July 15, 1852 the first westbound Pennsylvania Railroad train from Philadelphia arrives in Pittsburgh.
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July 15, 1853 The Grand Trunk Railway of Canada merges with 5 other railway companies and is organized as the Grand Trunk Railway.
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July 15, 1864 In the deadliest train wreck in the U.S. prior to 1918, a train carrying mostly Confederate prisoners crashes head-on into a freight train on the Erie Railroad near Shohola PA. Fifty-one prisoners, 19 Union guards and 4 trainmen lose their lives.
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July 15, 1881 The Galveston, Harrisburg, & San Antonio, under the control of the Southern Pacific, begins building westward from San Antonio.
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July 15, 1907 The Pennsylvania Railroad takes delivery of a new class of locomotive at Pittsburgh for trials on Lines West. The K28 class is a 4-6-2 designed to replace 4-4-2's. The new locomotives can handle 10 to 12 car passenger trains on grades where the earlier locomotives were limited to 8.
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July 15, 1913 The Newlands Act is passed, creating the U.S. Board of Mediation and Conciliation to mediate disputes between railroads and their labor unions.
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July 15, 1916 Oris P. and Mantis J. Van Sweringen, two brothers who are successful businessmen but have no railroad experience, assume control of the Nickel Plate. This is the first step in what will eventually become a large railroad empire.
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July 15, 1923 President Harding drives the Golden Spike to complete the Alaska Railroad.
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July 15, 1934 Chicago & North Western and Milwaukee Road both reduce times for the 86-mile Chicago-Milwaukee corridor to 90 minutes, fastest speeds in the west and starting a race among the competing railroads on the route.
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July 15, 1936 Michigan's first streamlined train, "The Mercury", begins service between Detroit and Cleveland over the New York Central.
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July 15, 1939 Streetcars end in Alliance OH.
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July 15, 1956 The New York Central removes its Aerotrain from Chicago-Detroit service and uses it between Chicago and Cleveland instead.
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July 15, 1959 The last steam locomotives (all inactive) are dropped from the Pennsylvania Railroad roster.
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July 15, 1969 Scheduled passenger train service in Michigan's Upper Peninsula ends, although the Soo Line will continue to carry caboose passengers out of Neenah WI, Gladstone MI and possibly other terminals.
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July 15, 1977 Amtrak GG-1 #4935 is unveiled in its original Pennsylvania Brunswick Green five-stripe color scheme. Among those present at the ceremony: Raymond Loewy, credited with the cosmetic design of the GG-1.
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July 15, 1979 The Kent-Barry-Eaton Connecting Railway begins operations between Grand Rapids and Vermontville on former Grand Valley/MC/NYC/PC/CR trackage. It is the first railroad in the U.S. operated by African-Americans.
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July 15, 1986 Locomotives owned by VIA Rail Canada Inc. are required by the Canada Transport Commission to be equipped with ditch lights. They are the first equipment on the North American continent to have such a requirement, although Canadian railroads have been using ditch lights since the 1920's, especially in areas prone to falling rocks.
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July 15, 2004 To combat congestion on The Strip, Las Vegas opens a 4-mile long monorail.
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July 15, 2004 Canadian National assumes full ownership of BC Rail, with the government of British Columbia retaining ownership of the right of way.
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Mark Tomlonson
