Great Western Coffee Shop

A general knowledge quiz based on the FGW network, and no pictures! One answer each for the first 24 hours please!

1. Who designed the Bristol & Exeter Railway headquarters in Bristol?

2. There is only one 'flying junction' on the FGW network that is used by regular timetabled FGW services on both the routes through the junction. What is it called and where is it located?

3. What is the longest, in terms of mileage, regular timetabled journey that can be made on a through train on the FGW network?

4. Two stations managed by FGW see no timetabled FGW services, where are they?

5. Banbury, Southampton Central and Guildford are all served by four passenger train operators (including FGW), can you name another station on the FGW network also served by four passenger train operators. Also name the operators?

6. Apart form Penzance, can you name another FGW managed station with a 'z' in its name?

7. Who was the first Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Great Western Railway?

8. Which FGW served station has the shortest name?

9. Which structure on the FGW network is 2187^ feet long?

10. Which current FGW station opened as a terminus on 1st July 1842?

1.  Samuel Fripp.

(and if any of the other answers involve Taunton - I don't want to know!)

CfN.  :P ;D

8 - Par

2. Cogload

9. Royal Albert Bridge

6. Furze Platt

3. Paddington to Penzance , via Temple Meads (324mi 51ch).  Thought it may have been Great Malvern to Brighton, but this is only 215mi 44ch.

5. Gatwick Airport

Southern, FGW, South West Trains and Gatwick Express

Not wishing to be picky, but isn't Gatwick Express just a brand of Southern (i.e. they are now a single TOC) ;)

Also SWT don't operate at GTW.  I think you mean First Capital Connect :D

Always knew it had a simularity to Penzance but thought it was more than the letter Z  ;D ::) :D

7. Joseph Armstrong

Very sorry Chris from Nailed sea, :P

But 10 would be that dreaded T word

Taunton :D

4.
Mottisfont & Dunbridge
Dean

Paul

7, I thought it was Daniel Gooch. Although Brunel did design a couple of locos but they were basically failures.

Gooch is buried in the churchyard at Clewer, almost in site of one of Brunel's other bridges over the Thames. there is also a survivor of Titanic nearby, I think it's the yougest, who was a baby at the time.

Answers and answerees

1. Samual Fripp (Chris from Nailsea)
2. Cogload (grahame)
3. Paddington to Penzance via Bristol TM (Brucey)
4. Mottisfont & Dunbridge and Dean (paul7755)
5. ?? (incorrect from Rewind, Gatwick Airport is only served by three operators)
6. Furze Platt (signalandtelegraph)
7. ?? (incorrect from Electric train)
8. Par (old original). Bonus Point: There is another FGW served station with a three letter name......
9. Royal Albert Bridge (TerminalJunkie)
10. T**nt*n  ;D (smokey)

So just 5, 7 and the bonus point for 8 to get.

 ;D

7. ?? (incorrect from eightf48544)

7. George Jackson Churchward all the ones before were superintendents?

I could name one served by five passenger train operators,I think!

Intrigued...... go for it grahame

7. George Jackson Churchward (Electric train). Yes he was indeed the first CME with his predecessors being Locomotive Superintendents.

Heathrow Express, First Great Western, Chiltern Trains, Heathrow Connect and London Underground trains all serve London (Paddington) station.

8.  Ash.

Cheltenham Spa and Gloucester used to, do I get half a point for each?  ::)

Well done all!  ;D

grahame got 3. Paddington correct. Although I wasn't counting London Underground, but they do operate passenger trains so fair enough!

Chris from Nailsea got the bonus point for No 8. Poor research on the part of the quizmaster there...... I missed Par as a 'shortest named station'   :o ::)

Go back a year and Bodmin Parkway could qualify for four operators:

FGW
XC
SWT (down on a Sat back on a sun)
B&W
 ;D

Yes - I looked at that (and Paignton too) and wondered if the independent railways ever have two train operators.

I also thought that National Express are a passenger train operator, as are Stagecoach and Arriva ... so there might be other "station[ s ] on the FGW network also served by four passenger train operators".   The question said nothing about it being their trains than run there.   I was also wondering about the airlines at Gatwick and whether any of them also operate passenger trains in their home countries, but as the airlines don't really serve Gatwick airport station I don't think I would have been "given" that!