JANUARY 16, 1906
United Railways incorporated.
JANUARY 16, 1952
After three days of digging, passengers of the west 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
emmar wrote:January 16, 1990 The Canadian Rail Operating Rules are approved by the Minister of Transport Benoit Bouchard.
I missed this one, emmar. Thank you for your contribution!
JANUARY 17, 1871
Andrew Hallidie is 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
Colorado's 2-foot gauge Gilpin Tramway operates it's last train.
JANUARY 17, 1932
In Washington, D.C.: The last Arlington & Fairfax streetcar departs from 12th & D Streets, NW, abandoning all service in Washington, D.C.
JANUARY 17, 1968
The Santa Fe runs it's first Super C, a hotshot all-TOFC and container train on a 34 hour schedule from Chicago to Los Angeles.
JANUARY 17, 1977
In the Canadian province of Ontario: Canadian Pacific's Renfrew Spur is abandoned between Renfrew Junction and Calabogie (originally part of the Kingston & Pembroke Railway).
JANUARY 17, 1981
The Union Pacific Challenger 4-6-6-4 #3985 is fired up for the first time in 22 years.
JANUARY 18, 1993:
Seven people were killed, and nearly 70 more injured, when two commuter trains collided, on a bridge in Gary, Indiana.
JANUARY 18, 1908
Oregon Electric Railway (OE) begins service.
JANUARY 18, 1978
Budd introduces SPV200 as the successor to the RDC self-propelled car.
JANUARY 18, 1989
In the Canadian province of Ontario: The overnight passenger train between Ottawa and Toronto is discontinued. The last train was hauled in both directions by VIA #6780.
JANUARY 19, 1907
29 people were killed in a train accident at Fowler, Indiana.
JANUARY 19, 1938
GM begins mass production of diesel engines.
JANUARY 19, 1944
The nation's railroads are returned to private ownership after a wage dispute is settled.
JANUARY 19, 1998
The Canadian National line between Moncton, New Brunswick and Mont-Joli, Quebec is transferred to the Quebec Railway Corporation, through it's wholly owned subsidiaries as follows:
* New Brunswick East Coast Railway between Pacific Junction near Moncton, and Campbellton, New Brunswick
* Matapedia Railway between Campbellton, New Brunswick and Mont-Joli, Quebec
JANUARY 19, 2006
RailAmerica sells back the following lines to Canadian National:
Central Western, Lakeland and Waterways, Mackenzie Northern
JANUARY 20, 1830
The first railroad in the Mississippi Valley, the Ponchartrain Railroad, is chartered to extrend from Elysian Fields Street, New Orleans, to Mineburg on the shore of Lake Ponchartrain.
JANUARY 30, 1885
Patent #310,966 is issued to La Marcus Adna Thompson of the L.A. Thompson Scenic Railway Company in Coney Island, New York for roller-coasting structure.
JANUARY 20, 1951
The following are details of an accident involving the Canadian Pacific Railway at Churchill Avenue in Ottawa, Canada:
Canadian Pacific Train no. 8, "The Dominion" was better than an hour and a half off the advertised schedule on January 20, 1951 when it crested the grade near the suburban Ottawa station of Westboro and struck a coal truck at the Churchill Avenue crossing, just east of Westboro Station.
The truck driver and his helper, employees of the nearby independent coal and lumber company, were able to jump clear of their vehicle and were uninjured. The train and it's crew were not so lucky.
Powered by Royal Hudson No. 2821, the "Dominion" was rolling along at better than 70 mph when the collision occured. Upon impact, the truck was thrown against a switchstand just at the crossing. The force of the blow opened the turnout, diverting the train into the siding of the Cummings Coal Company.
The engine was unable to negotiate the tight curvature of the siding. It derailed and plowed down the track embankment on it's side, coming to a rest some 500 feet from where the Westboro transitway station is now located.
The wreckage also included a heavy weight baggage car, a 2200-series coach, a heavy weight diner and a sleeper. The balance of the train stayed on the rails.
The train's engineer, Albert Scharf, was trapped in the cab of the 2821, suffering fatal burns. His fireman, Earl Fergus, miraculously survived, retiring from CP engine service a couple years ago. In all, some 30 passengers and crew members were injured that day.
The 2821 was hauled out of the mud and snow and rebuilt. Ironically it was involved in yet another collision - a cornfield meet with sister 2823 on the North Bay Subdivision. She was rebuilt after this accident and was scrapped in December of 1959.
"On a personal note, my mother and I had just waved at the crew of Number 8 as it had passed our home not two minutes before the accident. My father, who worked on Saturday morning in those days, was driving down Churchill Avenue and witnessed the accident. He was one of the first to reach the crew trapped in the cab."
"I spent the next few days after the accident watching the equipment being rerailed. After it's retrieval, the 2821 was stored on a siding at Westboro Station until it could be shipped to Montreal for repairs."
JANUARY 20, 1957
L.W. Albertson succeeds J.C. Moore as Vice-President of the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway.
JANUARY 20, 1960
The Quebec Cartier Mining Company commences operation from Port Cartier to Cagnon, Quebec. At the time it was the northernmost railway in Canada.The line went into full operation at the end of the year.
JANUARY 21, 1941
Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad receives the first of two Electroliners.
JANUARY 21, 1963
Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad ceases operations.
January 21, 1906- The first timetable for rail service from Joplin, Missouri to Newport, Arkansas on the White River Railway, later to become the White River Division of the Missouri Pacific.
January 21, 1946 - Hull Electric Railway is fined $50.00 for infringing a municipal by-law prohibiting the movement of freight on Hull city streets between midnight and 05:30. Service to oil companies located at Laurier Avenue is suspended because the company is unable to provide freight service at other times without interference to passenger service which it provided under contract with the City of Hull (near Ottawa).
emmar
JANUARY 22, 1912
Florida East Coast Railway, opens overseas railroad service to Key West.
JANUARY 22, 1956
Santa Fe RDCs derail on a curve in Los Angeles, killing 30.
JANUARY 22, 1993
Canadian Pacific abandons it's Waltham subdivision between mile 0 and mile 1.0 (known as the Wamo Spur).
JANUARY 23, 1890
A new American speed record of 78.1 MPH is set by an Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe train.
JANUARY 23, 1902
Columbia River & Northern Railway (CR&N) incorporated.
JANUARY 23, 1963
Florida East Coast is struck by 11 non-operating unions.
JANUARY 24, 1854
Chicago is linked for the first time, by rail to eastern cities.
JANUARY 24, 1900
New York City Mayor Van Wyck breaks ground for that city's first subway.
JANUARY 24, 1966
Canadian National commences passenger service from Ottawa to Toronto via Smiths Falls and the use of running rights over the Canadian Pacific's Brockville subdivision to Brockville. Canadian Pacific discontinues from Ottaw to Toronto via :
*Smiths Falls and Trenton
*Smiths Falls and Havelock
JANUARY 25, 1875
The Pinkerton Dectective Agency bombs the home of bank and train robbers, Frank and Jesse James. Neither of the brothers is there, but their half brother Archie, is killed and their mother is injured.
JANUARY 26, 1869
Colorado Central Railroad incorporated.
JANUARY 26, 1901
The Great Western Railway (owned by Great Western Sugar Company) begins operation. This Colorado short line operated steam locomotives well into the 1960's.
JANUARY 27, 1830
The Lexington & Ohio Railroad is chartered.
JANUARY 27, 1902
5 workers were killed in an explosion during subway construction in New York City.
JANUARY 27, 1903
A collision on the Central of New Jersey at Graceland, New Jersey kills 23.
JANUARY 27, 1948
The first locomotive to carry 1,000,000 pounds is placed into operation.
JANUARY 27, 1963
Canadian Pacific discontinues passenger trains 292, 293 and 294 between Ottawa and Maniwaki, Ontario. The last train was RDC's 9105 - 9023 running out on January 26 and returning the following day.
In the Canadian province of Ontario: A connection is installed between Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Smyth Road. From this date Canadian National train movements used the Canadian Pacific Sussex Street subdivision between Smyth Road and Hurdman.
JANUARY 28, 1935
The first streamlined electric locomotive, the GG1, is placed into service on the Pennsylvania Railroad.
JANUARY 28, 1962
Washington D.C.'s last streetcar routes, 14th Street and U Street, are closed.
JANUARY 29, 1873
The Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad is completed from Richmond, Virginia to the Ohio River.
JANUARY 29, 1884
Patent #292,504 is granted to La Fayette Wilson Page of Shreveport, Louisiana for an Animal Chaser. Page's device was designed to allow an engineer to divert water from the boiler through a nozzle on the front of the locomotive to clear livestock from the track.
JANUARY 29, 1956
The Virginian Railway operates it's last passenger train.
JANUARY 29, 1980
The Milwaukee Road ends revenue service west of Miles City, Montana.
JANUARY 30, 1905
The San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake completes it's line from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City, Utah.
JANUARY 31, 1855
Western railroads are blocked by snow.
JANUARY 31, 1874
The Jesse James gang robs a train at Gads Hill, Missouri.
JANUARY 31, 1880
In Canada, an Ice Railway is opened between Longueuil and Montreal by the Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa and Occidental Railway. A railway track was placed on large timbers laid on the ice of the St. Laurence River. During the summer months the QMO&O used a car ferry. An ice railway was laid each winter until 1883.
JANUARY 31, 1905
At midnight, the Ottawa and New York Railway comes under the control of the New York Central and Hudson River Railway. The line had been sold at auction in Utica, New York on December 22, 1904, but there was a delay in obtaining court approval for the sale.
JANUARY 31, 1913
In the state of Michigan, Michigan's Governor Ferris had been quoted in the newspapers as urging the state to take over the ownership of the Pere Marquette. "My legal knowledge on the subject of state ownership of railroads is exceedingly meager," he said, according to reports. "But under certain conditions, it seems to me it would be wise for Michigan to own the Pere Marquette Railroad. This system, so called, forms a network throughout Michigan. If the state can legally take over this road, it would be a godsend to the people. Further, Michigan could then furnish a practical illustration of public ownership."
JANUARY 31, 1932
US railway unions accept a 10% wage reduction.
JANUARY 31, 1935
The Union Pacific's streamliner M-10000 is placed in daily operation between Salina, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri.
JANUARY 31, 1948
"Norfolk Southern" becomes freight only. (I looked at this one and I am guessing it is a typographical error, shouldn't be "Norfolk & Western"? It seems to me that the merger between the Norfolk & Western and the Southern took place sometime during the 1980's.)
JANUARY 31, 1974
In Pontiac, Michigan, the Ann Arbor Railroad begins using the Grand Trunk Western between Pittsburg Road (Pitt) to a new track at Oak Street. Their track is removed between MP 94 and MP. 96. Pitt is controlled via CTC by the Grand Trunk Western's dispatcher in Pontiac, Michigan.
JANUARY 31, 1983
Canadian Pacific is authorized to abandon it's Kingston subdivision in Kingston, Ontario between m. 101.60 and m. 101.85 and between 102.09 and 102.50 after the relocation of the trackage and switches connecting private sidings serving MacCosham Van Lines and C.E. McPherson to the Canadian National Haney Spur had been completed.
Couple of comments on today's postings:
The Pere Marquette was possibly (I'd have to look it up) in one of its two bankruptcies in 1913. This may have made it available at a bargain price, but who knows what the state might have done with it once they had it.
As for the Ann Arbor Railroad, it didn't serve Pontiac. The trackage eliminated (by service over the parallel GTW) was in Durand, a line that was dispatched from Pontiac at that time (in the good old days, it had been dispatched from Durand, and the AA trackage ran on the opposite side of the depot/division offices from the GTW's line).
Now to yesterday:
A locomotive "pulling a million pounds"? I think we had this discussion last year. I don't remember the conclusion, but it could be that this was the first locomotive to actually weigh a million pounds. Not sure whether it was an Allegheny or an M-1 turbine on the C&O.
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)
CShaveRR wrote: Couple of comments on today's postings:The Pere Marquette was possibly (I'd have to look it up) in one of its two bankruptcies in 1913. This may have made it available at a bargain price, but who knows what the state might have done with it once they had it.
the Pere Marquette proper didnt go into its first bankrupcy until 1916...the quote mentioned was the states response to J.P.Morgan and company buying up the PM's stock and aquiring control in 1911.....and all politictians knew what a bunch a so and so's that bunch was.....in March of 1913 the Michigan Legisalture appointed a special committee to look into the financial history of the PM....
FEBRUARY 01, 1832
"The Western Immigrant", a newspaper in Ann Arbor, Michigan, suggests a transcontinental railroad, the first mention in print of such a project.
FEBRUARY 01, 1870
In the state of Michigan: The Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore opens their line from New Buffalo to St. Joseph.
FEBRUARY 01, 1882
In the state of Michigan: Bay View Little Traverse and Macinac Rail Road completes line from Bay View to Harbor Springs.
FEBRUARY 01, 1895
In the state of Michigan: The Detroit, Bay City & Alpena Railroad leaves receivership and the assets are sold to new owners, the Detroit and Macinac Railway.
FEBRUARY 01, 1905
In the state of Michigan: Delray Terminal Railroad completes a 2 mile line from Delray to Detroit Edison Co.
FEBRUARY 01, 1908
The P&S name was changed to SP&S (Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway).
FEBRUARY 01, 1910
Oregon Electric Railway's Woodburn branch service begins.
FEBRUARY 01, 1918
The US Senate limits government control of the railroads to 18 months.
FEBRUARY 01, 1930
The New York Central Railroad leases the Michigan Central for 999 years.
FEBRUARY 01, 1934
In the state of Michigan: The Chicago, Kalamazoo & Saginaw Railroad discontinues passenger service.
FEBRUARY 01, 1935
New York City's first trolley line on 4th Avenue, is converted to buses.
FEBRUARY 01, 1968
The Penn Central Railroad was created with the merger of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central System.
FEBRUARY 01, 1979
The Southern Railway's Southern Crescent service is transferred to Amtrak.
FEBRUARY 02, 1886
Representatives from the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, Cincinnati Southern, and other southern railroads meet in Atlanta where they agree to a mass conversion of 13,000 miles of track to a standard gauge of 4' 8 1/2" on May 31 to June 1, 1886.
FEBRUARY 02, 1888
In the Canadian province of Ontario: Pontiac Pacific Junction Railway completes construction of it's line from Waltham to Aylmer where there was a connection with the Canadian Pacific line between Hull and Aylmer. The line was opened in stages as follows:
* Aylmer to Quyon, mile 21 December 9, 1884 (operated by the contractor until mid-February 1885)
* mile 21 to 31 - December 24, 1885
* mile 31 to 41 - January 27, 1886
* mile 41 to 51 - October 10, 1886
* mile 51 to 61 - December 15, 1886
* mile 61 to Waltham - February 2, 1888
The opening in ten mile segments were the dates subsidies were approved. The intermediate openings to service were:
* March 1886 - Aylmer to Shawville
* November 1886 - Shawville to Fort Coulonge
* August 27, 1894 - Fort Coulonge to Waltham. Although this section was completed and rails laid by February of 1888, service did not commence until this date.
Through running of Pontiac and Pacific Junction railway passenger trains from Aylmer to Ottawa over the Canadian Pacific Aylmer branch commenced on September 5, 1887.
FEBRUARY 02, 1910
Oregon Electric Railway is acquired by the Hill interests.
FEBRUARY 03, 1898
In a blinding snowstorm on the New Haven Railroad, engine #684, pulling a two-car milk train to Fitchburg, Massachusetts, collides with engine #823 which was pushing a snow plow. Fortunately, engine #684 ran up the plow and ended on top of #823 and no one was seriously hurt. Later, engine #823 carried #684 piggyback to the depot.
FEBRUARY 03, 1973
The Providence & Worchester resumes independent operation.
FEBRUARY 04, 1830
The Camden and Amboy Rail Road Transportation Company is founded.
FEBRUARY 04, 1887
President Grover Cleveland signs the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887, creating the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC). The ICC regulated rates, service and abandonment of railroads and insures that the interests of farmers and businessmen are represented.
FEBRUARY 04, 1930
The first tieless, soundless, shockless streetcar tracks are installed in New Orleans.
FEBRUARY 04, 1941
Santa Fee 100 becomes the first diesel-electric locomotive to be used in road freight service.
FEBRUARY 04, 1958
In Canada, the Kellog Commission produces it's report on the use of firemen on board diesel locomotives.
FEBRUARY 04, 1961
With the last run of the Buffalo to Newark Maple Leaf, Lehigh Valley becomes freight only.
FEBRUARY 04, 1963
The Chesapeake & Ohio acquired control of the Baltimore & Ohio.
FEBRUARY 04, 1966
Lucius Beebe, well known author and railroad photographer, dies.
FEBRUARY 05, 1836
The 4-4-0 American type steam locomotive is patented by Henry R. Campbell.
FEBRUARY 05, 1838
The Michigan Central reaches Yipsilanti from Detroit. It had just four locomotives, five passenger cars and ten freight cars. It transported 29,000 passengers in 1838.
FEBRUARY 05, 1950
Passenger service ends on the Baltimore & Annapolis Railroad.
FEBRUARY 06, 1815
The first American railroad charter obtained by inventor and steamboat designer, John Stevens to build a railroad from Trenton to New Brunswick, New Jersey. The railroad was never built.
FEBRUARY 06, 1868
An 11-day strike begins on the Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville Railroad.
FEBRUARY 06, 1891
The Dalton Gang pulled their first train robbery when they robbed Southern Pacific's train #17.
FEBRUARY 06, 1951
The Pennsylvania Railroad's Broker derails in Woodbridge, New Jersey, killing 84.
FEBRUARY 07, 1908
In Washington, D.C., the Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis Electric Railroad opens between Washington and Annapolis. Service opens to Baltimore March 25, 1908 departing Baltimore Park Avenue terminal at 10:15 AM.
FEBRUARY 07, 1915
The first wireless message was sent from a moving train to a station.
FEBRUARY 07, 1991
VIA Rail Canada reaches an agreement for the purchase of Canadian National's Smiths Falls subdivision between Richmond and Smiths Falls, Ontario.
FEBRUARY 08, 1880
In the state of Michigan: The Chicago & Grand Trunk Railway completes it's line from Valparaiso, Indiana to Chicago, completing the Grand Trunk's connection between Port Huron, Michigan and Chicago.
FEBRUARY 08, 1951
Striking railroad workers return to work by order of the U.S. Army.
FEBRUARY 08, 1986
A head on collision between a freight train and a passenger train near Hinton, Alberta, Canada claims 23 lives.
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