March 3, 1831 George M. Pullman is born in New York.
?
March 3, 1834 Cleveland sees its first railroad: the Cleveland & Newburg Railroad is chartered to serve quarries. It is horse operated with wooden track without iron strapping.
?
March 3, 1842 The Pittsfield & North Adams Railroad (Later WRR, B&A, NYC) is chartered in Massachusetts to build between its namesake cities.
?
March 3, 1851 The Northern Indiana Railroad (later LS&MS) is chartered in Ohio to create a better route into Chicago for the Michigan Southern and associated companies.
?
March 3, 1853 Congress authorizes a survey for a trans-continental railroad.
?
March 3, 1863 Congress authorizes a land grant for the Atchison & Topeka Railway (later AT&SF). The grant requires that the line be completed and operation between Atchison and the Kansas/Colorado line by March 3, 1873.
?
March 3, 1871 An Act of Congress incorporates the Texas Pacific Railroad Company to build from Texas to San Diego.
?
March 3, 1921 President-Elect Harding travels to Washington DC from his home in Marion OH. East of Harrisburg PA the train makes the run in one-half hour less than the fastest schedule between Harrisburg and Washington.
?
March 3, 1938 The “Mallard”, which will later set the steam speed record, is built in LNER’s Doncaster Works.
?
March 3, 1944 A double-headed mixed train in southern Italy near Balvano stalls in a tunnel. Carbon monoxide poisoning kills 521 people. Five people survive. One hundred ninety-three who carried no identification, most of them black marketers, are buried in a mass grave at the site.
?
March 3, 1947 The Baltimore & Ohio begins its "Sentinel" freight service, offering guaranteed delivery of fast freight between major cities.
?
March 3, 1949 American Car & Foundry tests the new Spanish "Talgo Train" at Berwick PA. It will later be tested on the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western.
?
March 3, 1955 The Pennsylvania Railroad runs its first "TrucTrain" TOFC train from Chicago to Kearny, NJ. It is the first time the Pennsylvania has carried trailers of common-carrier trucking companies on its flatcars.
?
March 3, 1966 For the first time GG-1's are retired by the Pennsylvania Railroad. Numbers 4804, 4831 and 4847 leave the fleet. 4804 has cracks in the running gear, a problem that will plague other GG-1's.
?
March 3, 1997 Union Pacific opens the former Western Pacific line through Feather River Canyon after repair of the damage from January flooding is completed.
?
Mark Tomlonson
