his Shap figure from.

Two sources that I used for question 2 is Quail map book 4 (page 29) and what is commonly refered to, in rail enthuiasts speak, as the "Baker Atlas" (page 66) which both agree on Shap Summit being 915ft above sea level.

[Sam]

OK, thanks for clarifying that for me

[tubeguru]

Tangy, we need the scores for this round, and the overall scores too please.

I'd like to know how you've scored people for questions three and four.