India

CB27 · 793660. Sun Mar 06, 2011 10:10 am

Watching one of the guys teaching his daughter how to make/maintain them was amazing to see, they pass this knowledge from generation to generation and keep it going.

This programme only touched a little on this, I'd like to see a dedicated programme to it, but would recommend the Human Planet series for anyone to watch.

Spud McLaren · 797996. Sat Mar 19, 2011 7:31 pm

India's train stations with the longest and shortest names - the shortest being Ib.

suze · 797999. Sat Mar 19, 2011 7:40 pm

There is no British railway station with a two letter name; there are eleven with three letter names - Ash, Ayr, Ely, IBM, Lee, Lye, Ore, Par, Rye, Wem, and Wye.

But what is Britain's longest station name?

Beware of the klaxon ...

Spud McLaren · 798001. Sat Mar 19, 2011 7:45 pm

Sir Muhammad Iqbal - that's not the name of the station, to which subject I may return, but of Pakistan's national poet; however he died before the formation of Pakistan. Quite an interesting chap.

"Nations are born in the hearts of poets; they prosper and die in the hands of politicians."

sjb · 798005. Sat Mar 19, 2011 7:56 pm

suze · 798007. Sat Mar 19, 2011 8:00 pm

sjb · 798008. Sat Mar 19, 2011 8:06 pm

Hehehe, your hint in white helped me. I was thinking of the klaxon-worthy answer before I saw that.

Spud McLaren · 798009. Sat Mar 19, 2011 8:14 pm

I knew it wasn't going to be the klaxonworthy answer, but hadn't bargained on the simple reason: that there's a longer one. I assumed it would be because (I reasoned) the klaxonworthy one's official rail name was its shortened version. I was about to look this up when....

suze · 798012. Sat Mar 19, 2011 8:26 pm

The klaxonworthy answer is officially called Llanfairpwll, yes.

There was a station with a longer name than the klaxonworthy version of that one, viz Gorsafawddacha'idraigodanheddogleddollônpenrhynareurdraethceredigion.

But this has three points against it:

1. It's not the official name of the station, that being Golf Halt.
2. It's on a miniature railway which has never formed part of the National Railway System.
3. The name of the station is bad Welsh, and doesn't stand up to proper scrutiny.

Spud McLaren · 798066. Sun Mar 20, 2011 6:20 am