December 5, 1868 The Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne & Chicago Railroad (later PRR) Board appoints a committee to settle a dispute between the Grand Rapids & Indiana (later PRR) and the Kalamazoo, Allegan & Grand Rapids Railroad (later LS&MS, NYC) so that there will be a single north-south line in Michigan. The committee will fail in its mission. Both railroads will build between Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids.
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December 5, 1870 The last independent Kalamazoo & South Haven timetable is printed in the Kalamazoo Gazette. Timetables after this date will be printed as "Kalamazoo Division, Michigan Central Railroad".
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December 5, 1872 The Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore donates $5,000 (2024: $12.9 million) to the new University of Pennsylvania Hospital. In return, the railroad is entitled to one free bed for use of injured employees or passengers.
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December 5, 1877 The Pennsylvania Company Board authorizes the reduction of gauge from 4' 10" to 4' 9".
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December 5, 1881 The first all-Pullman train in England runs from London to Brighton. It is also the first train lit by electricity.
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December 5, 1885 The New York Central & Hudson River Railroad leases the West Shore Railroad.
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December 5, 1905 Plans are approved for Potomac Yard in Washington DC. The yard will serve as a major transfer point between Northern and Southern lines.
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December 5, 1915 Debut of the Katy's "Texas Special".
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December 5, 1915 The Missouri Pacific/Nationales de Mexico "Sunshine Special" begins operations between St. Louis and Los Angeles with a second segment between St. Louis and Mexico City.
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December 5, 1921 Louisville & Nashville introduces the "Pan American".
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December 5, 1922 The Illinois Central introduces its all-Pullman train, “The Floridian”.
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December 5, 1935 The New York Post Office is extended over the tracks leading to Penn Station. Tower A is now covered.
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December 5, 1937 The Mount Lowe Railway (CA) closes, ending service on the funicular railway on Echo Mountain, north of Los Angeles.
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December 5, 1948 The New York Central combines "The Pacemaker" and "The Advance Commodore Vanderbilt". Also combined: the eastbound "Fifth Avenue Special" and the "Interstate Express". Eliminated: the Michigan Central "North Shore Limited".
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December 5, 1989 France's TGV train hits 482 km/h (300 mph) for the first time.
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December 5, 1996 BNSF reopens Stampede Pass.
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December 5, 1996 For the last time, Canadian National hauls grain in 12 metre (40 foot) boxcars.
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December 5, 2003 The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers votes to merge their union with the Teamsters. The Brotherhood will remain autonomous within the merged union.
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December 5, 2008 The Honda assembly plant at Greensburg IN ships its first automobiles by rail. The cars are taken by the Central Railroad of Indiana, owned by RailAmerica, to Cincinnati, where they are interchanged with NS and CSX.
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December 5, 2017 Amtrak begins using the renovated Lincoln IL station. The building, built in 1911, had not been used for rail service for 30 years.
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Mark Tomlonson
