Portal:Trains/Did you know/July 2017

July 2017

An Eccles Line tram in 2005

• ...that upon its opening in December 1999, Prime Minister Tony Blair, praised the Manchester Metrolink Eccles Line as "exactly the type of scheme needed to solve the transport problems of the metropolitan areas of the country"?

An MRT train at Aljunied station in 2006

• ...that travel between Pasir Ris and Tuas Link stations, the endpoints of the East West MRT Line, the longest MRT line in Singapore at 57.2 kilometres (35.5 mi), takes about 78 minutes?

A London Overground train at Crystal Palace station on the East London line extension opening day, 23 May 2010

• ...that the proximity of the East London line extension re-opening date to the 2010 parliamentary general election generated speculation about political motives, particularly those of Mayor Boris Johnson?

Former LNER 2-6-0 locomotive number 3442, 'The Great Marquess', approaches bridge 16 at Bury on the East Lancashire Railway in 2008

• ...that the East Lancashire Railway's 2003 extension to Heywood required construction of a new bridge to cross over the Manchester Metrolink line to Bury, and the slopes on either side have earned it the nickname "The Ski Jump"?

Morrinsville station on the East Coast Main Trunk in 1902

• ...that the East Coast Main Trunk on the North Island of New Zealand carries 52% of the freight traffic between Waikato and Bay of Plenty?

An East Bay Electric Lines train in 1911

• ...that the electric multiple unit cars used by the East Bay Electric Lines were originally painted in standard railroad olive green, but were soon painted a bright red and became known as the "red trains" or "big red cars"?

The Eagle Mountain Railroad's disused maintenance shed and interchange yard at Ferrum, California, in 2006

• ...that Kaiser Steel's Eagle Mountain Railroad used specially designed incline tracks at its mine in the Colorado Desert to move hopper cars through the loader without the need for a locomotive?

A Melbourne E-class tram at St. Kilda in 2016

• ...that unlike other Bombardier Flexity Swift trams that have four motors, the E-class trams introduced on the Melbourne tram network in 2013 have six?

A train at Kashar station in 2015

• ...that the Durrës–Tiranë railway in Albania was built through the volunteer labor of 29,000 young people of the Labour Youth Union of Albania and 1400 qualified technicians?

A Durango & Silverton train at Silverton in 2012

• ...that the 3 ft (914 mm) gauge line from Durango to Silverton, now operated as the heritage Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, has run continuously since 1881?

The preserved Duluth Depot building in 2010

• ...that many local materials were used in the construction of the French Norman-style Duluth Depot building, which was completed in 1892, including granite, sandstone, and yellow brick?

Duffws station circa 1900

• ...that the name of Duffws railway station on the Ffestiniog Railway in Wales is not based on a Welsh word but is a corruption, possibly of "Diffwys" or "Diphwys"?

Dining car of the Duffield Bank Railway in 1898

• ...that in order to demonstrate the versatility of a 15 in (381 mm) gauge line, Sir Arthur Percival Heywood supplemented the Duffield Bank Railway's freight trucks, with passenger coaches, as well as a sleeping car with toilet and a diner with its own cooking compartment?

A freight train at Duckmanton South Junction in 1954

• ...that before 1920 a "fast" passenger service was tried from Lincoln to Nottingham via Duckmanton Junction, in Derbyshire, England, but was later dropped as the route added one to three hours to the schedule?

A brick-lined tunnel on the Driving Creek Railway in 2004

• ...that the 15 in (381 mm) gauge Driving Creek Railway in New Zealand was originally built by the potter Barry Brickell to transport clay and pine wood fuel to his kiln?

Preserved Saxon class IV K locomotive at the Dresden Transport Museum in 2005

• ...that the Dresden Transport Museum, which preserves artifacts from all modes of transportation in Germany, is housed in the Johanneum, which was built between 1586 and 1590, making it one of the oldest museum buildings in Dresden?

A locomotive of the Dreamworld Railway in 2008

• ...that although disputed, when the 1.5-kilometre long (0.93 mi) Dreamworld Railway at the Dreamworld theme park in Queensland opened in 1981 it was said to be the Longest privately owned railway in Australia?

DR 18 201 in Hersbruck, Germany, in 2007

• ...that in addition to being the fastest preserved steam locomotive, Deutsche Reichsbahn locomotive number 18 201 also has the largest driving wheels ever to be fitted to an engine with a 4-6-2 wheel arrangement?

A Downeaster train passes the Ballardvale MBTA station in 2013

• ...that in fiscal year 2008, the Downeaster regional passenger train service in Maine was Amtrak's fastest-growing service, with ridership up 22.9% from the previous year, and in fiscal 2011, ridership topped 500,000 for the first time?

A BNSF Railway double-stack train in West Kingman Canyon, Arizona, in 2006

• ...that Southern Pacific Railroad (SP), along with Malcom McLean, first developed the double-stack intermodal concept then designed the first well car with ACF Industries in 1977?

The Dollis Brook Viaduct in 2009

• ...that the Dollis Brook Viaduct, on London Underground's Northern line between Mill Hill East and Finchley Central stations, is the highest point on the London Underground above ground level, reaching nearly 60 feet (18 m)?

SP 3100 in preservation at Orange Empire Railway Museum in 2005

• ...that Southern Pacific Railroad's preserved locomotive number 3100, one of many locomotives that were painted in special Bicentennial liveries nationwide in 1976, is the only operable GE U25B remaining?

Newbury station circa 1906

• ...that the former Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway line in England became strategically important during World War II when huge volumes of munitions and troops were transported to South Coast ports, particularly in the preparations for the Normandy landings?

A DFW Skylink train in 2008

• ...that upon its opening in 2005, the 4.8-mile long (7.7 km) Bombardier Innovia APM 200 system DFW Skylink, at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, was the world's largest airport train system?