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Railroad Trivia Game

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Posted by Overmod on Friday, May 8, 2020 9:26 PM

Leave passenger railroads out then; name at least one currently-operating electric freight railroad west of the Mississippi.

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Posted by York1 on Friday, May 8, 2020 8:13 PM

I was going for now, and I didn't count Caltrain or other mainly transit railroads.  My mistake.  I guess I was aiming at freight-carrying railroads, but that's not what I said.

Your turn!

York1 John       

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Posted by Overmod on Friday, May 8, 2020 7:37 PM

York1
My question:  What is one of the only two or three electric railways operating west of the Mississippi River?

Now, or 'ever'?

Does the Caltrain Peninsula electrification count?

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Posted by York1 on Friday, May 8, 2020 7:26 PM

Ulrich, was it the Crystal River RR?

 

I'm going to assume that's the answer until I hear differently.

My question:  What is one of the only two or three electric railways operating west of the Mississippi River?

York1 John       

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Posted by Overmod on Friday, May 8, 2020 7:22 PM

Tinplate Toddler
Which railroad connected the town of Marble/CO. with the outside world?

Fascinating!  That's something charming I would never have known to look for, like something out of a Mark Helprin novel.

Treasury Mountain Railway.

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Posted by Tinplate Toddler on Friday, May 8, 2020 2:02 PM

Wolf359
What types of locomotive (wheel arrangement) did the Colorado Midland Railway use?

Tenwheelers!

Which railroad connected the town of Marble/CO. with the outside world?

Happy times!

Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)

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Posted by Track fiddler on Friday, May 8, 2020 1:45 PM

And the conductor William Allen Fuller drove the Texas backwards to catch Andrews in the stolen general.

The Texas

 Image from Wikipedia

 

The General

Always loved the GeneralYes

Rogers, Ketchum & Grosvenor

As far as I am concerned the designers of the General are world-famous artists and should be commemorated for their creationYes

It is a Piece of Art!

 

Carry on.

 

 

TF

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Posted by Wolf359 on Friday, May 8, 2020 1:27 PM

garya

 

If correct, my trivia question is:

What locomotive caught the General?

 

 

The Texas.

For my trivia question: What types of locomotive (wheel arrangement) did the Colorado Midland Railway use?

P.S. You don't have to name all of the types, (unless you want to) just one will do.

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Posted by garya on Friday, May 8, 2020 12:39 PM

Overmod

 

 
SPSOT fan
How about what do "Stampede", "Stevens", and "Snoqualmie" have to do with railroads?

 

Famous passes to the Pacific Northwest.

What, and when, was the first fixed rail crossing of the Mississippi River?

(Isn't that silver box some kind of power derail, or perhaps an 'occupancy sensor' or axle counting device?  It isn't placed where it would do any good as a switch heater, it has a head reminiscent of a typical motor drive, and I see no tanks or lines for the fuel necessary in such a location for a heater.  Note the large number of tie bars to the movable points, indicating either heavy loads or preservation of high-speed geometry...)

 

I believe this is the current question.  Wasn't it the Rock Island, at Rock Island? I have to cheat and look it up...1856?  I suspect a trick, though...

If correct, my trivia question is:

What locomotive caught the General?

Gary

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Posted by gmpullman on Friday, May 8, 2020 12:02 PM

SPSOT fan
They would make a nice detail for the more modern railroads, I wonder if anyone has done one on a model railroad?

Details West is your answer Yes

https://www.walthers.com/switch-heater-with-blower-propane-tank-heater-duct

Cheers, Ed

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Posted by Wolf359 on Friday, May 8, 2020 11:43 AM

[quote user="Overmod"]

[quote user="Wolf359]In what year was the first Union Pacific Challenger built?[/quote]

1936.

(This assumes that the earlier B&O engines are 'Camels', not Camelbacks or Mother Hubbards as the design came to be known)

What great Next Big Thing device of the late 1930s, inspired by a method of oil firing, was installed on 74 B&O locomotives ... before disappearing nearly entirely by the end of WWII?  (Truth to tell ... disappearing very shortly after the beginning of WWII)

 

[/quote]

[quote user="andrechapelon"]

[quote user="Overmod"]

[quote user="Wolf359]In what year was the first Union Pacific Challenger built?[/quote]

1936.

(This assumes that the earlier B&O engines are 'Camels', not Camelbacks or Mother Hubbards as the design came to be known)

What great Next Big Thing device of the late 1930s, inspired by a method of oil firing, was installed on 74 B&O locomotives ... before disappearing nearly entirely by the end of WWII?  (Truth to tell ... disappearing very shortly after the beginning of WWII)

 

[/quote] 

Off hand, I'd say water tube boilers.

 

[/quote]

Sorry for the late response, I got involved with a project and never got back to this. 1936 is indeed the correct build date for the first UP Challenger. If anyone is interested in more info on Camelback locos, this Wikipedia artical is where I got my information from. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camelback_locomotive  This should be a fun and interesting thread if we can keep it going. I really like trivia, that's why Jeopardy is one of my favourite tv shows.

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Posted by Overmod on Friday, May 8, 2020 11:11 AM

That's nifty!

Of course, this also means Isaac gets the next question... oh wait, he did.  Carry on!

That thing would make a nifty set of detail castings for modelers.  One piece for the box, one for the 'manifold', two for the directional heads... clean out a crib and glue it on down; doesn't even seem to require detail painting.

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Posted by SPSOT fan on Friday, May 8, 2020 10:39 AM

I checked out that link on switch heaters, very cool! They would make a nice detail for the more modern railroads, I wonder if anyone has done one on a model railroad?

Regards, Isaac

I model my railroad and you model yours! I model my way and you model yours!

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Posted by Water Level Route on Friday, May 8, 2020 9:41 AM

Overmod
(Isn't that silver box some kind of power derail, or perhaps an 'occupancy sensor' or axle counting device?  It isn't placed where it would do any good as a switch heater, it has a head reminiscent of a typical motor drive, and I see no tanks or lines for the fuel necessary in such a location for a heater.  Note the large number of tie bars to the movable points, indicating either heavy loads or preservation of high-speed geometry...)

Good thoughts, but young Isaac has it correct.  All electric.  More info can be found here: https://spectruminfrared.com/railroad-products-and-track-switch-heaters/rrsh-hot-air-blower/

Now back to the game!

Overmod
What, and when, was the first fixed rail crossing of the Mississippi River?

Mike

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Posted by SPSOT fan on Friday, May 8, 2020 9:41 AM

Overmod
(Isn't that silver box some kind of power derail, or perhaps an 'occupancy sensor' or axle counting device?  It isn't placed where it would do any good as a switch heater, it has a head reminiscent of a typical motor drive, and I see no tanks or lines for the fuel necessary in such a location for a heater.  Note the large number of tie bars to the movable points, indicating either heavy loads or preservation of high-speed geometry...)
 

I considered the previously posted image being a derail, but it seems to me that they are not connected to the points, to me it looks like the switch rod heads off to the left out of the photo...

Occupancy detector seems possible... I don't really know how they work...

I honestly have no idea what it is, these where just the reasons I didn't say switch machine (that was actually my first idea!). I honestly can't wait till the poster of that question responds! I don't really care if I'm right, I just REALLY want to know the answer!

Regards, Isaac

I model my railroad and you model yours! I model my way and you model yours!

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Posted by Overmod on Friday, May 8, 2020 9:06 AM

SPSOT fan
How about what do "Stampede", "Stevens", and "Snoqualmie" have to do with railroads?

Famous passes to the Pacific Northwest.

What, and when, was the first fixed rail crossing of the Mississippi River?

(Isn't that silver box some kind of power derail, or perhaps an 'occupancy sensor' or axle counting device?  It isn't placed where it would do any good as a switch heater, it has a head reminiscent of a typical motor drive, and I see no tanks or lines for the fuel necessary in such a location for a heater.  Note the large number of tie bars to the movable points, indicating either heavy loads or preservation of high-speed geometry...)

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Posted by SPSOT fan on Friday, May 8, 2020 7:18 AM

Judgeing from the position of the equipment, especially where those pipes are pointing, and the fact that it is winter, my best guess is those are switch heaters!

 

I think I'm supposed to ask a question now right?

How about what do "Stampede", "Stevens", and "Snoqualmie" have to do with railroads?

 

P.S. I'm not 100% sure if I'm following the rules correctly here, so if I'm not please let me know!

Regards, Isaac

I model my railroad and you model yours! I model my way and you model yours!

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Posted by Water Level Route on Friday, May 8, 2020 6:24 AM

Ok, so what were the “Detroit”, “Manitowoc”, “Windsor” and “Pere Marquette 10”?

Railroad car ferries.

What is the silver box and associated equipment?

Mike

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Posted by "JaBear" on Friday, May 8, 2020 5:05 AM
Apart from the short-lived “G” Class Garretts amongst whose faults were an over complicated mechanical stoker, the NZR relied on firemen and shovel power, so due to Ed and others, I’ve learnt a lot, and have come to the conclusion that the “G” Class mechanical stokers must have been real doozies!

gmpullman
Anyone else can come up with a question.

Hmm Hmmm, 900 and something views and no one’s taking up Eds offer.
 
Ok, so what were the “Detroit”, “Manitowoc”, “Windsor” and “Pere Marquette 10”?
 
Cheers, the Bear.Smile

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Posted by gmpullman on Thursday, May 7, 2020 9:43 PM

Was that also known as the Crawford Stoker?

Let's not forget the Rube-Goldberg Elvin Stoker!

http://www.martynbane.co.uk/modernsteam/tech/elvin.htm

I believe some Big Four and maybe other NYC engines had these for a while. They also look like a mechanic's nightmare!

Cheers, Ed

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Posted by Overmod on Thursday, May 7, 2020 9:38 PM

While you're at it -- there was also the Street underfeed stoker that was rather unsuccessfully put on the first PRR K4s -- souring PRR on subsequent stoker use to the point they left stokers off the K5s as built, one of the dumbest of the dumb things a railroad did in that era...

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Posted by gmpullman on Thursday, May 7, 2020 9:35 PM

Well, maybe this one was a stretch, certainly wasn't Easy Street!

 Street_page1 by Edmund, on Flickr

This is the Type B Street Stoker. Quite a mechanical contraption with that bucket-conveyor and all the associated gearing. Must have been a real headache, not only to keep this contraption in repair but to have to work around the cab appliances with this octopus in the way!

 Stoker_street1 by Edmund, on Flickr

Any coincidence that their address was also shared with the American Locomotive Works?

Cheers, Ed.

Anyone else can come up with a question.

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Posted by Overmod on Thursday, May 7, 2020 8:49 PM

Southern Railway pulverized coal experiments in the '20s.  You're going to make me say Fuller-Kinyon distributing system, aren't you?

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Posted by BATMAN on Thursday, May 7, 2020 7:31 PM

gmpullman
So — Who made it?

Serial # 51132. That one was made by Bob.Smile, Wink & Grin

Brent

"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."

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Posted by gmpullman on Thursday, May 7, 2020 7:21 PM

Here's another hint that will pretty much disclose its purpose.

 Southern Ry. stoker by Edmund, on Flickr

So —  Who made it?

Good Luck, Ed

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Posted by Overmod on Thursday, May 7, 2020 7:07 PM

The only thing I can think of that fits that sort of Cerberus nozzle arrangement would be Fuller-Lehigh style pulverized-fuel feeding, as for lignite burning.

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Posted by BATMAN on Thursday, May 7, 2020 6:58 PM

gmpullman

 

 
Overmod
Ed's right.  Does he have pictures?

 

Sure wish I did. That would be some monstrosity to see.

So, along those lines, can anyone identify what we are looking at here? And the name of the manufacturer?

 Mystery_1 by Edmund, on Flickr

Good Luck, Ed

 

Some sort of blower or dryer.

Brent

"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."

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Posted by gmpullman on Thursday, May 7, 2020 6:53 PM

dknelson
I think I had my most recent colonoscopy on one of those.

Why do I all of a sudden want to watch "Star Trek" ?

OK, back to our fun-n-games Surprise  Ed

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Posted by dknelson on Thursday, May 7, 2020 6:24 PM

Oh dear.  I think I had my most recent colonoscopy on one of those.  

I wish you hadn't reminded me of that, Ed.

Dave Nelson

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Posted by gmpullman on Thursday, May 7, 2020 5:40 PM

Overmod
Ed's right.  Does he have pictures?

Sure wish I did. That would be some monstrosity to see.

So, along those lines, can anyone identify what we are looking at here? And the name of the manufacturer?

 Mystery_1 by Edmund, on Flickr

Good Luck, Ed

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