October 4, 1830 Robert Stephenson & Company its 2-2-0 "Planet" to the Liverpool & Manchester Railway. The "Planet" incorporates several improvements, including a firebox entirely within the boiler, a fully separate smokebox and inside cylinders. The "Planet" will influence the design of many locomotives exported to America, including the Camden & Amboy's "John Bull".
?
October 4, 1851 First train into Mishawaka and South Bend IN, pulled behind the locomotive "John Stryker" over the new rails of the Northern Indiana & Chicago Railroad (later LS&MS, NYC, PC, CR, NS). The line runs from the west end of the Michigan Southern to Elkhart.
?
October 4, 1883 First official run of the "Great Express of the Orient", later known as the ¡°Orient Express¡±, Paris to Constantinople.
?
October 4, 1922 Canadian National Railways becomes a corporate entity.
?
October 4, 1932 Lake Shore Electric 176 is the last interurban car out of Detroit.
?
October 4, 1948 "The Railroad Hour/Show Train" premiers on the ABC Radio Network, running on Monday Nights. Sponsored by the Association of American Railroads, it presents condensed versions of musicals, operas and operettas.
?
October 4, 1950 The "George Emerson", the first Duplex-Drive steam locomotive in the United States, is dismantled by the Baltimore & Ohio at their Mt. Clare shops.
?
October 4, 1969 The last wooden New York City Q-type car is retired from service. The cars were used in elevated service, most notably on the Flushing Line from Queensboro Plaza to the 1939 World's Fair.
?
October 4, 1969 The remaining items in the Pennsylvania Railroad historical collection are disbursed. The locomotive "Pioneer" is given to the Smithsonian, the locomotive "Reuben Wells" is given to the Indianapolis Children's Museum and the balance is sent to Strasburg PA.
?
October 4, 1976 Great Britain launches its ¡°Intercity 125 High Speed Train¡±.
?
October 4, 1978 The diamond at Vicksburg MI, crossing the Grand Trunk with the former Grand Rapids & Indiana, is taken out of service and removed. A Conrail switch job earlier in the day was the last to use the former PRR Crossing.
?
October 4, 1980 Chessie System ends carferry service between Ludington MI and Manitowoc WI. The operation is turned over to the Michigan-Wisconsin Transportation Company.
?
October 4, 1980 The Smithsonian Institute returns its 1831 locomotive, the "John Bull", to steam.
?
October 4, 2008 After four years of talks, Russia and North Korea begin working to re-open the rail link between the North Korean port of Rajin and the Trans-Siberian Railway. Among the obstacles to overcome: differences in gauge, tunnel clearance and signaling systems.
?
October 4, 2021 A DEA agent is shot and killed as he tries to arrest an Amtrak passenger near Tucson AZ. The passenger, who was traveling with a large amount of marijuana, was subsequently killed by other law enforcement agents.
?
October 5, 1863 The Brooklyn, Bath & Coney Island Rail Road starts operations in Brooklyn NY. It is now (2023) the oldest segment of the NYC subway system.
?
October 5, 1877 The Geneva & Lyons Railroad is chartered in New York State. Owned by the New York Central, it will give its parent railroad a better connection to coal traffic coming off the Syracuse, Geneva & Corning.
?
October 5, 1887 The first intercity electric railway in North America opens between St. Catharines and Merriton, Ontario. The St. Catharines, Merriton & Thorold Street Railway uses the Van Depoele system on its six-mile route. Later it will become part of the Niagara, St. Catharines & Toronto Railway.
?
October 5, 1895 The Dayton Traction Company opens to Calvary Cemetery on the city¡¯s south side. It will eventually reach Cincinnati.
?
October 5, 1911 James J. Hill drives the last spike on the Oregon Trunk Railway (later SP&S) at Bend, OR.
?
October 5, 1928 The Pennsylvania Railroad operates the "World's Series Special" and the "Sports Writer's Special" between New York and St. Louis for the third and fourth games of the World Series in Sportsman's Park. (The Yankees will sweep the Cardinals, 4-0).
?
October 5, 1932 Interurban service ends between Toledo and Detroit.
?
October 5, 1937 The Michigan Railroad Club, the state's first Railfan group, is organized.
?
October 5, 1941 Pere Marquette 2-8-4 1225 is completed by Lima Locomotive Works.
?
October 5, 1975 Pere Marquette 2-8-4 1225 is steam-tested on the Michigan State University campus, where it has been on static display.
?
October 5, 1982 The fastest speed attained by a vehicle on rails is reached by a rocket sled at White Sands NM: 6,121 mph.
?
October 5, 2011 The State of Michigan announces it has reached an agreement to buy 135 miles of track from Norfolk Southern for upgrade to 110 mph passenger service. The track is the former Michigan Central line between Kalamazoo and Dearborn.
?
October 5, 2016 Ethiopia opens a new 470-mile rail line between its capital, Addis Ababa and its main port, Djibouti. The electrified line has been built with Chinese money and technical assistance.
?
October 5, 2023 New York City¡¯s MTA announces plans to expand the 2nd Avenue subway. The plan would extend the Q line from 96th Street north into East Harlem and then west across 125th Street.
?
October 6, 1836 The Hudson River is bridged by rail for the first time, at Troy NY on the Rensselaer & Saratoga Railroad. (later D&H)
?
October 6, 1866 The nation's first train robbery gang, the four Reno brothers commit their first recorded stickup, netting $13,000 from a moving Ohio & Mississippi Railroad (later B&O, CSX) train just east of Seymour, IN.
?
October 6, 1905 The Pennsylvania Railroad announces it will place an order for 1,500 steel passenger cars.
?
October 6, 1957 The Chicago El Stock Yards Branch, serving UnionStock Yards, is closed.
?
October 6, 1964 Lady Bird Johnson leaves Washington for New Orleans on a four-day Whistle stop campaign trip. She will be aboard the Pennsylvania's "Queen Mary" open platform observation car, which has been painted red, white and blue for the occasion.
?
October 6, 1972 A train carrying religious pilgrims derails and catches fire in Saltillo, Mexico, killing 208.
?
October 6, 1981 New Jersey Transit GG-1's 4877 and 4884 pull Amtrak's "Silver Star" out of Washington DC Union station. This is the last time GG-1's will run in Washington DC.
?
October 6, 2007 The stone depot in Standish MI is opened as a tourist center serving northeast Michigan. Once threatened with demolition to make room for a strip mall, volunteers over the course of seven years have restored it.
?
October 6, 2018 The EMD FP45 locomotive that served as AT&SF number 108 is placed into operation at the Orange Empire Rail Museum in Perris CA. It has undergone a restoration that as much as possible returned it to its as-delivered configuration. Notably absent: the steam boiler.
?
Mark Tomlonson
