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December 22, 1851 The first railroad opens in India, hauling construction material in Roorkee.

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December 22, 1886 The Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railroad is created from the merger of the Sault Ste. Marie & Marquette, Mackinaw & Marquette and Wisconsin, and Sault Ste. Marie & Mackinac Railroad Companies.

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December 22, 1898 Interurban service begins between Elkhart and Goshen IN.

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December 22, 1914 The New York Central & Hudson River, the Lake Shore & Southern Michigan and several other subsidiaries consolidate with the New York Central. The Boston & Albany, Big Four and Michigan Central remain leased lines.

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December 22, 1928 A record 854 long distance trains enter and leave Grand Central Terminal over 24 hours.

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December 22, 1939 Two trains collide head-on near Genthin, Germany. Two hundred and seventy-eight are killed, 453 injured.

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December 22, 1954 The board of the Pennsylvania Railroad is briefed on the status of lightweight train projects, Pullman has received no orders for its "Train X". General Motors is building two lightweight sets to be powered by a special 1,200 hp diesel.

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December 22, 1984 New York City resident Bernhard Goetz shoots and wounds four youths on a Manhattan subway, claiming they were about to rob him.

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Mark Tomlonson

December 21, 1829 The first stone arch railroad bridge in the U.S. is dedicated in Baltimore.

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December 21, 1833 The Georgia Railroad, the first railroad in Georgia, is chartered.

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December 21, 1841 The Albany & West Stockbridge Railroad (later B&A) completes its line between Greenbush and Chatham NY.

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December 21, 1901 Arthur E. Appleyard assumes control of the Dayton, Lebanon & Cincinnati Railroad. He plans to unite it with other railroads, including the Ohio River & Western, as part of an interurban system to be known as the Ohio Union Traction Company.

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December 21, 1903 The Harbor Beach & Port Hope R.R. Co. (MI) is merged into the Pere Marquette.

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December 21, 1926 The Chambersburg & Gettysburg Electric Railway (PA) quits.

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December 21, 1929 The Albany Southern (NY Interurban) quits.

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December 21, 1938 The Pennsylvania Railroad's class S1 6-4-4-6 duplex steam locomotive is completed at Altoona, save for the streamlining. It also undergoes its first tests.

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December 21, 1948 Grand Trunk Western opens a new passenger depot in Grand Rapids MI. The structure and associated trackage costs $250,000. ($2.6 million in 2018 dollars.)

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December 21, 1962 The Budd Company delivers its last RDC, to the Reading Railroad.

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December 21, 1971 Joseph Easley, longtime cartoonist for "Railroad" magazine dies at the age of 86.

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December 21, 2004 Marklin introduces "condom" cars in HO and Z scale. Packed with a car lettered for German condom maker "Blausiegel" is one of the company's products. The cars are sold in a cigar-box like presentation case and are not marketed to children.

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Mark Tomlonson

December 18, 1867 The Cleveland. Painesville & Ashtabula’s (later NYC) “New York Express” derails at Angola NY when a passenger car with “compromise” trucks (allowing it to run on both 56.5” and 58” gauge) picks the point of a frog and derails. The derailed car rolls off a bridge and kills 49.

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December 18, 1881 The Michigan Central reaches the Straits of Mackinaw, building north from Bay City. (Some sources say December 31)

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December 18, 1936 The "Twin Cities Zephyr", an articulated trainset pulled by a separate diesel locomotive, is placed into service by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy between Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul MN.

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December 18, 1946 The Pennsylvania Railroad ends its commitment to steam with the $16.375 million (2020: $198 million) purchase of 19 6,000 HP passenger diesels (5 EMD E7's, 5 Alco PA's and 9 BLW Sharknoses), completing dieselization of Blue Ribbon trains. Also included: 6 EMD F3 7,500 HP freight diesels to experimentally dieselize one freight train each between Harrisburg/Chicago and Harrisburg/St. Louis.

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December 18, 1952 "Train X" makes its last test runs. Pennsylvania Railroad officials note that while the train can reach 106 mph, the ride is very unstable and uncomfortable.

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December 18, 1956 Aerotrain service, "City of Las Vegas", between Los Angeles and Las Vegas begins on the Union Pacific.

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December 18, 1962 The Interstate Commerce Commission approves Detroit, Toledo & Ironton control of the Ann Arbor Railroad.

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December 19, 1881 The land grant railroad Detroit, Mackinac & Marquette (later DSS&A, SOO, WC, CN) reaches St. Ignace, spanning Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

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December 19, 1910 The Chicago City Council considers following New York's lead and requiring all railroads to electrify within a radius of seven miles no later than January 1, 1913. The motion does not pass.

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December 19, 1919 The Canadian National Railways is created by an Order in Council. The creation is meant to unite and rescue five bankrupt railroads: the Grand Trunk, Grand Trunk Pacific, Canadian Northern, Intercolonial and Canadian Government Railways. The new CNR is the longest railroad in North America, with over 50,000 km (31,000 miles) of track in Canada and the United States.

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December 19, 1926 The Boston & Albany opens a new union station in Springfield MA. It replaces two earlier stations and cost $5.87 million ($84 million in 2018) to build.

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December 19, 2000 The Adrian & Blissfield Railroad acquires the former Lenawee County Railroad (ex-NYC, LS&MS) from the State of Michigan.

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December 19, 2006 For the first time since Hurricane Katrina, streetcars return to the St. Charles line in New Orleans. Only 10% of the route and just two of the 35 cars inaugurate the service.

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December 19, 2017 CSX files with the STB to abandon the former Monon trackage between New Albany and Bedford, 62.3 miles. CSX ended service on the line in 2010, and the tracks have been used for rail car storage since then.

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December 20, 1869 The Michigan Central begins joint operations with the Great Western Railway of Canada.

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December 20, 1880 A shipment of Chinese silkworms and silkworm eggs valued at $1.2 million leaves Chicago on the Pennsylvania Railroad bound for Jersey City and France.

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December 20, 1900 The first Cascade Tunnel on the Great Northern opens, replacing a series of switchbacks.

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December 20, 1904 An acute water shortage in central and western Pennsylvania is delaying Pennsylvania Railroad trains. Water trains are brought in from the east. Next year a program will begin to create reservoirs in the area.

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December 20, 1905 The rebuilt Louisville Union Station opens.

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December 20, 1918 The first Boyne City, Gaylord & Alpena train arrives in Alpena MI.

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December 20, 1918 "Canadian National Railways" is approved as the new name for Canadian Government Railways.

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December 20, 1967 United Aircraft's "Turbotrain" sets the current United States rail speed record: 170.8 mph between New Brunswick and Trenton NJ.

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December 20, 1970 Pullman-Standard closes its Michigan City IN shops.

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December 20, 1984 A freight train derails in Summit Tunnel near Todmorden, England. Over 1 million liters (260,000 U.S. gallons) of gasoline ignite, creating the world’s largest underground fire. Two of the train’s tank cars melt in the 2,970 degree (F) fire. Flames rising out of the ventilators rise 148 feet into the air. No one is hurt in the blaze.

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December 20, 2003 Hong Kong Railways (KCRC) opens its West Rail extension.

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December 20, 2010 The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society receives an SD-9, donated by Norfolk Southern. The locomotive, delivered to the Nickel Plate in 1957 as its number 358, was retired in 2007.

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December 20, 2017 The Byron Bay Railway Company, in Byron Bay Australia claims the world’s first solar powered train. Using two refurbished rail-diesel cars, the train has been converted to use solar energy from curved panels built into the cars’ roofs. Along with panels on the station roof used for recharging the train when it is parked, the train rarely needs its standby diesel engine as it takes beachgoers from the town center to the ocean.

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Mark Tomlonson

December 17, 1830 Former President John Quincy Adams, following his re-election to Congress, travels over the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad between Baltimore and Relay MD en route to Washington DC. President Adams rides in his own carriage that has been placed on a horse-drawn B&O flat car.

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December 17, 1834 The first railroad in Ireland opens.

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December 17, 1853 The Brooklyn City Railroad, the oldest streetcar line in Brooklyn, is opened.

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December 17, 1859 The first train crosses the Victoria Bridge in Montreal. The multiple-span bridge, now serving Canadian National trains, is the first to span the St. Lawrence River.

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December 17, 1862 Theodore T. Woodruff exhibits two sleeping cars of a new design at West Philadelphia.

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December 17, 1870 The Kalamazoo & South Haven RR (later MC, NYC, PC, CR) is completed.

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December 17, 1887 Southern Pacific begins service to Portland OR.

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December 17, 1888 The Great Northern receives its first Leslie snowplow.

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December 17, 1890 Cable car service begins in Cleveland OH.

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December 17, 1894 The Detroit & Mackinaw Railway is formed as a reorganization of the Detroit, Bay City & Alpena.

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December 17, 1911 Northern Pacific's "North Coast Limited" extends service to Chicago. The former eastern terminal was St. Paul.

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December 17, 1913 The Detroit, Toledo & Milwaukee Railroad becomes the Michigan & Chicago Railway. (MI interurban)

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December 17, 1924 First Diesel-electric locomotive enters service, on the docks in the Bronx.

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December 17, 1940 The last interurban runs between Canton and Massillon OH.

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December 17, 1947 The New York Central Railroad announces it has ordered 111 diesel locomotives.

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December 17, 1951 The Rock Island converts all of its Chicago-area commuter runs to diesel. Seventeen new units replace the 23 Pacific types previously used.

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December 17, 1954 First fully-automated railroad freight yard opens, on the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern in Gary IN.

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December 17, 1962 The Interstate Commerce Commission approves Chesapeake & Ohio control of the Baltimore & Ohio.

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December 17, 1964 Atlantic Coast Line introduces train television on its "Florida Special".

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December 17, 2008 Rail-Runner commuter service begins between Santa Fe and Albuqueque NM.

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December 17, 2017 Tacoma WA dedicates a new Amtrak station

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Mark Tomlonson

December 16, 1910 In Kinmundy IL, a standing Illinois Central freight is struck by another train that could not slow on a grade due to icy track. No injuries are reported, but the collision breaks open a live poultry car. Many residents of Kinmundy enjoy a Christmas turkey dinner courtesy of the railroad.

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December 16, 1915 The United States Attorney General rules that New York Central's ownership of the Nickel Plate, Lake Shore & Michigan Southern and Michigan Central violates U.S. anti-trust laws and orders divesture.

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December 16, 1932 The New York & Harlem Railroad sells its remaining trolley lines.

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December 16, 1941 Union Pacific streamliner "M-10000" is retired.

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December 16, 1943 Two Atlantic Coast Line passenger trains collide after a broken rail derails the first one, putting it in the path of the second. Seventy-one people are killed, most of them U.S. troops.

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December 16, 1957 Boston & Maine opens a new service facility exclusively for its RDC's. It can hold 16 of the B&M's 108 "Highliners".

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December 16, 1965 The Atlantic Coast Line introduces candlelight dinners on the "Florida Special".

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Mark Tomlonson

December 15, 1859 Gas lighting is installed at the Pennsylvania's Altoona PA shops.

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December 15, 1872 The Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad opens between Clam Lake (Cadillac) and Walton Jct. MI. (Some sources say September 1872).

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December 15, 1891 Kokomo IN begins streetcar service.

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December 15, 1893 High winds topple a construction crane on the Big Four Bridge, under construction at Louisville KY. The crane, one of the through truss spans and 41 workers are thrown into the Ohio River. Twenty-one of the workers lose their lives.

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December 15, 1907 The New York Central & Hudson River Railroad extends the running time of the Twentieth Century Limited by an hour and a half to allow for delays due to snowstorms.

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December 15, 1925 Long Island RR 401 is demonstrated for the first time. It pulls a seven car freight from ALCO in Schenectady NY to Long Island, making it the first mainline freight in the U.S. pulled by diesel-electric power.

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December 15, 1926 The Denver & Interurban (CO) ends operations.

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December 15, 1930 Dayton (OH) Union Station sees its first trains.

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December 15, 1930 The Pennsylvania Railroad begins allowing passengers traveling to Florida resorts to ship their cars by freight train.

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December 15, 1937 A merger agreement is signed placing eight New York Central subsidiary lines into the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway.

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December 15, 1938 The first diesels in the southeast appear on the "Orange Blossom Special": EMD E-4's. They are also the first locomotives to be fitted with EMD's "567" diesel prime mover.

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December 15, 1953 The Osage Railroad (OK) is abandoned.

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December 15, 1969 Penn Central opens Buckeye Yard northwest of Columbus OH. The computer-controlled yard has 88 miles of track and can hold 4,550 cars. It replaces 5 smaller yards in the Columbus area. The yard will not be finished until next year.

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December 15, 1988 Chief Wawatam, the former ferry between Mackinaw City and St. Ignace MI, is towed to Sault Saint Marie, Ontario for conversion to a barge.

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December 15, 1992 The Hulett machines unload their last lake ore boat at the Cleveland docks. After this, the boat-rail transfer will be accomplished by machinery carried on each boat.

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December 15, 1994 VIA's "Atlantic", which also serves six stations in Maine, makes its last run.

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December 15, 2010 For the first time, a model train circles the National Christmas Tree. The G-Scale set, provided by Amtrak, will run as long as the tree is up.

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Mark Tomlonson

December 14, 1878 William H. Vanderbilt contracts with a British steamship company to ship grain from the New York Central & Hudson River's new terminal at 65th street in New York. Previously, the NYC&HR has used the infrastructure associated with the Erie Canal for its shipments but now has to make its own arrangements.

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December 14, 1903 The New Haven inaugurates the "Merchants Limited", a premier first-class train between New York and Boston on a five-hour schedule. Trains leave Boston and New York at 5:00 pm.

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December 14, 1934 New York Central unveils the "Commodore Vanderbilt", the first streamline steam locomotive and the inspiration for one of Lionel's most popular toy locomotives.

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December 14, 1961 Near Evans CO, 20 students are killed and 16 injured when their school bus is hit by the Union Pacific's "City of Denver". The driver of the bus had let the vehicle roll onto the rural crossing in front of the oncoming train. After this incident, Colorado will pass a law requiring certain vehicles, such as school buses, to come to a full stop before proceeding across railroad tracks. Other states will follow suit.

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December 14, 1974 Southern Pacific 4-8-4 4449 is moved from static display in a Portland OR park to Burlington Northern's Ninth Street roundhouse for restoration to active service pulling the second iteration of the American Freedom Train.

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December 14, 2008 A mock hold-up of a Santa Train in Random Lake, WI becomes too real when a live round of buckshot is accidentally loaded into one of the guns. One of the actors and a 14-year old spectator receive non-life threatening wounds. Santa was not hurt.

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December 14, 2010 CSX removes the last semaphore signals from the former Monon. The last blade to fall was at milepost 147.1 at North Crawfordsville IN.

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December 14, 2017 The Irish Sun newspaper reports that Dublin’s new tram (light rail) line is so slow due to traffic, long loading time at stops and urban congestion that it is faster to walk the route than to ride.

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Mark Tomlonson

December 11, 1845 The Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis is chartered in Tennessee.

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December 11, 1867 Cornelius Vanderbilt is elected President of the New York Central railroad without opposition, giving him control of railroads between New York and Buffalo.

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December 11, 1879 The Lake Erie & Western (later NKP) is formed by the merger of several railroads linking Fremont OH and Bloomington IL.

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December 11, 1889 John Frank Stevens along with Coonsah, a Flathead Native guide, find Marias Pass, which will enable the Great Northern to cross the Continental Divide in Montana.

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December 11, 1906 The first revenue MU electric train on the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad enters Grand Central Station. (Some sources say December 13)

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December 11, 1946 A report requested by Pennsylvania Railroad Vice President-Operations J.M. Symes compares projected results of freight service with 80 A-B-B-B-A diesel sets vs. 202 4-4-6-4 Q2's. The diesels would save over $14 million per year ($165 million in 2018 dollars) plus an additional gain of $6.5 million ($76.4 million) annually if the diesels can improve on-time performance.

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December 11, 2000 Amtrak's "Acela" service begins between Washington and Boston.

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December 11, 2006 NJ Transit's new multi-level cars make their first run, leaving Trenton at 12:01 p.m. on Train #3844.

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December 12, 1859 The first through passenger service via the Shore Line begins between New York and Boston. Ferries take the passengers over the Thames and possibly the Connecticut Rivers.

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December 12, 1859 The Grand Trunk Railway opens the Victoria Bridge, crossing the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and St. Lambert. It is the first bridge to span the river.

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December 12, 1891 Streetcars begin running in Defiance OH.

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December 12, 1900 The Wabash Railroad agrees to operate the Eel River Railroad (later PRR, PC, CR) for the receiver.

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December 12, 1917 In Mouane, in the French Alps, a grossly overloaded troop train jumps the tracks after the brakes fail on a steep mountain grade. At least 543 are killed, hundreds more are injured by official count. The actual count is assumed to be higher. Until 1981 it was the worst train disaster in history. It remains the worst train wreck. [Ed. Note: I am making a distinction between a wreck, which is a catastrophe resulting from a moving train, and a disaster, which is a catastrophe involving a train in some way.]

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December 12, 1926 The Pennsylvania Railroad completes an improvement of the ticket facilities at Penn Station, making it possible to buy railroad and Pullman tickets at the same window instead of waiting in two lines.

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December 12, 1946 Seaboard Air Line restores the "Orange Blossom Special" as a winter-only Florida train after a hiatus during World War II.

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December 12, 1949 The Norfolk & Western begins using new, lightweight cars on its "Powhattan Arrow".

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December 12, 1956 Last regular passenger train on the Escanaba & Lake Superior.

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December 12, 1968 United Aircraft's "Turbotrains" are placed in regular service on the Canadian National. On the press run two days earlier, the train hit a meat truck, an accident viewed on closed circuit TV by over 300 newsmen on board.

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December 12, 2001 The last Alco-powered locomotive in regular service on a Class 1 Railroad makes its final run, as VIA retires LRC locomotive #6907.

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December 13, 1836 The Republic of Texas charters its first railroad.

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December 13, 1877 The Allegan & South Eastern Railroad is organized in Michigan to take over the part of the Mansfield, Coldwater & Lake Michigan Railroad between Allegan and Monteith. The papers will be filed in January.

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December 13, 1902 For the last time, the New York Central Yard in Elkhart IN switches a car equipped with a link and pin coupler.

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December 13, 1907 Interurban service begins between Mukwonago and East Troy WI, extending the line from Milwaukee. The line now serves the East Troy Electric Railroad museum.

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December 13, 1909 The Vancouver, Victoria & Eastern Railway, a Great Northern subsidiary, reaches Princeton BC.

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December 13, 1930 The first Sperry Rail Detector car is shown to the public at Pittsburgh.

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December 13, 1937 The Reading Railroad places a new steam-powered streamlined train in service between New York and Philadelphia. The 5-car train with an observation car at each end will be named "The Crusader" after a naming contest.

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December 13, 1945 New York Central places an order for 420 new passenger cars. It is the largest passenger car order placed by any railroad to date.

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December 13, 1945 The 1,000,000th returning soldier passes through Camp Kilmer on a Pennsylvania Railroad troop train.

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December 13, 2005 Conrail closes Schaefer Tower in the Detroit area. It will be demolished three days later.

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December 13, 2006 The Ohio Central uses its recently restored Lake Superior & Ishpeming 2-8-0 to pull a revenue freight train (including three dead-in-tow diesels).

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December 13, 2008 Italy begins a new high-speed link between Milan and Bologna, part of a line that is expected to reach Rome next year. The train averages 120 mph, twice the speed of conventional service. Long-term plans are to give rail a 60% market share between any two Italian cities.

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December 13, 2016 Detroit’s “Q-Line” light rail makes its first test run along its 3.3 mile Woodward Ave. right of way.

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Mark Tomlonson

December 10, 1795 Matthias Baldwin, developer and manufacturer of steam locomotives is born.

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December 10, 1850 The Michigan Southern Railroad reaches Coldwater from the east.

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December 10, 1870 The Courts rule that a state "head tax" on traffic on Baltimore & Ohio's Washington Branch is unconstitutional. The B&O reduces local fares by $0.30 but continues to charge tax on through tickets until January 29, 1871.

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December 10, 1877 The Syracuse, Geneva & Corning Railway (later NYC&HR, NYC) begins operations.

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December 10, 1878 The first Tiffany Patent Refrigerator car, invented earlier this year in Chicago, arrives in Philadelphia from Kansas City with a load of beef halves.

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December 10, 1919 The car barns of the Niagara, St. Catharines & Toronto Street Railway Company in Niagara Falls ONT burn to the ground. A smaller barn and a repair shop at the same location will replace them.

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December 10, 1919 The Michigan Central opens new shops and a division point in Niles, MI.

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December 10, 1935 The Huey P. Long bridge in Metaire, LA, is completed, serving highway and rail traffic. It is 4.35 miles long, owned by the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad.

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December 10, 1939 Frisco's semi-streamlined "Firefly" enters service.

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December 10, 1947 Train telephone service is added to the "Broadway Limited" between New York and Harrisburg PA.

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December 10, 1958 National Airlines begins the first domestic jet airliner service in the United States.

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December 10, 1968 The Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen, the Switchmen's Union of North American and the Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen vote to merge their four unions into a single organization, the United Transportation Union.

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December 10, 2010 An order for the first high-speed trains in Africa is placed with Alstrom. The TGV-style cars will operate between Tangier and Morocco.

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December 10, 2014 Amtrak opens a new station in Dearborn MI, replacing an “Amshack” that had been in use for over 30 years.

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Happy Hanukah!

Mark Tomlonson

December 9, 1839 The Philadelphia & Reading Railroad (later RDG) begins revenue service between Reading PA and the foot of Belmont Plane.

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December 9, 1879 The Toledo, Peoria & Western is leased to the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railway for 50 years.

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December 9, 1881 The "Golden" Spike is driven three miles west of Newberry MI to complete the Detroit, Mackinac & Marquette Railroad (later DSS&A, SOO, CN). For the first time, Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas have a direct rail connection.

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December 9, 1911 Streetcar service ends in Salem OH.

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December 9, 1914 The Pennsylvania Railroad contracts with Autosales Gum & Chocolate Company to provide vending machines and coin-operated scales in Lines West stations.

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December 9, 1921 In response to a rash of mail and Post Office robberies, the Post Office Department announces it is placing armed U.S. Marines in cars carrying valuable mail. Access to such cars by railroad personnel will be limited. Also, plainclothes guards are placed on trains.

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December 9, 1923 A burning automobile on the tracks at Forsyth NY stops the first and second sections of the 20^th Century Limited. The third section misses a signal in the fog and crashes into the rear of the second section, killing 9.

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December 9, 1932 Streetcar service comes to a close in Springfield OH.

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December 9, 1941 Chesapeake & Ohio officials accept the first 2-6-6-6 "Allegheny" locomotive from Lima Locomotive Works.

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December 9, 2002 President George W. Bush nominates CSX CEO John Snow to be his Secretary of the Treasury.

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December 9, 2011 CSX closes the former "WB" Tower in Brunswick MD. The tower, on the former Baltimore & Ohio, was one of the last manned towers on the east coast.

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Mark Tomlonson

December 8, 1862 The Flint & Pere Marquette (later PM, C&O, CSX) begins service to Flint MI.

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December 8, 1887 The Minnesota & Northeastern becomes the Chicago, St. Paul & Kansas City [later CGW, C&NW, UP].

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December 8, 1903 The Evansville & Princeton Traction Company opens between its two namesake Indiana cities, 28 miles.

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December 8, 1906 The Interborough Rapid Transit Brooklyn Extension tunnel under New York's East River is holed through. This is the first transit tunnel under the East River.

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December 8, 1919 All passenger train service in Michigan is temporarily halted due to the effects of a month-long national coal miner's strike. 250,000 Michigan workers are also laid off.

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December 8, 1921 The Cleveland Union Terminals Company contracts with the New York Central, Big Four and the Nickel Plate for the use of its depot.

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December 8, 1940 Youngstown OH loses streetcar service.

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December 8, 1946 EMD introduces the NW5 locomotive.

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December 8, 1960 In Kalamazoo MI, A cement truck traveling on Interstate 94 strikes a freight train at a grade crossing with the New York Central. No one is hurt, but four railroad cars derail. The crossing has since been converted to a highway overpass.

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December 8, 1967 Passenger service ends on the Frisco.

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December 8, 2015 Yahoo News reports that a condo in Chicago’s Logan Square area will feature a decommissioned “L” car in the common area. Set in the middle of a pool, one side of the car will be open and it will connect to the surrounding terrace by walkways. The development is expected to open in mid-2016.

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Mark Tomlonson

December 7, 1835 Germany's first railroad, the Ludwigs-Eisenbahn running 6 km from Nuremburg to Furth, begins regular passenger service.

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December 7, 1846 The first four Philadelphia companies leave from the Philadelphia & Columbia Railroad depot for Mexican War duty.

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December 7, 1850 Draft animals are used for the last time on the Allegheny Portage Railroad (PA).

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December 7, 1853 The Erie & North East Railroad begins changing gauge and is shut down by a mob of citizens led by Mayor King. The mob tears up track at various road crossings within the city, blocking travel between Buffalo and Cleveland. The citizens demand a break of gauge to reap benefits of transshipment. Other Pennsylvanians desire to prevent the "New York" railroad from crossing the state to the detriment of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Railroad. The riots and destruction of track will continue for several days.

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December 7, 1885 Debut of "The Congressional". Trains carrying this name will be the premier trains in New York-Washington service until the arrival of the Metroliners.

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December 7, 1894 Incorporation date of the Cincinnati Northern Railroad (later NYC)

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December 7, 1897 The Chicago & West Michigan becomes part of the Pere Marquette Railroad.

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December 7, 1901 The Lake Shore Electric begins service between Cleveland and Toledo.

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December 7, 1906 The Southern Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads form Pacific Fruit Express.

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December 7, 1909 The Pere Marquette carferry Marquette & Bessemer No. 2 (1st) is lost on Lake Erie.

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December 7, 1928 Railway Express Agency is incorporated.

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December 7, 1929 The New York Central's deluxe coach train "Motor Queen" makes its last run between Detroit and Cincinnati. The extra features offered on the train have not made it profitable.

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December 7, 1941 The New York Central, with much fanfare, launches the new streamlined "Empire State Express". The bombing of Pearl Harbor puts an immediate damper on the planned festivities.

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December 7, 2006 Trucker Johnnie B. Hunt passes away at the age of 79. Hunt's understanding of the advantages of intermodal shipping and his resulting commitment to using railroads was one factor in the rise of intermodal traffic.

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Mark Tomlonson

December 4, 1820 John Stevens proposes to build a railroad from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. He also offers to build a quarter-mile demonstration railroad on Market Street in Philadelphia.

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December 4, 1830 Construction of the Camden & Amboy begins at Bordentown NJ.

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December 4, 1877 The Eel River Railroad, running between Logansport and Butler, is incorporated in Indiana as a reorganization of the Detroit, Eel River & Illinois Railroad.

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December 4, 1891 For the first time in the United States, four trains are involved in one accident. In East Thompson CT, three trains collide at a level crossing, and a fourth slams into the wreckage two minutes later. Despite massive property damage, only three persons are killed. A March, 1953 wreck in Conneaut OH will also involve 4 trains.

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December 4, 1900 The new Grand Rapids MI Union Station opens.

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December 4, 1910 The Pennsylvania Railroad announces that through passenger business at New York is up 15% after the opening of Penn Station. Most long distance trains have been given additional cars.

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December 4, 1920 The Grand Rapids & Indiana organizes a Veterans' Association.

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December 4, 1946 The Pennsylvania Railroad orders its first two F3 freight road diesels from EMD. The A-B-B-B-A units are rated at 7,500 HP per set.

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December 4, 1955 What had been the world's longest trolley line, Chicago's 25-mile 36 (Broadway-State) PCC line, is broken into 2 routes. The State Street portion from the Loop to 120th and Morgan is converted to bus operation.

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December 4, 1961 The Rutland Railroad applies for abandonment.

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December 4, 1967 Pennsylvania Railroad's premier train, the "Broadway Limited" loses its all-Pullman status as coaches are added to the consist.

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December 4, 1999 Salt Lake City resumes light-rail service.

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December 4, 2003 Russia opens the Severomuisk Tunnel. Ten miles long, it has taken over 25 years to complete.

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December 4, 2004 The Minneapolis LRT opens the last four miles of the 12-mile Hiawatha Corridor, adding the MSP airport (stops at both terminals), an office park in central Bloomington, and the Mall of America to the line.

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December 5, 1868 The Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne & Chicago Railroad (later PRR) Board appoints a committee to settle a dispute between the Grand Rapids & Indiana (later PRR) and the Kalamazoo, Allegan & Grand Rapids Railroad (later LS&MS, NYC) so that there will be a single north-south line in Michigan. The committee will fail in its mission. Both railroads will build between Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids.

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December 5, 1870 The last independent Kalamazoo & South Haven timetable is printed in the Kalamazoo Gazette. Timetables after this date will be printed as "Kalamazoo Division, Michigan Central Railroad".

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December 5, 1872 The Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore donates $5,000 to the new University of Pennsylvania Hospital. In return, the railroad is entitled to one free bed for use of injured employees or passengers.

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December 5, 1877 The Pennsylvania Company Board authorizes the reduction of gauge from 4' 10" to 4' 9".

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December 5, 1881 The first all-Pullman train in England runs from London to Brighton. It is also the first train lit by electricity.

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December 5, 1885 The New York Central & Hudson River Railroad leases the West Shore Railroad.

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December 5, 1905 Plans are approved for Potomac Yard in Washington DC. The yard will serve as a major transfer point between Northern and Southern lines.

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December 5, 1915 Debut of the Katy's "Texas Special".

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December 5, 1915 The Missouri Pacific/Nationales de Mexico "Sunshine Special" begins operations between St. Louis and Los Angeles with a second segment between St. Louis and Mexico City.

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December 5, 1921 Louisville & Nashville introduces the "Pan American".

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December 5, 1935 The New York Post Office is extended over the tracks leading to Penn Station. Tower A is now covered.

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December 5, 1948 The New York Central combines "The Pacemaker" and "The Advance Commodore Vanderbilt". Also combined: the eastbound "Fifth Avenue Special" and the "Interstate Express". Eliminated: the Michigan Central "North Shore Limited".

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December 5, 1989 France's TGV train hits 300 mph for the first time.

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December 5, 2003 The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers votes to merge their union with the Teamsters.

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December 5, 2008 The Honda assembly plant at Greensburg IN ships its first automobiles by rail. The cars are taken by the Central Railroad of Indiana, owned by RailAmerica, to Cincinnati, where they are interchanged with NS and CSX.

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December 5, 2017 Amtrak begins using the renovated Lincoln IL station. The building, built in 1911, had not been used for rail service for 30 years.

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December 6, 1903 Indiana Union Traction Company opens its Indianapolis to Kokomo route.

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December 6, 1917 In the largest explosion to this date, two ships collide and explode in Halifax NS. The “Imo” is loaded with ballast, the “Mont Blanc” with explosives. Roughly 2,000 people are killed when the “Mount Blanc” explodes. The city is devastated. Included in the losses: Intercolonial Railway's station (later CN) and associated facilities.

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December 6, 1935 The first modern escalator is placed in service, at New York's Penn Station.

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December 6, 1971 Auto-Train Corporation begins operations between Lorton VA and Sanford FL.

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December 6, 2005 The State of New Mexico signs an agreement with BNSF to buy almost 300 miles of track between Belen NM through Raton Pass to Trinidad CO. The state will use the line for commuter and light-rail service. BNSF retains overhead rights and freight customers. Amtrak will also use the line.

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December 6, 2006 A German passenger train traveling through Muenster goes into emergency when a soccer ball hits the air brake line between the engine and the first car. The driver was able to effect repairs within 8 minutes. No child on the adjoining soccer pitch claimed responsibility for the errant ball.

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December 6, 2010 Los Angeles' Metrolink unveils its new Hyundai Rotem cars. The first one will enter service next week, with the full order of 137 expected to be in operation by December 2012.

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December 6, 2018 The remains of the 41^st U.S. President, George H.W. Bush, are carried from Houston to College station TX in a train pulled by Union Pacific locomotive 4141. Locomotive 4141 had been painted previously in the colors of Air Force One to honor Mr. Bush. Mr. Bush becomes the eighth President to have a funeral train.

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Mark Tomlonson