Special Sub-Topic: The Great Train Robbery Click Here To Play: The Great Train Robbery

Who was seen as the "brains" behind the robbery?

Bruce Reynolds. Reynolds was well known in criminal circles as a jewel thief, as well as being an accomplished housebreaker. Like his more high profile accomplice Ronnie Biggs, Reynolds became something of a fugitive following the robbery, living under a variety of aliases overseas.

Which of these was NOT a member of the notorious 15 man gang?

Jim Wheater. It was John Wheater, not Jim, who was part of the gang. John Wheater was a public school educated solicitor who provided somewhere for his partners in crime to hide following the felony - Leatherslade Farm in Oxfordshire, although this would eventually prove to be the biggest mistake the robbers made, culminating in their arrest.

The train driver was murdered during the robbery.

False. Jack Mills was the unlucky victim who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was hit over the head with an iron bar and, while the bruising and black eye cleared up, he never really fully recovered from the attack, being prone to constant trauma headaches for the rest of his life. He died from leukemia in 1970.

In which English county did the robbery occur?

Buckinghamshire. The heist took place at Bridego Railway Bridge in Ledburn (near Mentmore) on 8 August 1963. If you went for Leicestershire, you probably had the Phil Collins movie "Buster" at the back of your mind, as several of the scenes were filmed there.

Along with Detective Chief Superintendent Tommy Butler, the man in charge of the investigation at Scotland Yard was called Jack. His surname was also the name of an item of footwear. What was it?

Slipper. Even after Jack Slipper's retirement, he continued to hunt down the criminals involved, in his lifelong quest for justice. He was also involved in the notorious Massacre of Braybrook Street, in which three police officers were shot dead in London's East Acton area. Slipper died in August 2005 after fighting cancer for several years.

Which member of the gang became a flower seller outside Waterloo Station upon his release from prison, and eventually committed suicide?

Ronald Edwards. Edwards, a former boxer, initially fled the UK for Mexico, but eventually he gave himself up to the authorities and was sentenced to 15 years in jail. He hanged himself in 1994.

What journey was the train undertaking when it was hijacked?

Glasgow to London. Locomotive D326 was a Travelling Post Office train. Bruce Reynolds, using a portable radio, gave the word and false signals were activated, causing the train to stop. The robbers made off with around two and a half million pounds, which was the equivalent of forty million pounds in 2006.

Which member of the gang became something of a media celebrity in the years following the robbery, as he escaped from HM Prison Wandsworth after scaling the wall with a rope ladder and spent many years as a fugitive in Paris, Australia and Brazil?

Ronnie Biggs. Biggs was located by officials in Rio de Janiero in 1974, but was unable to be extradited as his girlfriend at the time - a nightclub dancer and prostitute - was pregnant with his child. Brazilian law prevented the extradition of the parent of a Brazilian child. True to his newfound "celebrity" status, Biggs even made the top ten of the UK singles chart when he featured on the Sex Pistols' single "No One Is Innocent" in 1978.

Which band featured Bruce Reynolds on their 2005 album "Outlaw" and even included a track on it called "Have You Seen Bruce Richard Reynolds"?

Alabama 3. The Welsh band based the entire album around Reynolds, as well as other British outlaws, when it occurred to them that the only one that was celebrated in any kind of folk song was "Robin Hood, Robin Hood, riding through the glen".

How many guns were used in the Great Train Robbery?

None. The plan was not to inflict injury on any of the crew members, but it didn't quite work out that way. Aside from driver Jack Mills being coshed over the head with an iron bar (his assailant was never captured nor identified), various workers were bound, gagged or pushed down embankments, terrified. Many people remember the robbery with great affection, and it was an impressive coup, but the fact that certain people were left with indelible emotional scars should never be forgotten.