July 21, 1836 The first railroad in Canada, the Champlain & St. Lawrence Railroad opens from Laprairie to St. Johns, Quebec. The line will become part of the M&C, GTR, and Canadian National.
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July 21, 1856 Illinois Central runs its first Chicago suburban train, to Hyde Park.
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July 21, 1857 The Grand Rapids & Fort Wayne Railroad and the Grand Rapids & Mackinaw Railroads are merged into the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad under an agreement signed June 26, 1857. (Some sources say July 30)
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July 21, 1861 For the first time a railroad is used to transport troops into battle. Confederate troops are brought to the first Battle of Fort Manassas (Bull Run).
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July 21, 1873 The Jesse James/Cole Younger gang turns from robbing banks to robbing trains, wrecking and looting a Rock Island train near Adair, Iowa. Expecting a $75,000 gold shipment, the robbery only netted about $6,000 in passenger's valuables. The engineer is killed in the wreck.
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July 21, 1873 The Muskegon & Big Rapids Railroad completes its line between its namesake cities. The M&BR is owned by the Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore Railroad (later C&WM, PM, C&O, CSX)
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July 21, 1874 A hydraulic car brake system invented by William M. Henderson of Philadelphia is tested on the West Chester & Philadelphia Railroad.
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July 21, 1877 Workers on the Baltimore & Ohio in Pittsburgh PA stage a sympathy strike for the 9 workers killed in Baltimore the day before. Rioting breaks out throughout the town as a result. The militia, under siege, opens fire on the crowd, killing at least ten and wounding between 60 and 70.
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July 21, 1899 The Burgdorf-Thun Railway in Switzerland becomes the first to operate with alternating current: Three-phase, 750 volts, 40 Hertz.
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July 21, 1900 Dayton OH dedicates a new Union Station. It is owned by the Dayton Union Railroad, which in turn will ultimately be owned by the Baltimore & Ohio, New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroads.
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July 21, 1903 The Brookville & Mahoning Railroad (later Pittsburg & Shawmut) (PA) is incorporated.
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July 21, 1904 The 4,607 mile Trans-Siberian Railway is completed after 13 years of construction.
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July 21, 1926 Ceremonial start of Illinois Central's electrified suburban service in Chicago. Regular service will begin August 7.
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July 21, 1928 In wild-west, stagecoach-holdup style, two masked bandits jump on to a Flint-Saginaw (MI) interurban and at pistol-point, rob nineteen travellers of $300. ($4,767 in 2021)
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July 21, 1947 The Nickel Plate orders 11 PA-1 diesels from Alco. Painted blue and nickel, they will quickly earn the nickname "Bluebird".
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July 21, 1952 An earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale hits just north of Tehachapi CA. The Southern Pacific comes to a standstill as tunnels 3 through 8 are all damaged. No traffic will move on the Tehachapi Line for the next 25 days.
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July 21, 1952 The Pennsylvania Railroad announces it has installed "Trainphone" service over 2,000 miles of main line between New York and Chicago and St. Louis.
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July 21, 1958 The New York Central begins carrying mail between Chicago and Detroit in special "Flexi-Van" containers. The vans designated for mail are equipped with side doors. "Flexi-Van" service is expanded to Boston and St. Louis.
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July 21, 2003 The center section of the Erie Railroad's former 301-foot tall Kinzua Viaduct collapses in 80-mph winds. After study the decision will be made not to rebuild the structure, part of a Pennsylvania State Park.
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July 21, 2010 The restored motorman's compartment of Lima City Street Railway #60 is put on display at the Allen County Historical Society exhibit hall in Lima OH. After the line was abandoned in 1939 the car was used in a barnyard east of town. The motorman's compartment was saved in 1962.
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July 21, 2020 CN announces plans to sell 850 miles of low-density trackage in Michigan, Ontario, and Wisconsin. While the exact lines are not specified, most of the routes are from the former Wisconsin Central.
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Mark Tomlonson
