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All Aboard for these 10 Facts about Trains!

Are you a train expert or new to the world of rail travel? Here's some blam train trivia that'll keep you on track!

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Beano Facts Team
Last Updated:  June 14th 2022

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1. The word 'train' is Latin!

Well, sort of. It comes from the word trahēre, which roughly means 'to pull'. Trains did not exist when Latin was widely spoken about 2700 years ago. And besides, none of those who work at Beanotown station speak Latin, which could prove embarrassing if a group of time-traveling Romans found themselves on Platform 2.

2. Japan is the home of the world's fastest trains!

In Japan, modern bullet trains can travel at speeds of 275 miles per hour! Trains in Beanotown travel at a much, much slower speed which allows passengers to appreciate the scenery.

3. The oldest railway station is over 260 years old!

The Middleton Railway in Leeds is the oldest railway station in the world, and was founded in 1758. Beanotown’s station was built much later and you can even buy crisps from a machine!

Betty Longbottom | Wikipedia

4. The furthest distance you can travel on a UK train is 785 miles!

If you've got a bag of comics and snacks to keep you busy, you could always hop on a train and Aberdeen in Scotland and travel to Penzance in the south west coast of England. It takes ages, but at least you'd get to look out of the window and see lots of the UK in one relaxing journey!

5. The furthest distance you can travel anywhere is over 11,000 miles!

If you're not keen on flying or just really enjoy sitting on a train, you could travel from Portugal to Singapore in a single train journey. Better take a cushion, though, as the journey takes around 21 days. You could probably get a train around Beanotown around 5000 times, but you may get dizzy or extremely bored. The red dotted line is the distance as the crow flies, because underwater trains are yet to be invented – yet!

Google Maps

6. The deepest train station is in Switzerland

While Beanotown's famous railway system is well above ground, the deepest tunnel can be found under the Alps. The Gotthard Base Tunnel is 2300 metres below the mountain range and stretches 35 miles. We're guessing machinery was used to dig that, rather than a group of people armed with spades.

7. Some London tube trains didn't have a roof!

When the underground was first built in the mid 19th century, the new third class train carriages didn't have roofs! Instead, they were open, a bit like a rollercoaster. On top of that, the engines were steam engines, which meant you'd get a face-full of steam and soot as you travelled through the narrow tunnels. Yuck! Rest assured, every train that rolls through Beanotown station has a roof.

Gnasher on the London Underground

8. The longest and straightest railway track is in Australia!

The Trans-Australia Railway is absolutely huge. Part of the railway goes across the Nullarbor Plain in Southern Australia with a stretch of perfectly straight track that is 297 miles long. The track that forms part of the Beanotown railway is like a wiggly line.

9. The world can thank TWO British inventors for trains!

Richard Trevithick designed and made built a coal-carrying train which was powered by steam in 1803. Around 20 years later, the inventor George Stephenson, improved upon the original design so passengers could climb aboard and have a fun day out, doing whatever people did over 200 years ago. Stephenson appears on the British £5 note, which can be used to by a cheap day return at Beanotown station.

George Stephenson

10. Wales has the longest train station name in the UK

There's a village in on the isle of Anglesey called Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch – that's 58 letters – which has its own rail station. The signs are almost as long as the station platforms! Beanotown is far easier to say, we reckon.

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch