May 24, 1830 The first regular steam passenger rail service in the U.S. begins: Baltimore to Ellicotts Mill MD. (some sources say May 22).
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May 24, 1841 The Western Railroad (later B&A) is completed from West Springfield to Chester MA.
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May 24, 1844 Samuel F.B. Morse sends the first telegraph message from the basement of the Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C. to the Baltimore & Ohio's Mt. Clare Depot. The message "What God hath wrought" was transmitted across overhead wires following the B&O's Washington Branch. For the first time in the history of mankind, two persons communicate instantly over a distance of 40 miles.
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May 24, 1867 The Boston & Albany receives a new charter, adding the Boston & Worcester and Western railroads.
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May 24, 1874 The Grand Rapids & Indiana opens for revenue service on its trackage between Walton Junction and Petoskey, MI operating three times a week. The branch was completed in November 1873 but has sat unused this past winter.
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May 24, 1883 The Brooklyn Bridge opens. It carries both cable cars and trolleys. Later it will carry Long Island Railroad trains for a time.
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May 24, 1905 The Board of the Pennsylvania Railroad authorizes spending $356,300 to equip freight cars with air brakes.
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May 24, 1916 The Pennsylvania Railroad Board authorizes converting 267 MP54 MU cars for branch line passenger service.
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May 24, 1919 An out of control Union Traction Company (IN) car roars into the Noblesville town square, overturns, and crushes 10 automobiles. A small boy in one of the autos is killed, 23 are injured.
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May 24, 1931 The first air-conditioned passenger train goes into service on the Baltimore & Ohio, the all-parlor "Colombian". Individual cars had been air conditioned for several years previous, with the first ice-cooling experiment in 1884.
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May 24, 1933 The Union Pacific announces it is developing what would be the first lightweight, streamlined passenger train in the United States.
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May 24, 1938 The Michigan Railroad Club has its first railfan excursion: a trip over the Michigan Central to tour the shops and other facilities at Jackson MI.
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May 24, 1954 Cleveland Union Terminals Company approves the sale of their electric locomotives to the New York Central for use in New York City.
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May 24, 1958 The Pennsylvania Railroad¡¯s ¡°Blue Grass Special¡±, running between Chicago and Louisville, is cut back to an Indianapolis-Louisville train connecting with the New York Central¡¯s ¡°James Whitcomb Riley¡± in Indianapolis for Chicago.
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May 24, 1967 The Pennsylvania Railroad tests a 156-mph train, a forerunner of the Metroliners. The four cars in the test train were built by Budd especially for this test, conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The cars' design is based on the "Silverliner" and "Arrow" commuter cars.
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May 24, 2007 General Electric debuts its Hybrid Locomotive at Los Angeles Union Station. The technology uses the energy formerly given off as heat during dynamic braking to charge batteries, which then in turn supplement the energy produced by the prime mover. General Electric claims that in the course of a year, that recovered energy could power 160 typical households.
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Mark Tomlonson
