Portal:Trains/Did you know/March 2015

March 2015

 * ...that in order to avoid a long delay in opening of the PreMetro E2 line in Buenos Aires, Argentina, officials decided to create a temporary fleet by converting some 1913 metro cars into trams?


 * ...that as built by Budd Company in 1954, each Park series streamlined dome-sleeper-observation car lounge had a specially-commissioned 4 by 20 ft (1.2 by 6.1 m) mural depicting the car's namesake Canadian national or provincial park?


 * ...that many of the superheated locomotives of North Eastern Railway's Class B1 0-6-2 tank locomotives were later rebuilt as saturated steam locomotives as their original boilers wore out?


 * ...that within 30 minutes of its opening in July 2004, sightseers filled the MRT Blue Line system in Bangkok to its maximum capacity, but after the initial rush ridership has settled down to around 180,000 riders daily?


 * ...that although signalling control at Melton railway station in Melbourne was transferred to Ballarat signal box in 2005 as part of the Regional Fast Rail project, the lever frame was preserved at the station?


 * ...that 40 of the original 42 Manor series sleeping cars built by Budd Company in 1954–55 for Canadian Pacific Railway's Canadian and Dominion trains are still in use as of 2015 on VIA Rail's Canadian?


 * ...that Lygten Station in Denmark was built in 1906 quite a bit from the Copenhagen city center, but it was supposed to be temporary until the exact routing of the various new railways near Copenhagen that were in planning at the time had been finalized?


 * ...that from its construction beginning in the mid-1830s the Leamside Line in North East England was part of the east coast main line until 1872 when the route was bypassed by the NER's Bishop Auckland to Gateshead line and Croxdale link, which became part of the ECML?


 * ...that Kyōbashi Station became one of the last sites to be bombed in Japan during World War II when a one-ton bomb directly struck the Katamachi Line platform as part of the bombing of Osaka and killed 700 to 800 evacuees?


 * ...that the Kintetsu Toba Line was built to bridge the rail gap between Ujiyamada and Toba stations, allowing Kintetsu to run limited express trains from Osaka and Nagoya as far as Kashikojima in Shima?


 * ...that a recharging facility was built at Karasuyama Station, in Nasukarasuyama, Tochigi, Japan, for use by the experimental NE Train battery railcar, which is undergoing testing on the Karasuyama Line?


 * ...that Utah Transit Authority's S Line began operations in 2013 using the same design of Siemens S70 trams as were already used on UTA's TRAX system, but Mayor Becker suggested that cars used could move "toward a more traditional streetcar design" as the S Line evolves?


 * ...that Japanese National Railways Class EF60 Bo-Bo-Bo electric locomotives introduced in 1960 were the first Japanese second-generation DC electric locomotives with six driven axles?


 * ...that from its opening in 1855 until 1874 when a pontoon bridge was built, the Howrah terminal station of the Howrah–Bardhaman main line in India was accessible from the city only by ferry across the Hooghly River?


 * ...that Blackpool Central railway station in England remained in service just long enough to see its centenary before its closure as part of the Beeching cuts on 2 November 1964?


 * ...that Heumarkt station on the Cologne Stadtbahn in Germany was built 27 m below ground to potentially also accommodate the future East-West line within the underground station which also makes it the system's deepest station?


 * ...that no trains run directly from Imazu Station to Takarazuka Station on Hankyu Railway's Imazu Line in Japan because the line was split at Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi Station in 1984 where it crosses the Kōbe Line?


 * ...that the redevelopment of Birmingham New Street railway station in England, a project dubbed Gateway Plus, is expected to accommodate passenger growth from its scheduled completion in September 2015 to at least 2046, depending on the accuracy of the growth predictions?


 * ...that horses were used at Eketahuna Railway Station, New Zealand, for many years in the early 20th century for shunting duties in the station yard during stock season?


 * ...that Devyatkino station on the Saint Petersburg Metro Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya Line was the northernmost metro station in the world from its opening in 1978 until it was succeeded by the Helsinki Metro in 1982?


 * ...that British Rail Class 56 diesel locomotives earned the nickname "Gridirons" (or "Grids" for short) among railfans due to the grid-like horn cover on the locomotive's cab ends fitted to nos. 56 056 onwards?


 * ...that Cuauhtémoc Station, which opened in 1991 with the first line of the Monterrey Metro (Metrorrey) in Mexico, is the most important station on the Metrorrey system, as it serves as the only transfer between Line 1 and Line 2?


 * ...that due to its proximity to famous pilgrimage places including Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple, Parumala Church and Maramon, Chengannur railway station, in Kerala, India, was dubbed the 'Gateway of Sabarimala' by Indian Railways in 2009?


 * ...that upon arrival at Strasburg Railroad, Canadian National 89 faced toward the east and remained in that orientation until the turntable at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania was installed in 1973?