November 21, 1890
First train operated on the Rio Grande Southern Railroad.
November 21, 1950
Head-on collision between a passenger and a troop train kills 21 on Canadian National.
November 21, 1980
The St. Louis - San Francisco Railway merges with Burlington Northern.
CANADIANPACIFIC2816
November 20, 1850
First train operated on the Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific.
November 20, 1961
Union Pacific 4-8-4 #844 makes it's first post-regular service excursion run.
cherokee woman wrote:In 1991, a cargo train derailment in central Mexicokilled 70 people and injured 40 more, when the boxcarscrushed automobiles on a highway below the tracks.
That's interesting, CW. What is your source of information on this one?
November 19, 1891
Granville T. Woods receives patent for a third rail to operate electric railways. This black inventor from Columbus, Ohio dedicated his life to developing a variety of inventions relating the railroad industry, and held more than 60 patents.
November 19, 1986
Last run of the Chicago & Northwestern C628's.
November 18, 1881
Construction of the Georgia Pacific Railroad begins.
November 18, 1883
Standard time zones (Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific) created, abolishing 100 different local times in the United States.
November 18, 1889
Oahu Railway begins public service in Hawaii.
November 17, 1837
The Sandusky, believed to be the first locomotive equipped with a whistle in the US, arrives on the Mad River & Lake Erie at Sandusky, Ohio.
November 17, 1889
First daily railroad service to the Pacific coast, without a change was between Chicago and Portland, OR, and between Chicago and San Francisco, Calif., on the Union Pacific Railroad.
November 17, 1908
Vancouver, WA to Portland, OR begins (SP&S Ry).
November 17, 1938
Gordon Lightfoot, the Canadian folk artist who had written "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" and "Steel Rail Blues" was born. Happy Birthday to Gordon Lightfoot!!
November 16, 1952
North Coast Limited begins interchange of coach and sleeper with SP&S Nos. 1 & 2 at Pasco, Washington (SP&S Ry).
November 16, 1963
Last run of mixed train on Norfolk & Western's Abingdon branch.
November 16, 1967
Canadian Pacific begins testing Canada's first remote-controlled mid-train diesel locomotives in regular freight service, using new Robot radio-command system.
November 16, 1972
GE introduces E60C electric locomotive.
November 15, 1908
Oregon Electric Forest Grove branch opened.
November 15, 1910
Penn Station opens in New York City.
November 15, 1920
W.F Turner becomes President of the S.P&S Railway.
November 15, 1928
The first rail detector car to be placed in commercial service begins operation on the Wabash Railroad.
November 15, 1948
Union Pacific Railroad begins track tests of gas-turbine-electric locomotive.
November 15, 1957
Longest and heaviest train (500 coal cars, 4 miles long, 42,000 tons) hauled by Norfolk & Western Railroad between Iaeger, West Virginia and Portsmouth, Ohio. This happened nearly 50 years ago. Does anyone out there know for sure if this record has been broken by another road?? Locomutt has informed me that he was betting that the actual termination point of this train was Williamson, WVa., that is where the N&W's yard was, and not too far from Iaeger. Much of my information is obtained from the web site of railwaystation.com and I suspect that the individual who put this all together did not have his information correct in the first place. So I appreciate it when a few of you guys out there are able to point out the errors in my information.
November 14, 1832
World's first streetcar system opens in New York City with horse drawn cars on tracks on Fourth Avenue between Prince and 14th Streets.
November 14, 1988
Department of Transportation announces random drug testing for 90,000 railroad workers.
November 13, 1906
New York Central's New York electrifiation begins.
November 12, 1831
The John Bull, the oldest operable steam engine in the U.S., is placed in regular service on the Camden & Amboy Railroad.
November 12, 1965
Heaviest single piece of freight carried by rail, a 549.2 tons hydrocracker reactor hauled from Birmingham, Alabama to Toledo, Ohio.
November 11, 1934
The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy's Pioneer Zephyr makes it's first run in scheduled passenger service between Lincoln, Nebraska and Kansas City, Missouri.
November 11, 1957
Demolition begins on San Francisco's cable car barn at California & Hyde.
Last use of a steam locomotive by the Pennsylvania Railroad.
November 10, 1905
Willamette Valley Traction incorporated.
November 10, 1952
Supreme Court upholds decision barring segregation on interstate railroads.
November 09, 1833
Twelve passengers on the Camden & Amboy Railroad are injured in the first passenger train accident in the U.S.
November 08, 1905
Union Pacific's Chicago to San Francisco Overland Limited gets electric lighting.
November 08, 1969
The last train to depart Chicago's Grand Central Station, C&O #8, leaves for Grand Rapids.
November 07, 1835
Construction begins on Erie Railroad.
November 07, 1885
The Canadian Pacific Railrway completes first transcontinental route across Canada. The last spike was driven at Craigellachie, British Columbia.
November 07, 1909
24 hour train service between New York and St. Louis begins.
November 07, 1970
The second longest tunnel in the U.S., the 7 mile 1327 yard Flathead tunnel opens on the Great Northern.
November 06, 1855
68 engineers from 13 states and 45 railroads meet in Baltimore to organize the National Protective Association of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers of the United States, forming the country's first railroad union.
November 06, 1968
101-day strike by Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen against the Belt Railway of Chicago ends.
November 05, 1889
Rio Grande Southern Railroad incorporated.
November 04, 1874
Regular train service begins on the East Broad Top Railroad.
November 03, 1908
Cow Creek viaduct completed (SP&SRy).
November 03, 1909
Oregon Trunk Railway (OT) incorporated.
November 03, 1969
Last Kansas City Southern Southern Belles arrive in Kanas City and New Orleans.
November 02, 1969
Last run for Kansas City Southern's Southern Belle.
November 01, 1834
Philadelphia and Trenton, New Jersey connected by rail.
November 01, 1865
First tank car designed for bulk oil enters service at Titusville, PA. It was a flat car fitted with two wooden tanks shaped like inverted tubs.
November 01, 1878
Chicago & Alton Railroad completes the first all-steel bridge over the Missouri River at Glasgow, Missouri.
November 01, 1918
102 die in a New York City subway derailment at Malbone Street, Brooklyn.
November 01, 1976
Amtrak discontinues use of Louisville & Nashville depot in Louisville.
November 01, 1980
Chessie System merges with Seaboard Coast Line Industries to form CSX Corporation.
November 01, 1985
Southern Pacific and Santa Fe begin repainting diesels in red and yellow merger colors.
October 31, 1956
Brooklyn, NY ends street car service.
October 31, 1966
Canadian National begins Montreal-Toronto Rapidos.
October 31, 1970
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, known as Amtrak is created.
October 31, 1976
Canadian Pacific and Canadian National issue joint VIA timetable.
October 31, 1978
Last train out of St. Louis Union Terminal.
October 31, 1987
Montana Rail Link begins operation over 907 miles of ex-Northern Pacific (Burlington Northern) track.
October 30, 1955
Union Pacific shifts Omaha-Chicago streamliner routes from the Chicago & Northwestern to the Milwaukee Road.
October 30, 1972
Two Illinois Central Gulf commuter trains collide in Chicago, killing 45 and injuring 356.
October 30, 1983
Amtrak begins tri-weekly Auto Train service from Lorton, VA to Sanford, FL.
October 29, 1904
New York City IRT (Interborough Rapid Transit) subway opens.
October 29, 1989
New York City MTA opens 63rd street extension to subway.
October 28, 1956
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy introduces new Vista-Dome Denver Zephyrs.
October 28, 1979
Amtrak's first double deck Superliner coaches debut on the Chicago to Seattle Empire Builder.
October 28, 1983
After over 48 years of service, New Jersey Transit #3323 becomes the last revenue train to be pulled by a GG1.
October 27, 1870
William J. Palmer incorporates Denver & Rio Grande Railroad.
October 27, 1891
The St. Clair Tunnel, connecting the U.S. and Canada beneath the St. Clair River opens.
October 27, 1904
First part of the New York City subway opens.
October 26, 1906
Oregon Electric purchases Willamette Valley Traction.
October 26, 1968
Penn Central vacates Chicago's La Salle Street Station in favor of Union Station.
October 26, 1985
First run for Burlington Northern's propane-fueled GP-9.
October 25, 1848
The locomotive, "Pioneer" pulls the first westbound train out of Chicago.
October 25, 1886
In Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railroad Company v. Illinois, the Supreme Court declares that a state can not regulate even that portion of interstate commerce that takes place within it's own borders, removing the States legislative powers over railroads. This led to passage of the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 by Congress.
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