Trains

[Beaker]

Ok here is another brainteaser for people.


Mr. Grumper grumbles about bad time-keeping trains like everybody else. On one particular morning he was justified, though. The train left on time for the one hour journey and it arrived 5 minutes late. However, Mr. Grumper's watch showed it to be 3 minutes early, so he adjusted his watch by putting it forward 3 minutes. His watch kept time during the day, and on the return journey in the evening the train started on time, according to his watch, and arrived on time, according to the station clock. If the train traveled 25 percent faster on the return journey than it did on the morning journey, was the station clock fast or slow, and by how much?


Skatie

[Jonathan]

Silly old Mr Grumper has gone and set his watch 5 minutes slow so he was lucky to be at the station in time to catch his train home for a start (and would probably have complained bitterly to the dispatch staff about it departing "early" had he missed it as a result).

Fortunately for our friend there was a minor defect with the train and it suffered a 5" late start, although on time according to the watch. Being a peak train the operator had to pay a nice big fine to the SRA, too (government money-grabbers).

If it's traveling 25% faster on a journey that's booked to take 60 mins, that journey's only taken 45 mins (so either it’s the last train the driver has to work on his turn and there's been some speeding going on, or he’s missed some stops, or there's a heck of a lot of slack in the timings). It started 5" late, so arrives at the destination 50 minutes after it's scheduled departure time from the origin, so that's 10" early overall. If the station clock says it's on time it's running 10 minutes fast… or more likely is stopped altogether, they're supposed to be synchronized throughout the country.

Amazing what one thinks about whilst stuck in a signal failure at Wimbledon on the way up to work in the morning isn't it :)

[tony]

eh? i was with you all the way up to silly