Talk:Warwick Railway

Warwick Railway has been listed as one of the Engineering and technology good articles under the good article criteria. If you can improve it further, please do so. If it no longer meets these criteria, you can reassess it.
Review: May 2, 2022. (Reviewed version).

A fact from Warwick Railway appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 15 March 2022 (check views). The text of the entry was as follows:

Did you know... that the Warwick Railway successfully operated independently for decades despite having just three employees, two locomotives, and less than a mile (1.6 km) of track?

A record of the entry may be seen at Wikipedia:Recent additions/2022/March. The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/Warwick Railway.

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Did you know nomination

The following is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was: promoted by Kavyansh.Singh (talk) 05:19, 9 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]

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Article history

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... that the Warwick Railway successfully operated independently for decades despite having just three employees, two locomotives, and less than 1 mile of track? Source: "Railroad 'Mom-Pop' Operation". Hartford Courant. UPI. 1976-01-05. p. 12. [1]

Created by Trainsandotherthings (talk). Self-nominated at 04:39, 5 March 2022 (UTC).[reply]

I'll review this; it caught my eye just now when I was checking my watchlist. --Dylan620 (he/him · talk · edits) 04:42, 5 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Don't feel too rushed, I won't have QPQ done until tomorrow (it's about midnight my time so I'm going to bed as soon as I finish typing this comment). Trainsandotherthings (talk) 04:56, 5 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]
@Dylan620: QPQ done now: Template:Did you know nominations/Man in Business Suit Levitating emoji. Trainsandotherthings (talk) 17:44, 5 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]

General: Article is new enough and long enough
New enough: Long enough:

Policy: Article is sourced, neutral, and free of copyright problems
Adequate sourcing: Neutral: Free of copyright violations, plagiarism, and close paraphrasing:

Hook: Hook has been verified by provided inline citation
Cited: Interesting:

QPQ: Done.

Overall: Offline source used for much of article accepted in good faith. I found the first edition of The Rail Lines of Southern New England at my alma mater's library (perfect excuse to go for a walk), and it verified (pg. 133, 134) all of the information cited to the second edition except for the bit about 1999 (the first edition was published in 1995). --Dylan620 (he/him · talk · edits) 20:47, 8 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Promoting the main hook to Prep 6. Pretty interesting one! – Kavyansh.Singh (talk) 05:19, 9 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]

GA Review

This review is transcluded from Talk:Warwick Railway/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: Steelkamp (talk · contribs) 10:13, 24 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Hello. I will be doing a good article review of this article. I aim to complete this review within the next few days. It should be pretty close to GA level judging from my initial glance over it. If you would like to repay the favour, I have some good article nominations at WP:GAN right now. Steelkamp (talk) 10:13, 24 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Good article criteria

Well written

Measurements should have conversions. Nearest kilometre is ok if the miles measurements can't be any more precise. I would prefer the miles measurements be more precise though. Steelkamp (talk) 10:37, 24 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Conversions added. In some instances I don't have exact distances. Karr's book only has stations listed to the nearest mile. Trainsandotherthings (talk) 17:03, 1 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Trolley should be linked for the benefit of those outside North America. I assume you are talking about trams. Steelkamp (talk) 10:37, 24 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, what us Americans would call a trolley or a streetcar is known to most of the world as a tram. Linked now. Trainsandotherthings (talk) 22:28, 25 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Cranston, Rhode Island, to Oakland Beach, Rhode Island – I reckon these can just be piped links seeing as the first sentence mentions the railroad is in Rhode Island. Steelkamp (talk) 10:51, 24 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Very good point. I've piped these links in the lead. Trainsandotherthings (talk) 17:18, 1 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]
What's the difference between chartered and opened? Steelkamp (talk) 10:51, 24 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Chartered means the company received a charter from the state authorizing it to begin construction. You seldom hear of that now (not that much new rail construction happens nowadays) but historically, companies could only build lines if the legislature of each state they wished to build in granted a charter. Opening was once the line was actually constructed and opened for train operations. In between the time of chartering and the time of opening, the company raised funds, surveyed the route, and then built it. Trainsandotherthings (talk) 22:28, 25 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Opened in 1875, the company survived until 1879 before declaring bankruptcy and shutting down – How about Opened in 1875, the company survived until 1879 when it declared bankruptcy and shut down Steelkamp (talk) 10:51, 24 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
I've adopted your wording. Trainsandotherthings (talk) 17:22, 1 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]
How does a steam dummy reduce costs? Steelkamp (talk) 10:51, 24 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
This isn't a super reliable source, but [2] discusses them. Before electric propulsion was widely used, in the U.S. the use of steam dummies was very common. The cost savings came from their small size, not the whole "disguise the locomotive as a passenger car" thing. These were typically smaller than your standard steam locomotive as they wouldn't be carrying very much weight. [3] this source covers them in more detail. Trainsandotherthings (talk) 22:28, 25 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
it was resurrected in 1880 as the Rhode Island Central Railroad under New York, Providence and Boston Railroad ownership and extended by two miles in length. – Change this to it was resurrected in 1880 as the Rhode Island Central Railroad under New York, Providence and Boston Railroad (NYP&B) ownership and extended by two miles in length. as per MOS:ACRO. Steelkamp (talk) 10:58, 24 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Abbreviation in parenthesis added. Trainsandotherthings (talk) 02:44, 28 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
operations continued with steam power until the Rhode Island Central Railroad's 1899 consolidation with the Rhode Island Suburban Railway, when the line was electrified and trolleys replaced steam locomotives. Change this to operations continued with steam power until the Rhode Island Central Railroad's 1899 consolidation with the Rhode Island Suburban Railway, which was when the line was electrified and trolleys replaced steam locomotives. Steelkamp (talk) 10:58, 24 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not sure I agree with this particular change. I've adopted the wording "at which point" instead of how I originally worded this. Trainsandotherthings (talk) 17:31, 1 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]
began service following the Warwick becoming insolvent. – Should this be began service following the Warwick Railway becoming insolvent. Steelkamp (talk) 15:56, 24 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Yeah, that would be clearer. I was using "the Warwick" as shorthand for the Warwick Railway but your wording is less ambiguous. Trainsandotherthings (talk) 17:18, 1 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]
I take it that the railroad company owns and operates the vehicles? Steelkamp (talk) 15:56, 24 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, in almost all cases. But there are exceptions; a particularly humorous one is the Stony Brook Railroad which has existed from 1845 to this day but never owned or operated a single piece of rolling stock. Trainsandotherthings (talk) 22:28, 25 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
What's an "interchange partner"? Steelkamp (talk) 15:56, 24 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Interchange partner refers to the railroad company that another railroad company exchanges railroad cars with (this is also known as interchange). Changed to "The Warwick's connection in Cranston".
A newly formed Warwick Railway purchased the remaining line from United Electric in 1949 – Is that referring to the 2 mile section operating or the section not operating? Steelkamp (talk) 16:18, 24 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Referring to the remaining 2 miles. Everything else was abandoned in 1935 when passenger service ended. Trainsandotherthings (talk) 22:28, 25 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
What does "independent freight operations" mean? Steelkamp (talk) 16:18, 24 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
My intention was to make a distinction between the formal end date of the Warwick Railway as a company (1982) and when it actually ceased running trains (1979). Open to better ways to word this. Trainsandotherthings (talk) 22:28, 25 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Right of way should be linked. Steelkamp (talk) 16:18, 24 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
This has been done. Trainsandotherthings (talk) 22:28, 25 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Verifiable with no original research

I checked every reference that I could access (all but the first one), and they seem to be reliable. The article also conforms with what they say. I will have to assume good faith on the one I could not access. This criterion is passed. Good job, I don't think I've ever done a GA review where I don't have any suggestions for sourcing. Steelkamp (talk) 05:49, 25 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Broad in its coverage

I am not seeing much of who used the railroad. What businesses used it in the earlier years? What passenger stations were there? How did it operate? Did trains terminate at the end of the railroad with cargo and passengers transferred to other trains on the other railroad? Steelkamp (talk) 16:18, 24 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
There's not much information (or I should really say none) available on freight business before the start of the Warwick Railway in 1949, to the best of my knowledge. Freight was not a significant part of business in the early years. I do have a station list from the Karr book which I can add. The various incarnations of the company did exchange cargo and passengers in Cranston. Trainsandotherthings (talk) 20:33, 27 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
I have added a table listing all of the line's stations. Trainsandotherthings (talk) 17:04, 1 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Has service begun yet? Article says it was going to begin in 2017. Steelkamp (talk) 16:18, 24 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, P&W now runs train service a few times a week to the used oil customer. But I haven't been able to find a reliable source that says this... it's dumb since I know for a fact it's active now, and there's even videos of P&W trains on the line, but I just can't seem to find a RS that would be good enough for a GA level article. Trainsandotherthings (talk) 22:28, 25 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
I've decided to cite the P&W website. The map there indicates the line is active. It's better than just dancing around the question. Trainsandotherthings (talk) 17:15, 1 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Cost of the original line is relevant. It is stated in reference 2. Are there any sources which say the companies contracted to build the railroad? Maybe local newspapers? Steelkamp (talk) 05:49, 25 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
I've added the cost, with a conversion for inflation. I can take a look for information on the construction, but I don't think I'll find very much. Trainsandotherthings (talk) 20:33, 27 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Incredibly, I found nothing in newspapers.com about the line's construction. The earliest relevant hits are about the line's completion. Trainsandotherthings (talk) 17:28, 1 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Neutral

Yep. Steelkamp (talk) 10:37, 24 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Stable

Yep. Steelkamp (talk) 10:37, 24 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Illustrated, if possible

Licencing on images is acceptable. Captions are acceptable. Passed this criterion. Steelkamp (talk) 10:37, 24 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Not required for GA, but alt text should be added to the images to aid with accessibility. Steelkamp (talk) 10:37, 24 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

General

I've done all my suggestions for criteria 1 and 3. I have yet to look at sources. Steelkamp (talk) 16:18, 24 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

I'm putting it on hold now. Steelkamp (talk) 05:49, 25 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Just ping me when you think you've done everything so I don't leave this sitting here not realising. Steelkamp (talk) 02:06, 28 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Will do. I've been slammed with work irl the past few days but I should have everything done by Sunday. Trainsandotherthings (talk) 02:28, 28 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
@Steelkamp: Thank you for your patience. I believe I've responded to all your points now. Trainsandotherthings (talk) 17:32, 1 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Ok, I will pass the review now. Steelkamp (talk) 03:58, 2 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]