Q 01/05

Which engineer built the locomotive for the world's first railway train, at Penydarren in 1804?

A) Isambard Kingdom Brunel

B) George Stephenson

C) James Watt

D) Richard Trevithick

Answer · why

D) Richard Trevithick

Richard Trevithick, born near Camborne in Cornwall, pioneered high-pressure steam; on 21 February 1804 his engine hauled ten tons of iron and about se...

Q 02/05

Which 1825 English railway was the world's first public railway to use steam locomotives?

A) Great Western

B) Liverpool and Manchester

C) Canterbury and Whitstable

D) Stockton and Darlington

Answer · why

D) Stockton and Darlington

Stockton and Darlington: it opened on 27 September 1825 between the Durham coalfield and the River Tees; regular passenger coaches were horse-drawn un...

Q 03/05

Stephenson's Rocket won which 1829 competition to pick locomotives for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway?

A) The Crewe Cup

B) The Doncaster Trials

C) The Rainhill Trials

D) The Darlington Derby

Answer · why

C) The Rainhill Trials

The Rainhill Trials, held in October 1829 on a level stretch near Rainhill, Lancashire; ten engines were entered, five competed, and Rocket alone met ...

Q 04/05

The Liverpool and Manchester, the world's first inter-city railway, opened in which year?

A) 1830

B) 1835

C) 1840

D) 1845

Answer · why

A) 1830

1830: the line opened on 15 September 1830 with a procession of trains hauled by Stephenson locomotives, and it was the first railway to rely entirely...

Q 05/05

What is the width of standard-gauge track, used by about 60 percent of the world's railways?

A) 1,435 mm

B) 1,520 mm

C) 1,600 mm

D) 1,676 mm

Answer · why

A) 1,435 mm

1,435 mm, or 4 ft 8½ in, is the Stephenson gauge inherited from early English colliery lines; Russian railways use 1,520 mm and India's broad gauge is...