Vatican Railway - Quiz
  • 1. What is the name of the only railway station in Vatican City?
A) St. Peter's Station
B) Vatican City railway station
C) Vatican Central
D) Roma San Pietro
  • 2. Who designed the Vatican City railway station?
A) Giuseppe Momo
B) Pope Pius XI
C) H. V. Morton
D) Pope Pius IX
  • 3. Which pope ordered the construction of the grand station building?
A) Pope John Paul II
B) Pope Francis
C) Pope Pius XI
D) Pope Pius IX
  • 4. How far is the station built from the Entrance Gateway?
A) Approximately 100 metres
B) Approximately 20 metres
C) Approximately 10 metres
D) Approximately 50 metres
  • 5. What material was carved from a single piece for the station's structure and decorative pillars?
A) Marble
B) Sandstone
C) Granite
D) Limestone
  • 6. What did Pope Pius XI call the station when he saw it completed?
A) The grandest gateway of Rome
B) The holy rail terminus
C) A masterpiece of marble
D) The most beautiful station in the world
  • 7. Between which years was the station built?
A) 1929 and 1933
B) 1950 and 1954
C) 1829 and 1833
D) 1901 and 1905
  • 8. Where is the station located relative to Vatican City?
A) Exact center
B) Far North
C) North-West
D) Centre-South
  • 9. Which landmark lies adjacent to the Vatican City railway station?
A) Vatican Mosaic Studio
B) Sistine Chapel
C) Castel Sant'Angelo
D) Vatican Museums
  • 10. What famous basilica is the station located in the shadow of?
A) St. Peter's Basilica
B) St. John Lateran
C) St. Mary Major
D) St. Paul Outside the Walls
  • 11. What are the dimensions of the white marble station building?
A) 50 by 15 metres
B) 100 by 40 metres
C) 30 by 10 metres
D) 61 by 21.5 metres
  • 12. How tall is the central body of the station building?
A) 16.85 metres
B) 10.2 metres
C) 5.95 metres
D) 20.5 metres
  • 13. How tall are the lateral bodies of the station building?
A) 10.0 metres
B) 16.85 metres
C) 2.5 metres
D) 5.95 metres
  • 14. Who compared the station's design to a London bank branch?
A) H. V. Morton
B) Pope Pius XI
C) Giuseppe Momo
D) Benito Mussolini
  • 15. Which bank did H. V. Morton compare the station design to?
A) Bank of England
B) HSBC
C) Barclay Bank
D) Lloyds Bank
  • 16. What was part of the station converted into due to a lack of passengers?
A) A maintenance depot
B) A ticket counter
C) A museum ticket office
D) A goods office
  • 17. What small facility is housed inside the station for Vatican residents?
A) A cafeteria
B) A post office
C) A duty-free department store
D) A souvenir shop
  • 18. Who is the duty-free department store open to?
A) Railway workers only
B) All tourists
C) The general public
D) Vatican City residents only
  • 19. Where does the Vatican City State Railway branch off from on the Italian end?
A) Vatican-Rome express
B) Rome–Naples line
C) Roma Termini
D) Rome–Viterbo line
  • 20. At which Italian railway station does the Vatican branch connect?
A) Roma Termini
B) Roma Trastevere
C) Roma Ostiense
D) Roma San Pietro railway station
  • 21. What valley does the railway cross on a stone viaduct?
A) Vatican Valley
B) Gelsomino Valley
C) Tiber Valley
D) Aurelia Valley
  • 22. What is the name of the viaduct crossing the Gelsomino Valley?
A) Pius Viaduct
B) Gelsomino Viaduct
C) Savoy Viaduct
D) Roman Viaduct
  • 23. How long is the Gelsomino Viaduct?
A) 143.12 metres
B) 300 metres
C) 61 metres
D) 112 metres
  • 24. How many arches does the Gelsomino Viaduct have?
A) Ten
B) Four
C) Eight
D) Six
  • 25. What is the length of each arch on the Gelsomino Viaduct?
A) 15.30 metres
B) 10.2 metres
C) 20.5 metres
D) 5.95 metres
  • 26. Which coats of arms and symbols are borne on the Gelsomino Viaduct?
A) The fasces and the Savoy coat of arms
B) The Vatican flag and cross
C) The Italian tricolor and eagle
D) The papal tiara and keys
  • 27. Which road does the Gelsomino Viaduct cut off?
A) Corso Vittorio Emanuele
B) Via Aurelia
C) Via della Conciliazione
D) Viale Vaticano
  • 28. What voltage is supplied to the first 100 metres of the electrified line?
A) 600 V DC
B) 3000 V DC
C) 1500 V DC
D) 25 kV AC
  • 29. When is the remainder of the electrified line distance energised?
A) At all times
B) Only during papal visits
C) Only at night
D) Only when needed
  • 30. What kind of gate is located at the Italy–Vatican City border?
A) A lightweight steel barrier
B) A sliding bronze gate
C) A two-piece 35.5-ton iron gate
D) A single wooden gate
  • 31. Where does the border gate slide into when opened?
A) Underneath the railway tracks
B) The recesses of the Vatican walls
C) Into the Gelsomino Viaduct
D) Inside the station building
  • 32. When is the border gate kept closed?
A) At all times
B) During the daytime only
C) Only during religious holidays
D) When trains are not passing through
  • 33. What lies beyond the Vatican City railway station before the line ends in a tunnel?
A) A secondary passenger platform
B) A 112-metre straight section acting as a headshunt
C) A large maintenance workshop
D) A 300-metre loop for storage
  • 34. What is located on the far side of the station?
A) Two storage tracks
B) The goods office
C) The main platform and a passing loop
D) The duty-free store
  • 35. What is located on the near side of the station?
A) The border iron gate
B) A main platform and passing loop
C) The Gelsomino Viaduct
D) Two tracks that run to the headshunt in the tunnel
  • 36. What is the purpose of the two tracks on the near side of the station?
A) Both are used exclusively for cargo transit
B) Both are used for passenger boarding
C) One is platformed for loading, and the other is for storage
D) One is for the papal train and one is for emergencies
  • 37. What is the total approximate length of the railway between the tunnel and the junction?
A) 143.12 metres
B) 1.27 kilometres
C) 5 kilometres
D) 300 metres
  • 38. How much of the railway lies within Vatican City?
A) 112 metres
B) 300 metres
C) 61 metres
D) 1.27 kilometres
  • 39. What record does the Vatican railway hold due to its length within the city?
A) The shortest national railway in the world
B) The narrowest gauge railway
C) The oldest operating railway
D) The steepest funicular railway
  • 40. What is the approximate journey time of a train between the border and the station?
A) 5 minutes
B) 10 minutes
C) 1 minute
D) A 1⁄2-minute
  • 41. Was Pope Pius XI's planned papal train ever constructed?
A) Yes
B) Only partially
C) It was built and later scrapped
D) No
  • 42. How many railway workers has the Vatican City State ever employed?
A) None
B) A dozen
C) Hundreds
D) Only Italian state workers
  • 43. What kind of train is used to run tourist services on the Vatican railway?
A) A battery-powered tram
B) A high-speed electric train
C) An electric steam-style train
D) A diesel train
  • 44. Which company owns the diesel train used for tourist services?
A) Roman State Railways
B) Vatican City Railway Authority
C) Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane
D) Trenitalia Vaticana
  • 45. Whose official train from the Papal States remains on display at the Museum of Rome?
A) Pope Pius XI
B) Pope Leo XIII
C) Pope Gregory XVI
D) Pope Pius IX
  • 46. In which museum is Pope Pius IX's official train housed?
A) Galleria Borghese
B) Capitoline Museums
C) Vatican Museums
D) Museum of Rome
  • 47. In which building is the Museum of Rome housed?
A) Palazzo Quirinale
B) Palazzo Braschi
C) Palazzo Apostolico
D) Palazzo Farnese
  • 48. How many of the five bombs dropped on Vatican City in November 1943 exploded?
A) Four
B) Five
C) Three
D) Two
  • 49. On what date did Pope John XXIII make his pilgrimage using the Vatican railway?
A) 18 April 2013
B) 4 October 1962
C) 21 May 2011
D) 8 November 1979
  • 50. Which network broadcast the trip of Pope John XXIII in 1962?
A) The Italian Railway Network
B) The Turin Group of Train Friends
C) The Vatican Museums Network
D) The Eurovision Network
  • 51. When did Pope John Paul II first use the railway to leave Rome?
A) 24 January 2002
B) 21 May 2011
C) 18 April 2013
D) 8 November 1979
  • 52. Which company owned the rail cars used by the Turin Group of Train Friends in 2013?
A) Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane
B) Eurovision Network
C) Vatican Museums
D) Seatrain
  • 53. In what month and year did the Palace of Castel Gandolfo open to the public?
A) October 1962
B) November 1943
C) April 2013
D) September 2015
  • 54. On what date was the inaugural run of the special weekly service to Castel Gandolfo?
A) 18 April 2013
B) 21 May 2011
C) 5 November 1943
D) 11 September 2015
  • 55. Which steam locomotive hauled the inaugural train to Castel Gandolfo in September 2015?
A) Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane diesel train
B) Seatrain ALn 776
C) FS Class 625 steam locomotive 625-017
D) Italian presidential train engine
  • 56. In what year was the steam locomotive 625-017 built?
A) 1962
B) 1943
C) 2015
D) 1915
  • 57. What kind of coaches were joined to the locomotive for the Castel Gandolfo service?
A) Restored wooden coaches
B) Presidential steel coaches
C) Modern diesel rail cars
D) ALn 776 rail cars
  • 58. Which treaty guaranteed Vatican City access to Italy's rail system?
A) Concordat of 1929
B) Treaty of Rome
C) Vatican Treaty
D) Lateran Treaty
  • 59. What phrase was Pope Gregory XVI reputed to have said about railways?
A) railway of iron, road of life
B) chemin de fer, chemin d'enfer
C) via ferrea, via inferni
D) road of iron, road of gold
  • 60. Which article of the Lateran Treaty guaranteed the construction of the railway station in Vatican City?
A) Article 4
B) Article 10
C) Article 1
D) Article 6
  • 61. In what year was the Vatican railway station opened officially?
A) 1934
B) 1962
C) 1932
D) 1929
  • 62. In what year did Pope Pius XI die without ever having travelled on the line?
A) 1939
B) 1934
C) 1962
D) 1945
  • 63. What rolling stock is used for the tourist services to Castel Gandolfo?
A) Historic papal carriages
B) Trenitalia
C) Private steam locomotives
D) Vatican-owned stock
  • 64. In what year did Pope Benedict XVI use the Vatican railway?
A) 2008
B) 2015
C) 2011
D) 2005
  • 65. For whom are the regularly scheduled passenger service trains at Vatican City station intended, beginning in 2015?
A) Tourists
B) Journalists
C) Cardinals
D) Daily commuters
  • 66. How often does the special passenger train run for tourists?
A) Daily at noon
B) Weekly every Saturday
C) Monthly on Sundays
D) Twice a week on weekdays
  • 67. What is the approximate journey time from the Vatican Museums to the Palace of Castel Gandolfo by train?
A) Fifteen minutes
B) Two hours
C) Thirty minutes
D) An hour
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