tubechallenge.com

Here are the answers from those that participated in brainbenders VIII

Starkey:
1. One - Acton Main Line
2. One. (Surely the Royal Train is not a fare-paying passenger train?)
3. Red
4. Ireland
5. They had better conditions inside.
6. You are now entering Scotland. Absolute block - one train only.
7. 100mph
8. Forty-six
9. Probably somewhere up north...
0. Dublin Exchange

scrxisi:
1. 34
2. two-thirds
3. Blue and white.
4. Moldova
5. Dellner couplers
6. Cancel and disregard any AWS warnings.
7. 125 mph
8. 27
9. Porthmadog
0. Manulla Junction

krollo:
1. 17
2. 17
3. Red, Yellow
4. Lithuania
5. The became driver-less
6. No trains close ahead
7. 100mph
8. 12
9. In a small village in Norfolk.
0. Limerick Junction
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The following two entrants submitted thier answers after the publicised deadline so will not score any points but are included here for completeness. Sorry guys, but the deadline has been published since the start of the quiz and following the furore over the deadline previously in railbenders VI, the train has departed and you are left on the platform.

greatkingrat:
1. 20
2.
3. White/Black
4. Albania
5. they were fitted with a Dellner coupler
6. that you are now entering Scotland
7. 90mph
8. 48
9. Porthmadog
0. Manulla Junction

tubeguru:
1. Pass - can't be arsed to work it out.
2. WSMR - 5, FGW lease - 13, Royal - 2. Dunno about the rest, so that makes 20 so far.
3. Blue and white chequered.
4. Albania, although technically Iceland is also a correct answer, not having any railway at all (and therefore no electrified railway).
5. They were fitted with the Dellner coupling system, and thus they were reclassified 171/7.

6. Disregard the AWS warning you have just received - it only applies to movements in the opposite direction. This sign is only found on single lines where a PERMANENT AWS magnet is not suppressed for movements in the other direction. The other type of cancellation indicator is the black cross on a yellow background, which means the same thing but refers to TEMPORARY AWS magnets, such as those found where here is a temporary or emergency speed restriction. These can be found on all lines, not just single ones.

7. 100mph?
8. 29x 2+8 diagrams, 19x 2+7 diagrams. Total: 48 diagrams

For anyone interested in how the FGW HST fleet is rostered to run, see http://www.125group.org.uk/diagrams-FGW.pdf

Those of you who are sharp-eyed will notice that the finishing point for one diagram is the starting point for the next sequentially-numbered diagram; the sets are intended to be rostered onto consecutive diagrams on a daily basis. So, set LA08 (Laira set might start Monday on IW001 at Plymouth, and finish at Swansea. It then works diagram IW002 on a Tuesday and so on. When a set gets to the bottom of the list (IW189), it goes back to IW001 the following day.

Having said that, there are a couple of anomalies on the diagrams. IW029 ends at Swansea, and IW030 starts from Bristol. You would think this is because the set runs empty from Swansea to St. Philip's Marsh depot at Bristol However, the anomaly comes to light when you look at, for example, diagram IW188. At the end of this one the set is shown as forming the 23+00 Great Malvern to Worcester (the + in the time signifies ECS movements). But there is no time with a + in it at the end of IW029 diagram, so how does the set get to Bristol to do IW030 the following day? Strange isn't it?

Obviously, things such as failures and set swaps mess all of this up on a regular basis, and when this happens the swapped sets continue to follow the rota where at the position they are swapped into, instead of attempting to somehow return them to their "rightful" place in the list.

9. At Porthmadog, where the Welsh Highland Railway crosses the Cambrian Coast line.
0. Manulla Junction in County Mayo.

Scores (and overall scores) to follow.

tangy wrote:6. Disregard the AWS warning you have just received - it only applies to movements in the opposite direction. This sign is only found on single lines where a PERMANENT AWS magnet is not suppressed for movements in the other direction. The other type of cancellation indicator is the black cross on a yellow background, which means the same thing but refers to TEMPORARY AWS magnets, such as those found where here is a temporary or emergency speed restriction. These can be found on all lines, not just single ones.

It is not just found on Single Lines, the one at West Croydon is most definitely not on a single line and that is a permanent one....!

tangy wrote: 7. What is the maximum permissible speed anywhere on the West Anglia lines?
80mph. Even though the 317s and 379s that ply this route are built for 100mph operation they cannot, on the West Anglia, attain this speed.

According to the Sectional Appendix there are several sections of 90mph running, such as through Shelford station.

Sam wrote:

tangy wrote:6. Disregard the AWS warning you have just received - it only applies to movements in the opposite direction. This sign is only found on single lines where a PERMANENT AWS magnet is not suppressed for movements in the other direction. The other type of cancellation indicator is the black cross on a yellow background, which means the same thing but refers to TEMPORARY AWS magnets, such as those found where here is a temporary or emergency speed restriction. These can be found on all lines, not just single ones.

It is not just found on Single Lines, the one at West Croydon is most definitely not on a single line and that is a permanent one....!

By "single line" I meant "bi-directional line", which I admit was a little confusing.

Tangy, does Ilford to Shenfield count as West Anglia? I'm sure that we do more than 80mph on that line.

Starkey7 wrote:Tangy, does Ilford to Shenfield count as West Anglia? I'm sure that we do more than 80mph on that line.

West Anglia is refered to as the route via Hackney Downs to Chingford, Enfield, Bishops Stortford and Stansted to Cambridge.

The route via Shenfield and Chelmsford towards Colcester and Norwich is known as the Great Eastern Main line (GEML) which is cleared for 100+mph running.