October 31, 1843 The Vermont Central is re-created to build a line across the center of Vermont.
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October 31, 1854 The first train arrives in Fort Wayne, IN from the east on the Ohio & Indiana Railroad (later PRR), completing the line from Crestline, OH.
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October 31, 1859 The Louisville & Nashville Railroad opens between Louisville and Nashville, completing a through line of uniform gauge between the Ohio River at Louisville and the Atlantic at Charleston, SC. It is the only rail line between the Southern seaboard and the Ohio River prior to the Civil War.
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October 31, 1864 A train carrying just over 500 passengers, most of them Union troops, runs head-on into a stock train near Indianapolis on the Lafayette & Indianapolis (later CCC&StL, NYC). Eighteen troops are killed (some sources say 22).
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October 31, 1880 The Grant Locomotive Works deliver a new locomotive to the Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne & Chicago (later PRR). The locomotive, designed by Eugene Fontaine, has regular drivers atop four smaller wheels that transmit traction to the rails. The locomotive is supposedly capable of 90 mph.
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October 31, 1903 The New York Central & Hudson River Railroad votes to electrify between Croton-on-Hudson on the Hudson Division and North White Plains on the Harlem Division. The system used will be a 660-volt DC on an under-running third rail. Later this fall they will sign a contract with General Electric for the locomotives.
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October 31, 1903 On the Big Four in Indianapolis, a switcher moving coal cars is on the main line during time reserved for a passenger train. The two trains collide, killing16 Purdue University students.
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October 31, 1909 Pullman acquires the assets of its major competitors: Mann's Boudoir Car Co., the Union Palace Car Co. and the Woodruff Sleeping Car Co.
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October 31, 1913 The Lincoln Highway is dedicated, the first automobile highway across the United States.
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October 31, 1913 The unionized workers of the Indianapolis Traction & Terminal Company go on strike.
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October 31, 1920 The Pennsylvania Railroad turns over the sale of parlor and sleeping car tickets at Penn Station to the Pullman Company. This comes in reaction to the discovery and firing of 7 PRR agents for demanding bribes for tickets.
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October 31, 1922 Streetcars call it quits in Crawfordsville and New Castle IN.
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October 31, 1935 Washington IN loses streetcar service.
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October 31, 1939 The Public Service Company of Indiana abandons its interurban line between Seymour IN and Louisville KY.
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October 31, 1942 French engineer Leon Bronchart refuses to drive a train of prisoners. He is the only engineer in France known to have done so.
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October 31, 1955 In an episode of "I Love Lucy" airing tonight, much of the action takes place aboard a Union Pacific passenger train. Union Pacific supervised construction of a passenger car set, exact in every detail except for the brake handle which is altered for dramatic effect. Some establishing shots were taken with UP's cooperation at Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal and at East Los Angeles aboard actual UP passenger cars.
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October 31, 1956 Brooklyn NY ends streetcar service.
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October 31, 1957 The Canadian National Railway receives permission to operate the former New York Central Lines in the vicinity of Ottawa ON. Some of the lines will be re-laid.
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October 31, 1965 “Rapido” passenger service begins on the Canadian National.
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October 31, 1976 Canadian National and Canadian Pacific issue the first joint VIA Rail timetable.
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October 31, 1978 The last train departs St. Louis Union Terminal.
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October 31, 1982 The United Aircraft Turbo Trains [Amtrak, CN, VIA] are removed from service by VIA. They will go next to Naporano Iron & Metal in New Jersey where they will be scrapped.
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October 31, 1983 Amtrak launches a Tri-weekly “Auto-Train” between Lorton VA and Sanford FL.
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October 31, 1987 Montana Rail Link begins operations on 907 miles of former Burlington Northern (nee Northern Pacific) trackage.
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October 31, 2011 CSX today announces the release of an iPhone application that will allow its customers to track shipments and select car types for future shipments.
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October 31, 2017 Amtrak begins daily service to Roanoke VA. Northeast Regional trains will serve a newly built station in the downtown area.
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October 31, 2021 The Long Island Railroad runs a test train to check its new access to Grand Central Terminal, part of its East Access project.
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Mark Tomlonson
