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Railroad Trivia Game

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Posted by Track fiddler on Thursday, May 21, 2020 8:57 AM

BRAKIE

And here's one. On boxcars high and flat car low you see his name where ever you go..

Who is he?

 

 

 

Cushion ride guy!

P.S.   Seriously though, ... reporting mark, so I guess his name is Mark.

 

When you hear a loud thump thump sound when a freight car rolls past, what is this caused by?

 

 

 

 

TF

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Posted by Water Level Route on Thursday, May 21, 2020 12:24 PM

Track fiddler
When you hear a loud thump thump sound when a freight car rolls past, what is this caused by?

A flat spot on a wheel.

What rail line(s) completed the second U.S. transcontinental route?

Mike

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Posted by Wolf359 on Thursday, May 21, 2020 1:14 PM

Water Level Route

 

What rail line(s) completed the second U.S. transcontinental route?

 

The Southern Pacific primarily. Other participating lines included AT&SF subsidiary Rio Grande, Mexico and Pacific Railroad, and the Texas and Pacific Railway.

Which railroads were involved in the Royal Gorge Railroad War of the late 1870s?

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Posted by Overmod on Thursday, May 21, 2020 1:15 PM

Track fiddler
Being the OP of the thread.  If I had to take the position of a judge or referee.  I would have to technically State this answer was correct. An unwanted Berkshire is extremely similar in comparison to an unwanted Christmas gift

Of course, that's not where the expression 'white elephant' originally came from ... and what do you know! it referred to a railroad locomotive.  Which one, and why was it notable?

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Thursday, May 21, 2020 1:25 PM

Overmod
Of course, that's not where the expression originally came from ... and what do you know!

I am having a hard time following this thread.

Is there an order to the questions? It seems that there are a lot of queries being tossed about.

I am becoming unsure which responses go with which questions.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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Posted by Track fiddler on Thursday, May 21, 2020 4:33 PM

Wolf359

Which railroads were involved in the Royal Gorge Railroad War of the late 1870s?

 

 

Atchison,  Topeka & Santa Fe,  Denver & Rio Grand

 

In terms of railroad track, what is the gradual transition leading to a sharper radius out of a tangent?

 

 

TF

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Posted by Track fiddler on Thursday, May 21, 2020 5:16 PM

Water Level Route

 

What rail line(s) completed the second U.S. transcontinental route?

 

 

Post Hog

Almost 12 years after the Promontory Summit the Southern Pacific Railway completed the second transcontinental Railroad with Milestone and ceremonies in 1881 and 1883.  From what I gathered Northern Pacific and Texas Pacific played a big hand in it as well.

 

I'll edit if I think of another question, but I think there's enough right now.

As Kevin stated, this thread has become a little confusing with too many questions.  I have tried to be a good host today and gather the reins but I am limited with my effortsSmile, Wink & Grin

 

TF

 

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Posted by BRAKIE on Thursday, May 21, 2020 5:33 PM

Track fiddler

 

 
BRAKIE

And here's one. On boxcars high and flat car low you see his name where ever you go..

Who is he?

 

 

 

 

 

Cushion ride guy!

P.S.   Seriously though, ... reporting mark, so I guess his name is Mark.

 

When you hear a loud thump thump sound when a freight car rolls past, what is this caused by?

 

 

 

 

TF

 

TF.. Who the heck is J.B King ?

You see his name on boxcars high and flat cars low.

You see his name where ever you go.

J.B King Esq moniker  was sign without lifting the chalk. 

Larry

Conductor.

Summerset Ry.


"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt  Safety First!"

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Posted by Track fiddler on Thursday, May 21, 2020 6:16 PM

Your humble pardon is requested Larry. 

I can't be right all the time, nor would I want to be.  I got that one wrong and I accept the consequences per my own rules.  I cannot play this game till tomorrow now.

Seriously,  I'm not familiar with any JB King as I see there is a lot of them.  I do like the Blues and BB King thoughYesSmile, Wink & Grin

 

 

TF

 

P.S.  I immediately dove in with all fours Larry.  I just read up on JB King and now have an understanding.  Somehow that one slipped by me all these years.

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Posted by Overmod on Thursday, May 21, 2020 7:31 PM

Track fiddler
In terms of railroad track, what is the gradual transition leading to a sharper radius out of a tangent?

There are actually two, when you have any superelevation: horizontal and vertical transition spirals.

When I was a kid MR actually published a template that you could cut out and paste on cardboard to make a spiral transition -- I was fascinated.  Didn't occur to me to learn the mathematics behind it until later, but to this day the approach is a good one for modeling if you have the room...

Kevin, see if the amended version makes a bit better sense than the one you read and quoted.  The question involves how 'white elephant' might have come to mean something unwanted and perhaps obsolescent -- and, ultimately, applicable to unwanted Christmas gifts that keep being given...

"J.B. King" was a bit like an earlier version of the Kilroy was Here trope.  He was supposedly invented by a couple of Cincinnati switchmen who put his 'signature' in chalk on various cars that passed through their 'purview'.  I suspect the thing may have caught on for a while as a fad.  Then supposedly revived later as the tale of a millionaire hobo.  What fun!

(I was going to add that chalk was a key part of the hobo lifestyle if you're wondering why the tags were done in chalk... but TF rightly reminds me that even imaginary hobos come under the ban, so I won't.)

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Posted by Track fiddler on Thursday, May 21, 2020 10:10 PM

Overmod-eration!

Just Breathe, ... just breathe baby

 

Knock knock, knock knock, no hobo allowed in the Forum.  Maybe just go back to the start and read the rules,  here and here.

 

 

TF

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Posted by gmpullman on Friday, May 22, 2020 12:37 AM

Track fiddler
Knock knock, knock knock, no hobo allowed in the Forum. 

Mr. Otte has mentioned that discussions about hobos can carry on if kept to a historical context.

No worries, Mate.

Ed

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Posted by Overmod on Friday, May 22, 2020 12:55 AM

gmpullman
Mr. Otte has mentioned that discussions about hobos can carry on if kept to a historical context.

But this isn't really about hobos.  

And it's true that the ban on discussing the hobo thing was to avoid rancor in the community ... which certainly seems to be occurring.  Accordingly I leave the reference to the enhancement of Brakie's question in, because it's part of the answer, but amended the possibly-gratuitous reference that followed so it accords with the TOS as understood.

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Posted by gmpullman on Friday, May 22, 2020 1:27 AM

Overmod
But this isn't really about hobos.

My reply was simply to assuage Mr. TF's fears that some imagined taboo had transpired. Steven has been very accommodating in some of the discussions about both hobos and graffiti in recent years.

That's all,

Cheers, Ed

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Posted by "JaBear" on Friday, May 22, 2020 2:15 AM

Track fiddler
  My thread has a virus or a pest Lock it if you deem necessary  

QuestionQuestionQuestionQuestionQuestionQuestion

Chill by Bear, on Flickr

 Pirate

"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."

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Posted by Track fiddler on Friday, May 22, 2020 6:40 AM

 

 

 

 

OK   Chilled with my hot coffee this morning BearLaugh

I was sad and found it quite unfortunate when I heard Stobe the hobo died from his oversized backpackSad  I wish he had kept the smaller one

 

 

TF

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Posted by Overmod on Friday, May 22, 2020 8:32 AM

gmpullman
My reply was simply to assuage Mr. TF's fears that some imagined taboo had transpired.

I know.  It wasn't about you, either.

Steven has been very accommodating in some of the discussions about both hobos and graffiti in recent years.

That doesn't surprise me.  His concern isn't as much with the 'subjects' as with the acrimony bringing them up causes in 'some segments of the community'.

Even historical discussions can go 'over the line' if they romanticize the "lifestyle" or make some part of it attractive to potential young readers.  It was no more romantic than, say, the pirate lifestyle was.  But people looking to sell juvenile literature back in the dime-novel era tried to make it so, and some of that persists over the years.  Sorry if this comes across as negative waves but I think it needs to be established before we move on.

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Friday, May 22, 2020 9:50 AM

Why does that refrigerated boxcar in Bear's post have so many ice hatches?

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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Posted by Overmod on Friday, May 22, 2020 10:05 AM

SeeYou190
Why does that refrigerated boxcar in Bear's post have so many ice hatches?

I'll bet it has something to do with frozen-food transportation prior to 1947 or so, when preserving things like Clarence Birdseye's invention correctly might involve a lot of ice and salt and insulation to work.  

I suspect Ed already has this in his collection, but if not he might find it valuable...

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Posted by Track fiddler on Friday, May 22, 2020 8:10 PM

SeeYou190

Why does that refrigerated boxcar in Bear's post have so many ice hatches?

-Kevin

 

 

Well the secret if I may, the legend roles North to the farther ends of the Earth to New Zealand.

Winter is fine, they need no hatches but summer it gets hot and then you need quite a bit of dry ice especially when the hatches stick and don't open.

 

Just kiddingLaugh

 

 

TF

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Posted by Track fiddler on Friday, May 22, 2020 8:32 PM

LaughLaughLaugh

I'm sure that's one for the Bear to answer.  He will wake up and answer when we all hit the rack.

 

 

TF

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Posted by Track fiddler on Friday, May 22, 2020 8:53 PM

Double post

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Posted by Track fiddler on Friday, May 22, 2020 8:54 PM

gmpullman

 

 
Track fiddler
Knock knock, knock knock, no hobo allowed in the Forum. 

 

Mr. Otte has mentioned that discussions about hobos can carry on if kept to a historical context.

No worries, Mate.

Ed

 

 

Thanks Ed

The thread may be at a standstill because no one has a good question.

Maybe you do?

 

 

TF

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Posted by gmpullman on Friday, May 22, 2020 9:57 PM

Track fiddler
The thread may be at a standstill because no one has a good question. Maybe you do?

I'll try my luck and toss this one out there:

 Monsanto_ACF_enl1 by Edmund, on Flickr

What is special about this car and what commodity was specifically hauled in it?


 


Overmod
I suspect Ed already has this in his collection, but if not he might find it valuable...

Thank you, Overmod. I had not seen that document before.

All I could find on the multi-hatch reefer was that it was a Northern Pacific car. The same photo appears in the John H. White Great Yellow Fleet book with no further explanation. As Overmod points out, perhaps the additional ice was needed for frozen foods. Salt was added (as in making ice cream) to lower the temperature, as seen in the photo. The resulting rust hastened the damage to car frames and track structure with all the brine drippings!

Good Luck, Ed 

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Posted by Heartland Division CB&Q on Saturday, May 23, 2020 4:21 PM

A search of the internet reveals ACFX 1940 was for hauling nitric acid.

 

Question: ...  What is Rule G? 

GARRY

HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR

EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU

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Posted by Wolf359 on Saturday, May 23, 2020 4:41 PM

Heartland Division CB&Q

 

Question: ...  What is Rule G? 

 

Rule G prohibits railroad workers from being intoxicated in any way while on the job as well as being in possession of anything intoxicating while on the job.

What year was the first fireless locomotive built?

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Posted by Overmod on Saturday, May 23, 2020 5:24 PM

Wolf359
What year was the first fireless locomotive built?

I don't know of one earlier than Fowler's Ghost (1861), which was interesting for its technology transfer from a different industry.

The Ghost got around the issue of steam recharging by using heated brick checkerwork instead; as I recall the idea was to provide hot gas or coals to this between tunnel segments, as an early kind of 'thermal flywheel'.  I don't think Fowler understood the use of latent heat in pressurized water completely; he might have understood use of very high pressures (from Perkins) but wouldn't associate that with a large reservoir of heated water as in a normal locomotive...

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Posted by Wolf359 on Sunday, May 24, 2020 1:12 PM

Overmod

 

 
Wolf359
What year was the first fireless locomotive built?

 

I don't know of one earlier than Fowler's Ghost (1861), which was interesting for its technology transfer from a different industry.

The Ghost got around the issue of steam recharging by using heated brick checkerwork instead; as I recall the idea was to provide hot gas or coals to this between tunnel segments, as an early kind of 'thermal flywheel'.  I don't think Fowler understood the use of latent heat in pressurized water completely; he might have understood use of very high pressures (from Perkins) but wouldn't associate that with a large reservoir of heated water as in a normal locomotive...

 

That's the earliest I could find any record of as well, so I'd say that's a correct answer. Even though it was considered a failure, I still think it's a shame that they scrapped it. It would have made for an interesting museum piece.

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Posted by Overmod on Sunday, May 24, 2020 1:32 PM

Far more interesting was the second practicable type of fireless locomotive, developed less than a decade later (we won't count Perkins yet, as he psyched himself out for no real reason in 1864).  This used an approach for producing engine horsepower perhaps tried as far as the 1820s (with a more typical boiler) in the road vehicles Britain taxed and regulated out of existence early.

What was the rather ingenious method used?

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Posted by BRAKIE on Sunday, May 24, 2020 7:20 PM

Overmod
Accordingly I leave the reference to the enhancement of Brakie's question in, because it's part of the answer, but amended the possibly-gratuitous reference that followed so it accords with the TOS as understood.

Actually nobody knows for sure who J .B. King Esq was or if  was even real.. The story I've always heard  it was two switchmen on the Southern Ry in Cincinnati that signed J.B.King Esq.  

Larry

Conductor.

Summerset Ry.


"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt  Safety First!"

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