April 25, 1831 Matthias Baldwin builds his first locomotive, a small demonstration engine that pulls up to four people on a small circle of track laid out in his shop yard.
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April 25, 1831 The New York & Harlem Railroad is incorporated to build from 23rd Street, New York City to the Harlem River. It is the first predecessor of the New York Central in New York City.
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April 25, 1832 The Brooklyn & Jamaica Railroad is incorporated, the first Pennsylvania Railroad predecessor in New York State.
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April 25, 1855 The Michigan Southern & Northern Indiana Railroad [later LS&MS, NYC, PC, CR, NS] is formed by the consolidation of the Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana railroads. (Some sources say May 1)
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April 25, 1861 Four Pennsylvania Railroad telegraphers arrive in Washington, becoming the first telegraphers regularly employed in the U.S. Army. (Some sources say April 27)
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April 25, 1896 The Cincinnati Northern Railroad [later CCC&StL, NYC, PC, CR] is completed to Jackson MI from Hudson MI and south.
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April 25, 1918 The USRA places an order for 100,000 freight cars. Only 19,037 will be delivered by the time USRA is dissolved.
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April 25, 1926 First run of the Michigan Central "Twilight Limited" between Chicago and Detroit. The amenities on this first-class train will rival those on the "20th Century Limited". Amtrak will use the name for many years on one of its Chicago-Detroit trains.
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April 25, 1931 Detroit United Railways ends service from Royal Oak to Pontiac. It sells its Palmer Park to 8 Mile Road segment to the Detroit Street Railways and the 8 Mile Road to Royal Oak Segment to the City of Royal Oak. DSR will operate the latter segment for another 16 years.
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April 25, 1937 The Baltimore & Ohio assigns rebuilt cars to the “Royal Blue” It also establishes a "Stewardess Corps" to serve on its long-distance passenger trains.
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April 25, 1946 The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy “Advance Flyer” is struck from behind by the “Exposition Flyer”. The “Exposition Flyer” is only able to reduce its speed to 60 mph at the point of collision. Forty-seven people are killed in the accident and 125 injured. The ICC rules after the crash that trains traveling over 79 mph must have “an automatic cab signal, automatic train stop or automatic train control system”. Because these items are considered too expensive by most railroads, train speeds are reduced to comply with the order.
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April 25, 1949 The New York Central adds Albany-Boston service to their LCL freight "Pacemaker" program.
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April 25, 1949 The Erie Railroad begins using Cleveland Union Terminal.
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April 25, 1950 Fairbanks-Morse introduces its "C-Liner" line of locomotives.
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April 25, 1952 RPO service on the Pennsylvania Railroad is discontinued between Grand Rapids and Cadillac MI.
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April 25, 1953 The Pennsylvania Railroad cancels "The Jeffersonian", an all-coach member of the Blue Ribbon Fleet, and replaces it with the more prosaic "Indianapolis Limited".
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April 25, 1954 The "Broadway Limited" is carded at 15 hours and 30 minutes between Chicago and New York, its fastest time ever.
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April 25, 1959 The St. Lawrence Seaway opens. The new water route for ocean-going ships will divert freight from many northeastern railroads.
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April 25, 1960 Canadian National operates its last steam locomotive in regular service, 4-8-2 #6043, on train #76 from The Pas to Winnipeg.
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April 25, 1976 Canadian National issues a timetable calling its passenger service "VIA". Turbotrains are the first to carry the new name.
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April 25, 1983 the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad ends passenger service with the final run of the “Rio Grande Zephyr”.
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April 25, 2005 A Japanese commuter trains derails just short of Amagasaki station during the morning commute. Two of the derailed cars slam into an apartment building. 107 people are killed.
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April 25, 2011 Canadian National issues a Press Release naming Microsoft founder Bill Gates as its largest single shareholder, owning just over 10% of the company.
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April 26, 1866 The Wallkill Valley Railroad (later ERIE, NYC, PC, CR, NS, M&NJ) is incorporated. The line in New York state will be built with a 6-foot gauge.
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April 26, 1866 A workman carrying a lantern goes to inspect a leaking barrel of naphtha at Detroit’s Brush Street station. The resulting fire destroys not only the depot, but also the ferryboat “Windsor”. Seventeen people on the ferry and one on a passenger train are killed.
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April 26, 1869 The Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe opens its first track segment: 6 miles between Topeka and Pauline KS.
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April 26, 1875 The Prince Edward Island Railway opens between Royalty Junction and Georgetown.
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April 26, 1880 Pullman's Palace Car Company breaks ground for a model factory and company town at Pullman, IL. The new town is 14 miles south of Chicago and is located on the Illinois Central main line.
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April 26, 1893 The Boyne City & Southeastern (later BCG&A) is incorporated. It will begin operating between Boyne City and Boyne Falls MI in August.
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April 26, 1907 The New York Connecting Railroad approves plans for Hell Gate Bridge. The cost is estimated at $16.5 million [2025 $559 million].
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April 26, 1922 The Ann Arbor and Pennsylvania Railroads agree to operate their parallel lines between Galena St. in Toledo OH and Alexis Junction on the north side of Toledo as a single, double track railroad.
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April 26, 1925 Southern Railroad's "Crescent Limited" begins operation.
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April 26, 1925 The Boston & Maine's "Flying Yankee" makes its first trip between Boston and Portland. In the future, this service will be protected by a Budd trainset.
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April 26, 1925 The New York Central adds amenities to its "Southwestern Limited", placing its services on a par with the "20th Century Limited".
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April 26, 1926 First run of the Boston to Montreal "Ambassador", routed Boston & Maine/Central of Vermont/Canadian National.
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April 26, 1931 The Pennsylvania Railroad adds the westbound "Rainbow", a late night, after theatre train from New York to Chicago. The New York Central counters with its "Iroquois".
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April 26, 1952 Regular passenger service on the Pennsylvania Railroad ends between Grand Rapids and Cadillac MI, although the summer-only "Northern Arrow" continues.
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April 26, 1953 The New York Central makes cuts in its passenger service equal to 2 million annual train-miles.
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April 26, 1954 Pullman-Standard introduces a piggyback flat car.
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April 26, 1956 The Chesapeake & Ohio introduces "Railvan" service to handle mail on former Pere Marquette passenger routes. "Railvans" are truck trailers with railroad wheels that allow the trailers to run on the track without an additional freight car.
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April 26, 1956 The world’s first successful container ship, the SS Ideal X, leaves Port Newark NJ for Houston TX.
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April 26, 1958 Baltimore & Ohio's "Royal Blue" service to New York is discontinued along with all passenger service north of Baltimore.
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April 26, 1958 The Monon petitions the Indiana Public Service Commission to discontinue all passenger service.
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April 26, 1960 General Electric introduces its "U25B" diesel locomotive and enters the United States domestic market. The New York Central will buy a total of 154 “U-Boats”, the largest original roster.
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April 26, 1980 The last Amtrak "Broadway Limited" pulled by a GG-1 arrives in Harrisburg PA.
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April 26, 1982 The Ann Arbor Railroad discontinues Lake Michigan carferry service.
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April 27, 1869 George M. Pullman is granted the first patent for a railroad car that includes a kitchen capable of making meals cooked to order.
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April 27, 1877 A Southern Pacific excursion train from San Francisco arrives at Pilot Knob on the Colorado River. Regular service will begin April 30.
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April 27, 1882 The Great Western merges with the Grand Trunk.
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April 27, 1885 The Great Northern opens its original Minneapolis depot.
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April 27, 1930 The Pennsylvania Railroad assigns a gas-electric car to its Muskegon (MI) branch.
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April 27, 1935 The New Haven takes delivery of "The Comet", a lightweight, three-car bidirectional streamliner built by Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation. The Akron OH company is looking for new markets after the failure of big airships.
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April 27, 1939 Cecil B. DeMille's movie "Union Pacific", the story of the building of the transcontinental railroad, premieres in UP's home town of Omaha, NE. During production of the movie, the studio used so many trains a railroad operating permit was required from the ICC. Following the premiere, a 15-car train of period equipment will tour the country promoting the movie.
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April 27, 1947 The Illinois Central launches “The City of New Orleans”, scheduled at 16 hours for the Chicago to New Orleans run. The train has a St. Louis section, meeting the mainline train at Carbondale IL, and a Louisville section, meeting the mainline train at Fulton KY. Also, the “Green Diamond” trainset, having been completely rebuilt, enters service between Jackson MS and New Orleans as the “Miss-Lou”.
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April 27, 1952 A special train carrying Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra is the last to leave the old Broad Street Station in Philadelphia. The last regular train to leave this station gave passengers free rides to 30th Street Station.
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April 27, 1952 The New York Central replaces the conventional steam-powered train between Jackson and Grand Rapids MI with an RDC “Beeliner”. The Beeliner makes one trip each way per day.
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April 27, 1953 The Pennsylvania Railroad introduces a 470-calorie chopped sirloin meal in its dining cars for dieting patrons. The meal also uses low-fat salad dressing and saccharine instead of sugar.
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April 27, 1956 The Pennsylvania Railroad leases 12 Santa Fe 2-10-4's while they wait for new diesels to arrive. Leasing the locomotives is cheaper for PRR than repairing their own J1 class.
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April 27, 1957 The New York Central ends steam operations in Canada.
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April 27, 1958 The New York Central combines the "Commodore Vanderbilt" with the "Twentieth Century Limited". The "Twentieth Century Limited" loses its valet, shower, barbershop and all-Pullman status.
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April 27, 1966 The ICC approves the merger of the New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroads.
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April 27, 1967 The ICC approves the merger of the Chicago Great Western and the Chicago & North Western.
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April 27, 1982 The Tuscola & Saginaw Bay Railroad gains control of the former Ann Arbor trackage north of Ann Arbor.
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April 27, 1991 The longest public passenger train in history, consisting of 70 coaches runs the 38 miles between Ghent and Ostend, Belgium.
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April 27, 2007 Chris Guenzler becomes the first regular passenger documented in modern times in North America to travel more than 1,000,000 miles over all types of rail lines including tourist trains, light rail, streetcars, and more.
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Mark Tomlonson
