TAUNTON TOWN Model Railway Club
You are never too young (or too old) to enjoy model railways
Week 2
Q 1. Who led a force of 2,000 men to evict 150 men and their contractor from Mickleton Tunnel works on the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway?
A. Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Q 2. Why were the nameplates of GWR engines bearing the names of towns removed during the late 1920's and early 1930's?
A, Because passengers thought they were train destinations
Q 3. Where is the summit of the main line between Paddington and Bristol via Bath?
A. About 1/2 mile west of Swindon.
Q 4. What were the 'Long Charleys'?
A. Coaches built for the new broad gauge service from London to Birmingham in 1852, so called because of their 38ft length. They were the first eight-wheel coaches to be used on regular main line passenger services in Britain.
Q 5. How were third class passengers carried on GWR trains from its opening until 1844?
A. In open wagons.
Q 6. What was a Fantail signal?
A. A rectangular arrow-shaped board painted on one side green (caution) and the other side red (stop) used from the 1840s.
Q 7. Who proposed the toast of 'The Great Western Railway' at the Centenary Banquet at Grosvenor House, London, on 30th October 1935?
A. HRH The Prince of Wales.
Week 3
Q 1. Which terminal station, built specifically for suburban traffic and opened in 1909, had the unusual space-saving feature of two traversers to release engines?
A. Moor Street, Birmingham
Q 2. What were Cyclops, Hercules and Samson?
A. Crane Tanks
Q 3. When the South Devon Railway main line was being planned Brunel adopted a steeply graded curving route between Newton Abbot and Plymouth. Why?
A. Brunel agreed with the proposal to use the atmospheric system of propulsion which he thought would be capable of successful operation on steep gradients and save on the heavy construction costs of a more easily graded line.
Q 4. Two saloons of the GWR 1897 Royal train, Nos 9002/3 were sold out of service in 1935 for holiday use on the Welsh coast near Aberporth. One, No 9002, was moved in 1982. Where is it now?
A. Restored and mounted on a new underframe, it forms part of the replica Royal train in the Royalty & Railways exhibition at Windsor & Eton Central station.
Q 5. In Broad Gauge days the Great Western operated an underground line in London. Which one?
A. The Metropolitan, from its opening for about eight months on 1863.
Q 6. In the earliest days of the GWR what did a handsignal with one arm raised above the head indicate to a driver?
A. Caution, slacken speed.
Q 7. Who was in personal charge of the visit of No 6000 King George V to the centenary celebrations of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad?
A. William A. Stanier.
Week 4
Q 1. What was the nature of a series of trains, formed of passenger stock, that were turned out of Swindon Works painted in dark olive green?
Q 2. Which two broad gauge engines were broken up at Swindon in 1906 after preservation for many years?
Q 3. The Severn Tunnel is the longest not only on the GWR but also (except for urban underground railways) in Great Britain. Which is the second longest on the GWR?
Q 4. What was the unusual feature of the coaches placed in service in 1900 on the Paddington - New Milford boat trains?
Q 5. When were through Broad Gauge services between Paddington and Penzance inaugurated?
Q 6. When the Windsor branch was opened it was not possible to use the standard GWR board signal because both stop and clear boards could be seen fron the curve. What was used instead?
Q 7. Who was the last chairman of the GWR?
