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Quiz about Train of Thought
Quiz about Train of Thought

Train of Thought Trivia Quiz


Just some assorted trivia on various train disasters from around the world. All aboard!

A multiple-choice quiz by dcpddc478. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
dcpddc478
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
341,565
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
819
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: BarbaraMcI (9/10), Guest 90 (8/10), Guest 136 (10/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. In 1981, one of the worst railway accidents to occur in China took place when which one of these natural disasters took place in Sichuan Province. Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. In 1915, which train crash involved five trains and is the worst rail crash on record in the United Kingdom? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. At the time of its occurrence in 1998, the Eschede train disaster was the deadliest high-speed train wreck and occurred in which country? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. The 1865 Staplehurst rail crash which occurred in Kent, England, resulted in the deaths of 10 people, but is probably most well known for the effects it had on which famous author who had been a passenger? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. The Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne derailment caused the deaths of over 700 soldiers on their way home from the Battle of Caporetto during which of the following wars? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. The 2003 Waterfall rail accident in New South Wales, Australia was caused by which of the following unpredictable events? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. On June 29, 1864 one of the worst train wrecks in Canadian history occurred in St-Hilaire, Quebec, over which river named for a French Cardinal? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. The 1989 Ufa train disaster which occurred in the Soviet Union/Russia, which killed or injured over 1,000 people was caused by which of the following flammable materials? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. The 2004 Queen of the Sea rail disaster in Sri Lanka, which caused the deaths of 1,700 people, was caused by an earthquake and the ensuing tsunami.


Question 10 of 10
10. The country ballad "The Wreck of the Old 97" is based on a real train accident.



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Most Recent Scores
Sep 22 2024 : BarbaraMcI: 9/10
Sep 21 2024 : Guest 90: 8/10
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Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. In 1981, one of the worst railway accidents to occur in China took place when which one of these natural disasters took place in Sichuan Province.

Answer: Mudslide

In the middle of the night a mudslide took place in the Liziyida gully which is a tributary of the larger Dadu River. It was not until the train exited the Nainaibao tunnel that they could see that the bridge was gone. Attempts to stop the train were fruitless and over 360 people were killed when their rail-cars fell off the missing bridge into the mudslide below or derailed while still inside the tunnel. Believing it to be bad luck, the Chinese did not rebuild the bridge nor the tunnel, but instead built new ones in the vicinity and implemented new safety procedures.
2. In 1915, which train crash involved five trains and is the worst rail crash on record in the United Kingdom?

Answer: Quintinshill rail disaster

The Quintinshill rail disaster occurred in Dumfriesshire, Scotland and took the lives of 226 people, most of whom were soldiers in the 7th battalion of The Royal Scots. The soldiers were on their way to Liverpool to be sent to fight in Gallipoli. Damage was exacerbated by the fact that it took over four hours for fire and medical assistance to arrive. Because it was wartime old wooden boxcars had been pressed into use.

It is believed that more men died from the fire than from the impact. The crash occurred at a shift change between signalmen who neglected multiple safety procedures and were given prison sentences for the incident.
3. At the time of its occurrence in 1998, the Eschede train disaster was the deadliest high-speed train wreck and occurred in which country?

Answer: Germany

The Eschede train disaster took place in Lower Saxony in Germany. It was caused by the failure of one wheel that caused the train to derail at a rail switch. Over 100 people were killed when one of the cars, travelling at over 200 kmph (120 mph) was thrown into the piers of an overpass.

The impact was so hard that eight of cars occupied an area only slightly larger then the length of a single undamaged car. There was forewarning when the failed wheel came up through the floor of one car. The engineer refused to use the emergency brake until he came back and did a visual examination of the damage.

By the time he attempted to get back to the control panel it was too late, and the devastating derailment had already started.
4. The 1865 Staplehurst rail crash which occurred in Kent, England, resulted in the deaths of 10 people, but is probably most well known for the effects it had on which famous author who had been a passenger?

Answer: Charles Dickens

The Staplehurst rail crash was caused by both bridge failure and and engineering design failure. Charles Dickens survived the wreck and was said to have taken heroic measures to help the injured and dying. The accident affected him profoundly and he wrote the ghost story "The Signal Man" shortly afterward.

He was visibly nervous to be anywhere near a train and would attempt to travel in any manner but a train. Eerily, he died five years to the day after the accident.
5. The Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne derailment caused the deaths of over 700 soldiers on their way home from the Battle of Caporetto during which of the following wars?

Answer: World War I

The Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne derailment occurred on Dec. 12, 1917 during World War I. Of the 982 soldiers aboard the train over 700 were killed. This accident was caused by overloading the train. The brakes were not strong enough to slow the train while going downhill and were completely incapable of stopping the train once it had started.

The train derailed while going 60 mph (102 km/h) at a location where the train should have been going 25 mph (40 km/h). Immediately, fire broke out which was made worse by the ammunition being carried on the train. Safety issues were ignored because so many things had been requisitioned by France for the war.
6. The 2003 Waterfall rail accident in New South Wales, Australia was caused by which of the following unpredictable events?

Answer: The driver had a heart attack

The driver of this Tangara intercity train had a heart attack, which resulted in the derailment of this train and the deaths of 7 people. As so often, proper safety precautions, although available, were not being used. Two of the primary safeguards had been circumvented by the driver and when he became incapacitated, the train continued to speed up and the aptly named "deadmans brake" was unable to kick in and slow the train down.

At the time of the accident this train was going 73 mph (117km/h) at a location is should have been going 37 mph (60km/h).

The resulting derailment could have been much worse.
7. On June 29, 1864 one of the worst train wrecks in Canadian history occurred in St-Hilaire, Quebec, over which river named for a French Cardinal?

Answer: Richelieu River

This terrible rail accident occurred when the engineer of a train full of German and Polish immigrants failed to acknowledge a stop light and attempted to cross a swing bridge over the Richelieu River which had been opened to allow ships to pass. The train, which was on its way to Montreal, fell off the bridge into the river and resulted in the deaths of about 1/4 of the passengers.

The engine and 11 cars fell off the bridge on top of a passing river barge. This accident was blamed on human error by the engineer and conductor who failed to stop for the signals advising them that the bridge was open.
8. The 1989 Ufa train disaster which occurred in the Soviet Union/Russia, which killed or injured over 1,000 people was caused by which of the following flammable materials?

Answer: Liquid petroleum gas

This train disaster, which was caused by a leaky liquid petroleum gas line, took the lives of almost 600 people and severely injured another 800. Sadly, this count included many children who were on both trains involved. A cloud of flammable gas was ignited when two trains passed each other; the explosion has been estimated to have equaled 10 kilotons of TNT. One train was carrying children to the Black Sea for a vacation and the other train was on the return trip with another group of children. This is considered by many to be among the worst disasters to have occurred in 20th century Russia.
9. The 2004 Queen of the Sea rail disaster in Sri Lanka, which caused the deaths of 1,700 people, was caused by an earthquake and the ensuing tsunami.

Answer: True

The 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake was the direct cause of the Queen of the Sea rail disaster, which had at the time of its occurrence, the highest death count of any train disaster on the planet. The wreck occurred when the coastal passenger train was swept away by the giant tsunami that hit Sri Lanka.

The devastation in the area was so great that it took many hours of searching before this train could be found under the water. The loss of life in this rail disaster was over twice as high the worst previous disaster which had been the 1981 train wreck in Bihar, India, which killed 800 people.
10. The country ballad "The Wreck of the Old 97" is based on a real train accident.

Answer: True

On September 27, 1903 in the state of Virginia, the Old 97 mail train was going over 80 mph when it jumped the tracks and crashed into the ravine below. Nine people including the engineer were killed immediately. The train was going too fast but the engineer had been given orders to get the train to Monroe on time, despite the fact that the train had left the station late.

They were insistent that the mail be on time. The train company denied ordering their engineer to go as fast as the train would go but witnesses testified that they heard the order given.

This piece of folk music has been recorded by singers such as Johnny Cash and Flatt and Scruggs. Photos of this train wreck can be found online.
Source: Author dcpddc478

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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