Trains.com

On This Date in Railroad History:

55091 views
688 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
  • 2,483 posts
On This Date in Railroad History:
Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Monday, January 1, 2007 9:05 AM

January 01, 1839

The New Jersey Railroad & Transportation Company is opened between New Brunswick and Trenton, New Jersey.

January 01, 1872

Denver & Rio Grande Railway begins service between Denver and Colorado Springs.

January 01, 1881

Denver & Rio Grande Railway reaches Chama, New Mexico.

January 01, 1908

Oregon Electric (OE) opened Portland, OR to Salem, OR.

January 01, 1946

Atlanta, Birmingham & Coast merged into Atlantic Coast Line.

January 01, 1948

14 killed in train accident at Syracuse, MO.

January 01, 1952

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 SP&S Railway.

January 01, 1966

Transit worker strike shuts down New York City subway for 12 days.

January 01, 1971

The Alabama, Tennessee & Northern Railroad merges with the Frisco.

January 01, 1983

Fort Worth & Denver Railroad merged into Burlington Northern.

January 01, 1986

Soo Line merges with the Milwaukee Road. (My understanding of this is that the Soo Line acquired some of what was left of the Milwaukee Road after the Milwaukee had gone bankrupt. If I am wrong, I would appreciate someone out there telling me so.)

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
  • 2,483 posts
Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Tuesday, January 2, 2007 6:56 AM

January 02, 1849

Chicago & Eastern Illinois predecessor, Evansville & Illinois chartered.

January 02, 1907

33 killed in train accident at Volland, Kansas.

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
  • 2,483 posts
Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Wednesday, January 3, 2007 7:55 AM

January 03, 1965

The state of Maine loses passenger train connection with the rest of the U.S. when the Boston & Maine ends it's Boston to Portland trains.

January 03, 1967

Chesapeake & Ohio acquires Chicago, South Shore & South Bend.

January 03, 1986

The Skytrain commences operation between Vancouver and New Westminster, British Columbia.

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
  • 2,483 posts
Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Thursday, January 4, 2007 6:52 AM

January 04, 1831

The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad makes 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 probably the richest man in the world at that time.

January 04, 1955

Last steam run on the Milwaukee Road when 2-8-4 no. 239 arrives in St. Paul.Sad [:(]

January 04, 1962

1st automated subway train New York City.

January 04, 1970

Last run for Erie Lackawanna's Lake Cities.

January 04, 1987

16 are killed when Amtrak's northbound Colonial collides with errant Conrail diesels which had run through a stop signal and a switch at Chase, Maryland.

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
  • 2,483 posts
Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Friday, January 5, 2007 6:20 AM

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

Baltimore & Ohio introduces first electric freight locomotive.

January 05, 1912

Celilo Bridge completed (SP&S Ry).

January 05, 1956

General Motors introduces the Aerotrain.

January 05, 1984

Delaware & Hudson becomes part of Guilford Transportation Industries.

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
  • 2,483 posts
Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Saturday, January 6, 2007 5:56 AM

January 06, 1866

First robbery of a train enroute. $500,000 in bonds, specie and government securities were taken from an Adams Express company safe on the New Haven Railroad.

January 06, 1893

Great Northern Railway completes transcontinental route at Everett, Washington.

January 06, 1936

Great Northern Steamship Co. (GNPSS) dissolved.

January 06, 1985

Federal Railroad Administration turns over ownership of the Alaska Railroad to the state of Alaska.

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
  • 2,483 posts
Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Sunday, January 7, 2007 7:23 AM

January 07, 1830

First commercial railroad service begins with horse drawn carriages in Baltimore, on the first stretch of track on the Baltimore & Ohio RR.

January 07, 1912

Oregon Trunk (OT) through service Wishram, OR to Bend, OR initiated.

January 07, 1946

Baltimore & Ohio shifts passenger trains from Detroit's Fort Street Union Depot to Michigan Central Station.

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

  • Member since
    March 2001
  • From: New York City
  • 805 posts
Posted by eastside on Sunday, January 7, 2007 8:16 AM
January 6, 1838 On this day in 1838, Samuel Morse demonstrated for the first time his telegraph, at the Speedwell Iron Works in Morristown, New Jersey. The famous "What hath God wrought" telegram, the first official telegram, between Washington D.C. and Baltimore, wouldn't be sent until 1843, possibly because Morse had to have a skeptical Congress fund it.
  • Member since
    August 2003
  • 1,092 posts
Posted by oskar on Sunday, January 7, 2007 2:36 PM

January 6th, 2005

 NS train 192 hits parked train P22 in Granitville,SC. 9 people died that day including 192's engineer. The cause of the wreck was a open switch which was left by P22.

All three engines are still parked in Augusta for unknown reasons.

NS 4622, NS 6593, and NS 6653.

 

kevin

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: The Beautiful North Georgia Mountians
  • 2,362 posts
Posted by Railfan1 on Sunday, January 7, 2007 4:33 PM
 oskar wrote:

All three engines are still parked in Augusta for unknown reasons.

NS 4622, NS 6593, and NS 6653.

 

kevin

Are they visual from a public place?

"It's a great day to be alive" "Of all the words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, It might have been......"
  • Member since
    August 2003
  • 1,092 posts
Posted by oskar on Sunday, January 7, 2007 6:12 PM

They are but its not a vantage point to take pictures. Trees are in the way of the two SD60's when I saw them 12/29/06. The GP59 is feet from them but I don't belive you can see them as good as the SD60's. You can only get them on their sides.

They can be seen off of New Savanna Road which is of Laney Walker Blvd. The engines should be to your right look through the trees and you should see 2 engines one with a hood door opened headed elephant style and then you found 6593 and 6653.

 

kevin

  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
  • 2,483 posts
Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Monday, January 8, 2007 8:16 AM

January 08, 1863

Central Pacific Railroad begins construction.

January 08, 1954

New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal opens.

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

  • Member since
    November 2003
  • From: Louisville, KY
  • 9,002 posts
Posted by cherokee woman on Monday, January 8, 2007 9:21 AM

On January 8, 1991, one person was killed and 248 injured, when a London commuter train crashed into the buffers at a station. (From bellsouth.net "On This Date  in History".)

 

Angel cherokee woman "O'Toole's law: Murphy was an optimist."
  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
  • 2,483 posts
Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Tuesday, January 9, 2007 8:26 AM

January 09, 1990

Gateway Western buys Chicago, Missouri & Western's Kansas City-St. Louis line.

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
  • 2,483 posts
Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Wednesday, January 10, 2007 6:29 AM

January 10, 1853

First meals to be served on a train.

January 10, 1911

United Railways (UR) opened Burlington, Oregon to North Plains, Oregon.

January 10, 1945

Los Angeles Railway streetcar lines close.

January 10, 1989

Fire destroys Durango & Silverton roundhouse and damages it's six 2-8-2's.

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
  • 2,483 posts
Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Thursday, January 11, 2007 8:47 AM

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.

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
  • 2,483 posts
Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Friday, January 12, 2007 7:34 AM

January 12, 1853

After 25 years, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad reaches the Ohio River at Wheeling, West Virginia.

January 12, 1877

US railroad builders strike against wage reductions.

January 12, 1883

Southern Pacific Railroad completes New Orleans to California route near Pecos River in Texas.

January 12, 1899

The Denver, South Park & Pacific Railroad becomes part of the Colorado & Southern Railroad.

January 12, 1919

21 killed in train accident at South Byron, New York.

January 12, 1929

Great Northern's 7 mile, 1397 yard Cascade Tunnel opens in Washington state. It is the longest tunnel in North America.

January 12, 1929

Seatrain's railroad cars on ships begin service between New Orleans and Havana.

January 12, 1962

Merger of New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroad proposed.Sad [:(]

January 12, 1977

VIA Rail Canada created as Canadian National subsidiary.

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
  • 2,483 posts
Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Saturday, January 13, 2007 6:22 AM

January 13, 1857

Patent #16,381 is issued to Thaddeus Fairbanks for the first railway track scale.

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
  • 2,483 posts
Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Sunday, January 14, 2007 5:59 AM

January 14, 1878

The Supreme Court rules that states cannot forbid racial segregation on public transportation vehicles. The court held that segregation is not a matter for states to decide and that it places a burden on interstate commerce.

January 14, 1981

President Reagan signs into law legislation authorizing transfer of the Alaska Railroad to the State of Alaska.

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
  • 2,483 posts
Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Monday, January 15, 2007 6:18 AM

January 15, 1831

First American built locomotive to pull a passenger train, the Best Friend of Charelston, runs from Charelston to Hamburg, South Carolina. The train also provided the first recorded railroad honeymoon trip - Mr. & Mrs. Henry L. Pierson of Ramapo, New York.

January 15, 1908

Portland & Seattle (P&S) opens Cliffs, Washington to Lyle, Washington.

January 15, 1952

Last passenger run on the Astoria Line (SP&S Ry).Sad [:(]

January 15, 1953

Pennsylvania's GG1 no. 4876 ends up in the Washington Union Station basement when the Federal Express runs away.

January 15, 1990

VIA cuts half of it's passenger network. Last run for the Canadian.Sad [:(]

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

  • Member since
    November 2003
  • From: Louisville, KY
  • 9,002 posts
Posted by cherokee woman on Monday, January 15, 2007 1:03 PM

THE FOLLOWING IS FROM COURIER-JOURNAL, IN LOU., KY PAPER FOR TODAY, 1/15/07:

20 years ago (1987), CSX announced plans to close it's Louisville locomotive repair shops, eliminating 800 jobs.  The Louisville & Nashville Railroad's South Louisville Shops opened in 1905 on 126 acres south of Eastern Parkway, between Floyd and Third streets.  Regardless of where the locomotives were built, they and the cars they pulled were repaired and refurbished at the South Louisville Shops.  By 1950, the shops' 4,000 employees were working on an average of 200 steam locomotives, 100 passenger cars, 6,000 freight cars and 160 cabooses each year.  In 1980 Seaboard merged with the Chessie System into CSX Corp., taking the L&N name with it.

This is the area which is now Papa Johns' Cardinal Stadium.Sad [:(]

Angel cherokee woman "O'Toole's law: Murphy was an optimist."
  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
  • 2,483 posts
Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Tuesday, January 16, 2007 7:38 AM

January 16, 1906

United Railways incorporated.

January 16, 1952

After three days of digging, passengers on the bound City of San Francisco were rescued from Yuba Gap where they had been snowbound by the worst storm to hit the Sierras in many years. Recovery of the engines and passenger cars required three more days.

January 16, 1969

Penn Central begins Metroliner service in the Northeast Corridor.

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Pisa, IT
  • 1,474 posts
Posted by RR Redneck on Tuesday, January 16, 2007 7:53 AM
Sounds to me like somebody got a little too much free time. LOL

Lionel collector, stuck in an N scaler's modelling space.

  • Member since
    June 2001
  • From: Lombard (west of Chicago), Illinois
  • 13,681 posts
Posted by CShaveRR on Tuesday, January 16, 2007 10:07 AM

Ray probably couldn't agree with you more!

I think he's doing a fine job.

Carl

Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)

CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)

  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
  • 2,483 posts
Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Wednesday, January 17, 2007 5:48 AM

January 17, 1871

Andrew Hallidie issued patent # 110, 971 for a design used in the first commercially successful cable car.

January 17, 1907

Cold and desperate citizens of Adams, Oregon, hold up a train for fuel.

January 17, 1917

Last train to run on the 2 foot gauge Gilpin Tramway in Colorado.Sad [:(]

January 17, 1968

First run of Santa Fe's Super C, a hotshot all-TOFC and container train on 34 1/2 hour schedule from Chicago to Los Angeles.

January 17, 1981

Union Pacific's 4-6-6-4 Challenger is fired up for the first time in 22 years.

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
  • 2,483 posts
Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Thursday, January 18, 2007 7:20 AM

January 18, 1908

Oregon Electric Railway (OE) begins service.

January 18, 1978

Budd introduces SPV2000 as successor to the RDC self-propelled car.

January 18, 1989

The overnight passenger train between Ottawa and Toronto is discontinued.Sad [:(]

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

  • Member since
    November 2003
  • From: Louisville, KY
  • 9,002 posts
Posted by cherokee woman on Thursday, January 18, 2007 8:06 AM

FROM ARCAMAX HISTORY AND QUOTES:  (For January 18, 2007)

In 1993, seven people were killed and nearly 70 more injured, when two commuter trains collided on a bridge, in Gary, Ind.

Angel cherokee woman "O'Toole's law: Murphy was an optimist."
  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
  • 2,483 posts
Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Friday, January 19, 2007 7:38 AM

January 19, 1907

29 killed in train accident at Fowler, Indiana.

January 19, 1938

GM begins mass production of diesel engines.

January 19, 1944

Railroads are returned to private ownership after wage dispute settled.

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
  • 2,483 posts
Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Saturday, January 20, 2007 6:09 AM

January 20, 1830

The first railroad in the Mississippi Valley, the Ponchartrain Railroad, is chartered to extend from Elysian Fields Street, New Orleans, to Milneburg on on the shore of Lake Ponchartrain.

January 20, 1885

Patent # 310,966 issued to La Marcus Adna Thompson of the L.A. Thompson Scenic Railway Company in Coney Island, New York for a roller-coaster structure.

January 20, 1957

L.W. Albertson succeeds J.C. Moore as Vice-President of the S.P.&S. Railway.

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
  • 2,483 posts
Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Sunday, January 21, 2007 7:08 AM

January 21, 1941

Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad receives first of two Electroliners.

January 21, 1963

Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad ceases operation.

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

Join our Community!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

Search the Community

Newsletter Sign-Up

By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy