S&E A-Z QUIZ
Welcome to this year’s Stop & Examine
Quiz. This year, we’re combining the themes of two previous quizzes - general knowledge and A to Z.
That doesn’t mean we’ll be testing you on London’s streets. Instead, here are 26 fun, railway-themed questions - one for each letter of the alphabet.
Subjects range from rolling stock, music, literature, films, people, history, geography and general/industry knowledge.
This year, our prizes are: The Borders Railway Five Years On DVD. In 2020, the Campaign for Borders Rail ( www.campaignforbordersrail.org) celebrated the fifth anniversary of the Borders Railway reopening from Edinburgh Waverley to Tweedbank by releasing a DVD souvenir box set charting the first five years and looking forward to the chapters yet unwritten.
It features a brand new professionally produced documentary, plus a never-beforeseen real-time driver’s eye view of a complete run from Tweedbank to Edinburgh Waverley.
It also re-visits producer Stuart Cameron’s in-depth telling of the construction story of the Borders Railway, from start to finish.
The documentary, with many interviews conducted by CBR Chairman Simon Walton, looks at what has been achieved so far, the lessons learned, and where the future will take the ambitions of the Borderlands and the CBR ( Stop & Examine, RAIL 920). Cathedrals of Steam, by RAIL columnist Christian Wolmar.
London has more terminus stations than any other city in the world. In his latest book, Christian Wolmar finds out how London ended up with such a wide range of major stations.
His book tells the remarkable story of how all these major stations - together with the lines leading to them and all the other railway structures that were needed - were built in a period of just four decades in the middle of the 19th century (with the exception of Marylebone), as a result of the fierce rivalry between the railway companies.
Wolmar tells the story of all these stations, ranging from London Bridge (opened for the capital’s first line, the London & Greenwich) to Marylebone (completed in the final year of the 19th century as a result of the ambitions of Edward Watkin, the great railway entrepreneur).
To bring us up to date, his final chapter is a tour of the stations with the ghost of Sir John Betjeman, the man who saved St Pancras, and who would probably have approved of many of the amazing developments at these stations blending the old with the new.
The prizes have a combined retail price of £ 55, and one of each will go to three lucky winners.
For details on how to enter, please see the panel at the bottom of the page.
Good luck - and here are your A-Z questions…
A In August 2020, South Western Railway unveiled the name for its fleet of Bombardier Class 701s. What is the name of the fleet?
B With Sir John Fowler, he designed and engineered the Forth Rail Bridge. His first name and surname both begin with B. But who was he?
C In December 1965, she became the first female Minister of Transport. Her maiden name was Betts, but what was her married name? D “The distant echo of faraway voices boarding faraway trains” is the opening line of which memorable song by The Jam?
E Which famous British tourist attraction (the full site opened in 2001) is located within reach of Par and St Austell railway stations? F Any excuse to include a picture of Wallace
& Gromit, and Gromit’s amazing track-laying ability ( below left). But what was the name of the villainous criminal mastermind penguin?
G The West Highland Railway (Fort WilliamMallaig extension) was voted as one of RAIL’s
Seven Wonders of the Railway in 2018. Which structure on the line has become a pilgrimage for fans of the Harry Potter films?
H Of which UK train operator is Louise Cheeseman the managing director?
I What is the name of the global rail pass that offers destinations across 33 European countries?
J Name either of the two stations on the Tyne & Wear Metro network whose name starts with J.
K If an HST Mk 3 has the code TFKB, what does the K denote?
L It means speed in Gaelic. What is the name of the light rail scheme for the Dublin area (right)? M “Train, train, comin’ ’round the bend. Well, it took my baby, but it never will again” is a lyric from which early Elvis Presley song?
N Which East Anglian station was used as a location in the 1971 film The Go-Between, which starred Julie Christie, Edward Fox and Sir Alan Bates?
O The historic Swansea & Mumbles Railway, built in the early 19th century to move quarried materials, was known as the what in its early days?
P His Christian name and surname began with P, and he was chairman of the British Railways Board from 1976 to 1983. Who was he?
Q Which preserved railway station, now operating as the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, has been used as a location for
TV dramas such as Jewel in the Crown and
Midsomer Murders, and for pop videos by Brotherhood of Man and The Tourists?
R When RAIL launched in 1981, what was the magazine’s title?
S Which station serves as the headquarters of the Bluebell Railway, and is home to a shop and museum?
T Name the Spanish train manufacturer which has been granted planning permission to build a facility at Longannet, in Fife.
U A four-wheel-drive diesel vehicle capable of operating on roads and railway tracks is commonly known as what?
V Many of Alfred Hitchcock’s films featured scenes on trains. In one of his early masterpieces, where much of the action focuses on a group of people travelling on a train across Europe, what is it that the lady does?
W What is the surname of the 1980s pop impresario who is a renowned railway enthusiast (and who co-hosted the Railway Industry Association’s supply chain award ceremony in November)?
X A locomotive wheel was featured on the cover of The Big Express, a 1984 album by which English band?
Y Where was the 3.10 train heading for, in the 1957 film and the 2007 remake?
Z We finish off with a Z special, with three answers required. Which two countries are linked by a railway line over which river at Victoria Falls (although no passenger trains currently run along the line)?