June 9, 1781.
George Stephenson born at Wylam, Northumberland, England.
Was already heading down the drain...then it went faster.
wanswheelFeb. 1, 1968: Grand Central Terminal becomes Grand Central Station. Excerpt from Penn Central Post, March 1968 http://www.canadasouthern.com/caso/post/images/post-0368.pdf Some people thought it would never happen. The legal maneuvers seemed endless. One official of another railroad offered to bet $500 that it would never take place. But at 12:01 A.M. on Thursday, February 1, 1968, the merger finally, formally went into effect, and America's largest transportation company came into being. "Good morning, Penn Central," was the way Phyllis Weisse, a switchboard operator, answered the phone at Syracuse, N. Y. She felt a little odd about it, after saying "New York Central" for the past 11 years. At 30th Street Station, Philadelphia, Car Foreman John McMurrough walked up to a business car marked Central and stripped off a sheet of paper concealing the word Penn, which had been painted in advance for this occasion. At Grand Central Station, New York, Building Superintendent Warren R. Grove and two carpenters hung a PC banner over the main staircase, and he said, "Now it's official." At Samuel Rea Shop, the big car-repair and car-building facility at Hollidaysburg, Pa., two secretaries, Sarah Webb and Peggy Jo Carney, got the new Call Us Penn Central buttons, and wore them as earrings. "The newest railroad deserves the newest fashion," explained Miss Webb. Everybody felt part of an event of great historical significance—as in fact it was.
Excerpt from Penn Central Post, March 1968 http://www.canadasouthern.com/caso/post/images/post-0368.pdf Some people thought it would never happen. The legal maneuvers seemed endless. One official of another railroad offered to bet $500 that it would never take place. But at 12:01 A.M. on Thursday, February 1, 1968, the merger finally, formally went into effect, and America's largest transportation company came into being. "Good morning, Penn Central," was the way Phyllis Weisse, a switchboard operator, answered the phone at Syracuse, N. Y. She felt a little odd about it, after saying "New York Central" for the past 11 years. At 30th Street Station, Philadelphia, Car Foreman John McMurrough walked up to a business car marked Central and stripped off a sheet of paper concealing the word Penn, which had been painted in advance for this occasion. At Grand Central Station, New York, Building Superintendent Warren R. Grove and two carpenters hung a PC banner over the main staircase, and he said, "Now it's official." At Samuel Rea Shop, the big car-repair and car-building facility at Hollidaysburg, Pa., two secretaries, Sarah Webb and Peggy Jo Carney, got the new Call Us Penn Central buttons, and wore them as earrings. "The newest railroad deserves the newest fashion," explained Miss Webb. Everybody felt part of an event of great historical significance—as in fact it was.
And things started down the drain from there!
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Feb. 1, 1968: Grand Central Terminal becomes Grand Central Station.
December 3, 1967
Last run of NYC's 20th Century Limited took place 50 years ago today.
December 9, 1915 - Three Forks to Deer Lodge MT
The CM&StP starts regular electric operation between Three Forks and Deer Lodge. This was shortly to become part of the longest electrification in the world and still the longest in end to end route miles in the US.
Probably the most important development of this electrification was variable speed regenerative braking, with the savings in break shoe wear and improvement in train handling far outweighing the ~15% energy savings. This pretty much set the stage for almost universal application of dynamic braking on American diesel-electric locomotives.
May 10, 1869 - Promentory Point - Golden Spike.
Arizona, May 10th:
In 1913, the town of Miami was barly saved from total disaster when a fire started in the Arizona Eastern freight depot destroyed the Arizona Eastern station, a warehouse, and several freight cars, and damaged hotels and residences in the area.
mudchicken FIRST TRAIN ROBBERY IN THE US May 5, 1865 North Bend, Ohio (Far West Side of Metropolitan Cincinnati) Mississippi & Ohio RR (CSX St. Louis Line, ex B&O) Passenger Train from Cincinnati to St. Louis deliberately derailed Robbers apparently got away and crossed into Kentucky (As usual, Wikipedia gets it wrong - they claim the Reno Gang was first in the fall of 1866 in Indiana in Mellencamps's backyard at Seymour, IN )
FIRST TRAIN ROBBERY IN THE US
May 5, 1865
North Bend, Ohio (Far West Side of Metropolitan Cincinnati)
Mississippi & Ohio RR (CSX St. Louis Line, ex B&O)
Passenger Train from Cincinnati to St. Louis deliberately derailed
Robbers apparently got away and crossed into Kentucky
(As usual, Wikipedia gets it wrong - they claim the Reno Gang was first in the fall of 1866 in Indiana in Mellencamps's backyard at Seymour, IN )
To keep the errors going -
The CSX line between Cincinnati and East St. Louis was originated as the Ohio and Mississippi, until it became a part of the B&O Southwestern and then a part of the B&O which became CSX.
Time flies. The darn thing's 44 already.
Arizona, April 30th:
In 1922, the Phoenix-Miami-Globe Railroad, connecting the Salt River Valley with the Gila Valley was opened at a celebration attended by hundreds in Miami.
NOTE: This line now appears to be abandoned. The rail looks like no train has ran on it for many years.
Arizona, February 16th:
In 1890, a midnight battle developed at Red Rock railroad station when a band of tramps attempted to capture the Southern Pacific fast freight.
In 1913, the first train to serve Fort Huachuca arrived at the Fort at 4:35 p.m. on the El Paso & Southwestern line.
Arizona, January 28th:
In 1887, the first train robbery in Arizona history took place when two masked men took $20,000 from the Southern Pacific passenger train 17 miles east of Tucson.
January 6, 2005:
Ten years ago today; train wreck and derailment in Graniteville, S. C. on Norfolk Southern. Chlorine tank car ruptured, 9 people died due to exposure / inhalation of chlorine gas, including the train's engineer. Within 2 years Avondale Mills closed due to damages from the chlorine; causing loss of over 1,000 jobs. Accident brought about numerous rules changes to railroad operations in "Dark Territory" ( non-signaled trackage).
Arizona, October 8th:
In 1878, Southern Pacific Railroad received a charter from the Territory of Arizona and permission to cross the Military Reservation at Yuma.
John WRoltmanndEarliest Metroliner! You could think of it that way. The bottom half of New Jersey is a peninsula. To get from New York to Philadelphia coastwise ships had to go to the southern tip of New Jersey and then go back up the Delaware Bay to Philadelphia. In a sailing vessel the wind was against you so you had to tack. If you click here you will see how long the trip is: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i.infoplease.com/images/mnewjersey.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.infoplease.com/atlas/state/newjersey.html&h=773&w=450&sz=100&tbnid=T3TXlzFITj7mlM:&tbnh=89&tbnw=52&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dnew%2Bjersey%2Bmap%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=new+jersey+map&usg=__yCf_6Ix_xRVDzOS0XHTQGdDwQMY=&hl=en&sa=X&ei=-X1SULXlKoSk9ATasoHoDA&ved=0CDIQ9QEwBw If you go back to the map you will find Perth Amboy on the coast just beneath an un-named island. That is Staten Island. To shorten the trip people would go to Staten Island, cross the Raritan bay to Perth Amboy and take a predecessor to the Metroliner, a stagecoach, across new jersey to Bordentown which is at the bend in the state just below Trenton. Bordentown marks the beginning of tidewater on the Delaware. From Bordentown you took a riverboat down to Philadelphia. The Camden and Amboy at first replaced the stagecoach and ran from South Amboy (close to Perth Amboy) tfirst to Bordentwon and then on down to Camden, right across from Philadelphia. It must have seemed like a Metroliner to people in those days.
oltmanndEarliest Metroliner!
You could think of it that way. The bottom half of New Jersey is a peninsula. To get from New York to Philadelphia coastwise ships had to go to the southern tip of New Jersey and then go back up the Delaware Bay to Philadelphia. In a sailing vessel the wind was against you so you had to tack. If you click here you will see how long the trip is:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i.infoplease.com/images/mnewjersey.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.infoplease.com/atlas/state/newjersey.html&h=773&w=450&sz=100&tbnid=T3TXlzFITj7mlM:&tbnh=89&tbnw=52&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dnew%2Bjersey%2Bmap%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=new+jersey+map&usg=__yCf_6Ix_xRVDzOS0XHTQGdDwQMY=&hl=en&sa=X&ei=-X1SULXlKoSk9ATasoHoDA&ved=0CDIQ9QEwBw
If you go back to the map you will find Perth Amboy on the coast just beneath an un-named island. That is Staten Island. To shorten the trip people would go to Staten Island, cross the Raritan bay to Perth Amboy and take a predecessor to the Metroliner, a stagecoach, across new jersey to Bordentown which is at the bend in the state just below Trenton. Bordentown marks the beginning of tidewater on the Delaware. From Bordentown you took a riverboat down to Philadelphia.
The Camden and Amboy at first replaced the stagecoach and ran from South Amboy (close to Perth Amboy) tfirst to Bordentwon and then on down to Camden, right across from Philadelphia. It must have seemed like a Metroliner to people in those days.
Arizona, August 8th:
In 1930, cloudbursts over the state caused a railroad trestle near Winslow to collapse, and the Santa Fe eastbound passenger train dropped into a wash. Two were killed and 39 injured.
Arizona, May 15th:
In 1922, outlaws attempted the holdup of the Southern Pacific Golden State at Jayne's Station near Tucson. One was killed and the others fled as the express messenger used his shotgun.
Promontory, May 10th:
In 1869, Golden Spike driven to commemorate the completion of the first transcontinental railroad.
Arizona, April 6th:
In 1920, Mexican strikers abandoned a freight train loaded with tomatoes 25 miles south of Nogales, Mexico, and every truck in the twin towns was requisitioned to salvage the freight and unload it in Nogales, Arizona.
Arizona, April 1st:
In 1919, a troop train carrying discharged soldiers from Nogales to Tucson was rerouted after military authorities learned that professional gamblers had gathered in Tucson, hoping to relieve the soldiers of their back-pay.
Arizona, March 2nd:
In 1889, the Atlantic & Pacific train was held up in Canyon Diablo, 26 miles west of Winslow, Arizona, and the express box was stolen. Sheriff Bucky O'Neill captured the bandits in Utah a few weeks later.
Arizona, January 27th:
In 1879, the railroad car known as Terminus, which housed a post office and Wells Fargo Station, rolled into Arizona for the first time and followed the construction of the tracks across Arizona for two years from Yuma to New Mexico.
Arizona, January 22nd:
In 1903, a head-on collision of the Southern Pacific east and west bound passenger trains at Vail Station (east of Tucson) killed 22 people and injured 45.
Arizona, January 20th:
In 1912, work began on the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad terminal in Tucson.
NOTE: The El Paso and Southwestern Railroad was constructed by the Phelps Dodge Copper Company, and began in Bisbee, Arizona. It was ultimately extended from El Paso, Texas to Tucson, Arizona via Douglas and Bisbee, Arizona. The Southern Pacific Railroad purchased the EP&SW in 1924 and shifted all passenger traffic to its own terminal building. The EP&SW Tucson terminal building is still standing and was last known to house a Mexican restaurant.
Arizona, January 12th:
In 1883, the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks were completed so that Tucson, Arizona could be reached from the East Coast by way of San Antonio, Texas.
Arizona, January 1st:
In 1921, a damage suit was brought against the Arizona Eastern Railroad alleging negligence. According to the complaint, 34 ostriches died or were killed in transit.
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