MAY 25, 1865
The first Bessemer steel rails in the United States were turned out at Chicago Rolling Mills. By the end of the century, steel rails had almost completely replaced iron.
MAY 25, 1883
In the Canadian province of Ontario, the Ontario Pacific Charter was granted new lines. The main line was to continue from French River to Sault Ste. Marie while the one branch line would leave at Newington instead of Cornwall and continue from Smiths Falls to Almonte. A third branch was added to run off from between Renfrew and Eganville to Pembroke.
MAY 25, 1903
In Scranton, Pennsylvania, the lackawana & Wyoming Valley Railroad becomes the first railroad to be powered by an electrified third rail system.
MAY 25, 1927
In the state of Michigan, the interurban line from Wyandotte to Trenton is abandoned.
MAY 25, 1945
The New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad becomes the first railroad in the United States to be fully equipped with diesel-electric locomotives.
MAY 25, 1970
In the Canadian province of Ontario, Regular Turbo train operation is resumed between Montreal and Toronto. It was withdrawn on February 1st, 1971.
MAY 25, 2006
In the Canadian province of Ontario, Keewatin commences operation over the line from Sherritt Junction to Lynn Lake, Manitoba.
CANADIANPACIFIC2816
MAY 26, 1934
Burlington's Pioneer Zephyr, the first streamlined diesel-electric train, makes a non-stop run from Denver to Chicago in 13 hours, 5 minutes. It is the first train to run over a 1000 miles nonstop.
MAY 26, 1946
Southern Railway takes delivery of the 6100 road freight diesel-electric locomotive, Southern's first F-type freight diesel.
The United States government lifts control of the railroads after an accord ends a nation-wide strike.
MAY 25, 1977
In the Canadian Province of Ontario, Canadian National is authorized to remove the interlocking signals at the crossing of the Rideau Canal in Smiths Falls and install stop signals at each approach to the crossing.
MAY 27, 1794
Corneniuls Vanderbilt was born on this date.
MAY 27, 1836
Jay Gould, U.S. railroad executive and financier was born on this date.
MAY 27, 1875
In the state of Michigan, C. Moore, an employee of the Grand Trunk, stepped in between two cars to pull the pin, and caught his foot in the frog. He was killed instantly. The Coronor's jury ruled the case an accident. In future years, the Michigan Railroad Commission required railroads to affix a plank board in the frog to minimize this common killer of railroad employees.
MAY 27, 1895
The Supreme Court upholds the federal government's 1894 injunction against Eugene Debs. Debs, who was born in 1855, left school at the age of 14 and went to work as a painter in railroad yards. He became a locomotive fireman in 1870, and would find himself actively involved in the Brothrhood of Locomotive Fireman by 1880. Debs was a member of the Democratic party and was elected to the Indiana Legislature in 1884. In 1993 Debs was elected the first president of the American Railway Union. In 1984 George Pullman, the president of the Pullman Pallace Car Company, decided to reduce the wage of his workers. When the company refused arbitration, the ARU called a strike. The strike itself spread to 27 states. The attorney-general, Richard Olney, sought an injunction against the Pullman Strike under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. As a result of Olney's action, Debs was arrested and despite being defended by Clarence Darrow, was imprisoned. The case came before the Supreme Court in 1895. David Brewer spoke for the court on the 27th of May, explaining why he refused the ARU's appeal. This decision was a great setback for the trade union movement. While serving time in Woodstock Prison, Debs had read a number of Karl Marx's books and by the time he had left prison in 1895 he had become a socialist. Debs ran for the presidency in 1900 against William McKinnley, but only received a very small percentage of the overall votes.
MAY 27, 1897
In the state of Michigan, the Detroit & Lima Northern Railroad operates the first train over the 14 mile extension from Adrian to Tecumseh.
MAY 28, 1869
Cheyenne Indians destroyed a section of the Union Pacific Railroad near Fossil Creek, Kansas.
MAY 28, 1905
In the state of Michigan, the Boyne City, Gaylord & Alpena Railroad incorporated, taking over the operations from the Boyne City & Southeastern Railroad.
MAY 28, 1977
In Canada, the Ontario Northland Railway begins to operate two of four used TEE (Trans-Europ-Express) train sets purchased from the Swiss and Dutch Railways. The ONR called them "The Northlander" and used them on daytime service between Toronto and Timmins.
MAY 28, 1990
An Alaska Railroad train of 70 cars derails near Dunbar with 19 cars leaving the track and at least seven rupturing. Some 170,000 gallons of diesel fuel and jet fuel spill, prompting a massive response by the railroad, contractors and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. Within three weeks, the railroad had the majority of the spill cleaned up and had prepared a long range plan for ADEC approval. The total bill for the cleanup operation reached $6 billion dollars.
May 31,1910
Emma Goldman, 40, the famed “apostle of anarchy,” narrowly escaped death when the auto she was riding in was hit by a freight train on Division Street in Spokane.
A Spokane auto enthusiast was giving her a ride when he tried to go around an idle railcar at the Division Street crossing. When the driver got around the railcar he was horrified to see a train engine bearing down on them. The occupants jumped to safety and Goldman was hurled 10 feet.
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