DECEMBER 22, 1829
The Baltimore & Ohio begins passenger operations from Baltimore to Ellicott's Mills.
DECEMBER 22, 1885
Patent #332,762 is issued to La Marcus Adna Thompson for a gravity switchback railroad.
DECEMBER 22, 1950
Two self-propelled trains of the Long Island Railroad collide, killing 77.
DECEMBER 22, 1965
The Pennsylvania Railroad sells the Long Island Railroad to the state of New York.
DECEMBER 22, 1982
The Missouri Pacific and the Western Pacific are merged into the Union Pacific.
CANADIANPACIFIC2816
From ArcaMax History and Quotes:
On December 22, 1984, "subway vigilante" Bernard Goetz, shout four would-be hold-up men on a New York City subway. He ended up serving eight months in prison for carrying an illegal weapon, but was cleared of assault and attempted murder charges.
CANADIANPACIFIC2816 wrote: DECEMBER 19, 1882James J. Hill the A&CR for the P&S. Does anyone know what these two roads were?
DECEMBER 19, 1882
James J. Hill the A&CR for the P&S. Does anyone know what these two roads were?
DECEMBER 23, 1851
The Illinois Central Railroad begins construction.
DECEMBER 23, 1852
The Pacific Railroad of Missouri (later known as the Missouri Pacific Railway) begins first passenger service west of the Mississipi River.
DECEMBER 23, 1907
The first all-steel railroad passenger coach is completed.
DECEMBER 23, 1909
In the Canadian province of Ontario: The Wellington Street Viaduct over the Canadian Pacific and the Grand Trunk Chaudiere lines is formally opened.
DECEMBER 23, 1926
20 people were killed in a train accident at Rockmont, Georgia.
DECEMBER 23, 1946
The highest ridership in the history of the New York City subway was recorded at 8.8 million passengers.
FROM ARCAMAX HISTORY & QUOTES:
December 24, 1893
Harry Warren, who composed "Chattanooga Choo Choo" was born.
DECEMBER 24, 1852
The Baltimore & Ohio's tracks reach at the Ohio River at Wheeling, West Virginia.
DECEMBER 24, 1985
The Illinois Central Gulf sells it's 681 mile Iowa division to Chicago, Central and Pacific.
DECEMBER 25, 1830
The Best Friend of Charleston, owned by the South Carolina Railroad, becomes the first American locomotive to be placed in regular service here in the United States.
DECEMBER 25, 1848
The New Haven Railroad opens.
DECEMBER 25, 1854
This marks the date of the opening of the Bytown and Prescott Railway between Prescott and Bytown (now Ottawa, Canada), 54 miles, the first rail service to what is now Canada's Capital city. Bytown was renamed Ottawa in 1855 and the railway became the Ottawa and Prescott Railway Company, now part of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
CHRISTMAS, 1983
VIA Rail Canada discontinues the 25-year tradition of making plum puddings available on VIA trains at Christmas time. Sales had dropped from 50,000 to less than 5,000 per year.
DECEMBER 25, 1995
Canadian Pacific abandons it's Cornwall subdivision.
December 26, 1917
The federal government took over operation of the U.S. railroads, for the duration of World War 1.
DECEMBER 26, 1917
President Wilson takes possession and control of the nation's railroads by proclomation. This resulted in the formation of the United States Railroad Administration, which operated the country's railroads until March 3, 1920.
DECEMBER 26, 1956
The Denver & Rio Grande Western operates standard gauge steam power for the last time.
DECEMBER 27, 1942
34 are killed in a train accident at Almonte, Ontario. A thirteen coach troop train, with Hudson #2802, runs into the rear of Canadian Pacific train 550, with Pacific 2518, at Almonte. This accident, in which 155 persons were injured and 34 killed, is the most serious to have occurred in the Ottawa area. Following an investigation, the Board of Transport Commissioners approved, on April 3, 1943, the installation of automatic signals to be installed at Almonte.
DECEMBER 27, 1943
Fearing a threat to national security, President Franklin D. Roosevelt orders the government to seize the nation's railroads in order to avert a strike.
DECEMBER 27, 1951
The last train runs on the Rio Grande Southern.
DECEMBER 28, 1912
The first municipally owned streetcars begin operation in San Francisco.
DECEMBER 28, 1917
Wartime emergency called by the Federal government, which takes control of U.S. railroads on January 1, 1918.
DECEMBER 28, 1966
13 die in a train crash at Everett, Massachusetts.
DECEMBER 28, 1972
Amtrak announces the purchase of French-built Turboliners.
DECEMBER 29, 1876
A bridge over the Ashtabula River collapsed as The Pacific Express passed over it, killing 92 people and injuring 64 others. Eleven cars fell into the Ashtabula River and stoves in the train's cars started fires after the bridge collapsed. All this happened on the Lakeshore & Michigan Southern.
DECEMBER 29, 1879
The locomotive J.G. Haggart is taken over the ice of the Red River into Winnipeg, Canada by the contractor Joseph Whitehead to start construction westwards across the prairies in the spring of 1880.
DECEMBER 29, 1884
In the Canadian province of Ontario: The Kingston and Pembroke Railway opens between Kingston and Renfrew. The actual connection with the Canadian Pacific Railway at Renfrew was made on December 26. The line had been opened in sections as follows:
* Kingston to Sharbot Lake (46 1/2 miles) on June 17, 1875
* Sharbot Lake to Mississippi (12 1/2 miles) in 1877
* Mississippi to Levant (10 miles) in 1881
* Levant to Clyde Lake (10 miles) in 1882
* Clyde Lake to south side of Grassy Bay (8 miles) in 1883
* South side of Grassy Bay to Renfrew (16 miles) in 1884.
DECEMBER 29, 1982
The Louisville and Nashville was merged into the Seaboard Coast Line, which then changes it's name to Seaboard System.
DECEMBER 30, 1892
In the Canadian province of Ontario: Canadian Pacific Railway opens from Payne to Eganville with an excursion train from Renfrew. A 25 C. ticket carried each passenger and gave admission as well to a Presbyterian tea-meating.
DECEMBER 30, 1906
53 people are killed in a train accident at Washington, DC. This accident resulted in the ICC banning future wooden passenger car construction.
DECEMBER 30, 1907
United Railways begins passenger service.
DECEMBER 31, 1860
The first railway tunnel in Canada opens on the Brockville & Ottawa Railway beneath the town of Brockville. This tunnel was a third of a mile in length.
DECEMBER 31, 1943
The Gales Creek & Wilson River Railway is purchased by the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Ry.
DECEMBER 31, 1944
50 people were killed in a train accident at Bagley, Utah.
DECEMBER 31, 1968
Last U.S. Pullman service.
The New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad becomes a part of the Penn Central Railroad.
DECEMBER 31, 1978
The Peoria Rocket makes it's last run on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific.
DECEMBER 31, 1989
The last part of the railway on Prince Edward Island operated by CN Rail, is abandoned.
JANUARY 01, 1839
The New Jersey Railroad & Transportation Company is opened between New Brunswick and Trenton, New Jersey.
JANUARY 01, 1855
In the Canadian province of Ontario: The Bytown & Prescott Railway commences carrying mail as well as passengers.
JANUARY 01, 1872
Denver & Rio Grande Railway begins service between Denver & Colorado Springs.
JANUARY 01, 1881
The Denver & Rio Grande Railway reaches Chama, New Mexico.
JANUARY 01, 1882
William Cornelius Van Horne is appointed General Manager of the Canadian Pacific Railway.Van Horne succeeded in laying 480 miles of track across the prairies in the summer of 1882.
JANUARY 01, 1908
Oregon Electric opened from Portland to Salem, Oregon.
JANUARY 01, 1913
In the Canadian Province of Ontario: The Kingston and Pembroke Railway is leased to the Canadian Pacific Railway. The CPR had exercised control over the K & P since November of 1901.
JANUARY 01, 1946
Atlanta, Birmingham & Coast merged into Atlantic Coast Line.
JANUARY 01, 1948
14 people were killed in a train accident at Syracuse, Missouri.
JANUARY 01, 1952
The first gas-turbine-electric locomotive in the U.S. begins service on the Union Pacific.
JANUARY 01, 1953
J.C. Moore elected Vice President of the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway.
JANUARY 01, 1962
In the Canadian province of Ontario: Canadian Pacific abandons the Kingston subdivision between Calabogie and Snow Road. The last through freight ran over the Kingston and Pembroke line on December 29, 1961.
JANUARY 01, 1964
Canadian Pacific is authorized to abandon the Kingston subdivision between Sharbot Lake and Tichborne.
JANUARY 01, 1966
A transit worker strike shuts down the New York City Subway for 12 days.
JANUARY 01, 1971
The Alabama, Tennessee & Northern Railroad merges with the Frisco.
JANUARY 01, 1983
The Fort Worth & Denver Railroad is merged into Burlington Northern.
JANUARY 01, 1986
What is left of the Milwaukee Road is absorbed by the Soo Line.
In the Canadian province of Ontario: Canadian Pacific abandons the Maniwaki subdivision between Wakefield and Maniwaki.
JANUARY 01, 1998
The Ontario Southland Railway takes over the operation of the Guelph Junction Railway (formerly the Goderich subdivision) which had been leased by the Canadian Pacific from the City of Guelph since 1888. The Ontario Southland also took over the 3.1 mile remnant of the CP owned Guelph and Goderich Railway.
JANUARY 02, 1849
Chicago & Eastern Illinois predecessor, Evansville & Illinois chartered.
JANUARY 02, 1899
In the Canadian province of Ontario: Pembroke Southern Railway, incorporated May 27, 1893, opens from Golden Lake to Pembroke. The first train into Pembroke had arrived on November 14, 1898. The company was leased to the Canada Atlantic Railway on August 31, 1899 which took over operation on September 1, 1899.
JANUARY 02, 1907
33 people were killed in a train accident at Volland, Kansas.
JANUARY 03, 1926
In the Canadian province of Ontario: Canadian National discontinues service (trains 73 and 74) between Kingston and Harrowsmith thus ending the exercise of running powers commenced in 1889 by the Napanee, Tamworth and Quebec Railway over the Kingston and Pembroke tracks.
JANUARY 03, 1954
In the Washington, D.C. area: The last steam powered passenger train departs Union Station on the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac behind engine #622, headed for Richmond, Virginia at 1:40 PM.
JANUARY 03, 1960
In the Washington, D.C. area: Glen Echo, Friendship Heights & Georgia Avenue streetcar lines, abandoned. Only conduit operations remain.
JANUARY 03, 1965
The state of Maine loses passenger train connection with the rest of the U.S. when the Boston & Main ends it's Boston to Portland train service.
JANUARY 03, 1967
The Chesapeake & Ohio acquires the Chicago, South Shore & South Bend.
JANUARY 03, 1986
The Skytrain commences operation between Vancouver and Westminster, British Columbia.
JANUARY 04, 1831
The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad makes the first bid for a locomotive of American manufacture by placing advertisements in the Baltimore American.
JANUARY 04, 1877
Railroad mogul Cornelius Vanderbilt dies at the age of 83. He was one of the wealthiest men in the world at that time.
JANUARY 04, 1892
In the Canadian province of Ontario: The Central Counties Railway, incorporated on June 23, 1887 as the Prescott County Railway, opens from Glen Robertson to Hawkesbury. The line was leased to the Canada Atlantic Railway on April 17, 1891. A formal inspection had been made by Inspector Marcus Smith on December 3, 1891 who found the line ready to be opened to the public provided two culverts were strengthened and proper provision made for turning the locomotive at Hawkesbury. The first sod had been turned at Glen Robertson on March 31, 1891.
JANUARY 04, 1920
In the Canadian province of Ontario: The Grand Trunk Railway Central station is renamed Union Station. On the same date the Canadian Pacific Broad Street or Union Station in the Chaudiere is closed to passengers and trains begin using Grand Trunk's Union Station.
JANUARY 04, 1955
When the Milwaukee Road 2-8-4 #239 arrived in St. Paul, Minnesota, it marked the final operation of steam power on the Milwaukee Road.
JANUARY 04, 1962
The first automated subway train goes into service in New York City.
JANUARY 04, 1970
The Erie Lackawanna's Lake Cities makes it's final run.
JANUARY 04, 1987
16 people were killed when Amtrak's northbound Colonial collided with errant Conrail diesels which had run through a stop signal and a switch at Chase, Maryland.
JANUARY 05, 1885
The Long Island Railroad creates the first Piggyback service with a train consisting of flatcars for carrying farmer's wagons and horses and a coach for teamsters.
JANUARY 05 1893
The Great Northern Railroad completed it's line from the Great Lakes to Everett, Washington.
JANUARY 05, 1905
The Baltimore & Ohio introduces the first electric freight locomotive.
JANUARY 05, 1912
The Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway completes construction of it's Celilo bridge.
JANUARY 05, 1956
General Motors introduces the Aerotrain.
JANUARY 05, 1984
Delaware & Hudson becomes part of Guilford Transportation Industries.
On this day in 2005. NS train 192(Macon-Columbia) takes a open switch left by local P22 at 2:40 A.M. in Graniteville,South Carolina. 192 struck P22 causing a chemical spill that killed a total of 8 people.
Kevin
JANUARY 06, 1866
The first robbery of a train enroute happened on this date. $500,000 in bonds, specie and government securities were taken from an Adams Express company safe on the New Haven Railroad between New York City and Boston.
JANUARY 06, 1893
The Great Northern Railway completes it's transcontinental route at Everett, Washington.
JANUARY 06, 1919
Canadian Pacific's Waltham branch trains begin using the Grand Trunk Central Station instead of Broad Street.
JANUARY 06, 1936
Great Northern Steamship Company (GNPSS) disolved.
JANUARY 06, 1959
Canadian National is authorized to discontinue passenger service between Hawkesbury and Glen Robertson.
JANUARY 06, 1985
The Federal Railroad Administration turns over ownership of the Alaska Railroad to the state of Alaska.
JANUARY 06-08 1998
A serious ice storm blankets Ontario and Quebec and the railway system in the triangle Ottawa-Kingston-Drummondville is virtually shut down. A long term casualty of the storm is the Centralized Traffic Control (CTC) signal system on the Alexandria subdivision which would have cost some $6 million to restore. This system, installed in January of 1960, is converted to the computer assisted Occupancy Control System (OCS). The existing CTC system is retained for the Ottawa Terminal and between Coteau ad De Beaujeu.
JANUARY 12, 1830
The first commercial railroad service begins with horse drawn carriages in Baltimore on the first stretch of track on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.
JANUARY 07, 1912
The Oregon Trunk line initiates service between Wishram and Bend, Oregon.
JANUARY 07, 1946
The Baltimore & Ohio shifts passenger trains from Detroit's Fort Union Depot to Michigan Central Station.
JANUARY 07, 1995
The Algoma Central Railway is taken over by the Wisconsin Central Railroad.
Janurary 8, 1991
One person is killed and 248 are injured, when a Condon commuter train crashed into into the buffers at a station.
JANUARY 08, 1863
Central Pacific Railroad begins construction.
JANUARY 08, 1914
A through fast freight service is inaugurated by the Canadian Northern Railway between Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec using the recently opened section between Ottawa and Toronto.
JANUARY 08, 1954
New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal opens.
JANUARY 08, 1999
RailAmerica Inc. takes over the operation of the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway from Canadian Pacific. The new company, known as E & N Railway Company (1998) Ltd, purchased the line between Port Alberni and Nanaimo and leased the section from Vicoria to Nanaimo.
JANUARY 09, 1830
Construction begins on the South Carolina Canal and Railroad in Charleston, South Carolina.
JANUARY 09, 1899
In the Canadian province of Ontario: Hull Electric purchases, for $100,000, the Canadian Pacific line between Aylmer and the main line at Hull. Before this Hull Electric had used the line under lease.
JANUARY 09, 1990
Gateway Western buys Chicago, Missouri & Western's Kansas City-St. Louis line.
JANUARY 09, 2003
The Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Canada Company commences operations through the purchase of the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad and it's operating subsidiaries, the Canadian American Railroad, the Northern Vermont Railroad, the Quebec Southern Railway and the Van Buren Bridge Company.
JANUARY 10, 1853
The first meals were served on board a train.*
*Where this happened and upon which railroad, my source does not indicate.
JANUARY 10, 1911
United Railways opened from Burlington, Oregon to North Plains, Oregon.
JANUARY 10, 1945
Los Angeles Railway streetcar lines close.
JANUARY 10, 1989
In Durango, Colorado an early morning fire destroys the Durango & Silverton's roundhouse. Damaged in the fire were three K-28 class locomotives; #s 473, 476 and 478, and three K-36 class locomotives, #480, 481 and 482. The roundhouse was rebuilt and all the locomotives were repaired and slowly returned to service.
CANADIANPACIFIC2815
JANUARY 11, 1899
The Colorado & Southern Railway begins operation. Predecessors are the Denver, Leadville & Gunnison Railway (formerly the Denver, South Park & Pacific Railroad) and the Union Pacific, Denver & Gulf Railway.
JANUARY 12, 1853
After 25 years, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad reaches the Ohio River at Wheeling (West) Virginia.
JANUARY 12, 1877
U.S. railroad builders strike against wage reductions.
JANUARY 12, 1883
The Southern Pacific Railroad completes it's New Orleans to California route near the Pecos River in Texas.
JANUARY 12, 1899
The Denver, South Park & Pacific Railroad becomes part of the Colorado & Southern Railroad.
JANUARY 12, 1919
21 people were killed in a train accident at Byron, New York.
JANUARY 12, 1929
Great Northern's 7 mile, 1397 yard Cascade Tunnel opens in Washington State. And according to my source, it is the longest railroad tunnel in North America.
Seatrain's railroad cars on ships begin service between New Orleans and Havana.
JANUARY 12, 1962
The merger of the New York Central and the Pennsylvania railroads was proposed.
JANUARY 12, 1977
VIA Rail Canada was created as a Canadian National subsidiary.
JANUARY 13, 1857
Patent #16,381 is issued to Thaddeus Fairbanks for the first railway track scale.
JANUARY 13, 1899
The Canadian Northern Railway is formed by the amalgamation of the Winnepeg Great Northern Railway and the Lake Manitoba Railway and Canal Company. William Mackenzie and Donald Mann then proceeded to expand the Canadian Northern system so that by 1915 the system comprised 9,362 miles of trackage.
JANUARY 13, 1955
Canadian National opens it's line from Terrace to Kitimat, British Columbia. The line was opened officially on July 8 with a "last spike" ceremony, the spike was made from aluminum produced at the Kitimat plant.
JANUARY 13, 1982
In Washington, D.C.: The first fatalities on Metrorail occur almost simultaneously with the unrelated Air Florida airline crash 30 minutes later. Three killed on Metro - 78 die on board the airliner.
JANUARY 15, 1831
The first American built locomotive to pull a passenger train, the Best Friend of Charleston, runs from Charleston to Hamburg, South Carolina. The train also provided the first recorded honeymoon trip - Mr. & Mrs. Henry L. Pierson of Ramapo, New York.
JANUARY 15, 1908
The Portland & Seattle opens between Cliffs and Lyle, Washington.
JANUARY 15, 1952
The last passenger run is made on the Astoria Line of the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railwa
JANUARY 15, 1953
Pennsylvania Railroad's GG1 #4876 ends up in the basement of Washington Union Station when the Federal Express runs away.
JANUARY 15, 1960
Canadian National installs Centralized Traffic Control on it's Alexandria subdivision in the Canadian province of Ontario.
JANUARY 15, 1990
VIA cuts half of it's passenger network. Included in these cuts are a decision to run just one transcontinental train between Toronto and Vancouver via Canadian National through Winnepeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton and Jasper.
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