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February 16. 1847 The State of Illinois sells a portion of the Northern Cross Railroad (later Wabash) between Springfield and Meredosia. It is the only portion of the state railroad, chartered in 1837, ever completed. The new owners find the line worn out and revert to horse or ox power for the trains. (Some sources say April 27)

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February 16, 1869 The Michigan Lake Shore Railroad (later C&WM, PM, C&O, CSX) is incorporated in Michigan to build from Ferrysburg through Grand Haven to Holland.

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February 16, 1881 The Canadian Pacific Railway is formed. James Stephen is its first President and James J. Hill is on the board. Hill will leave CP when a route change takes it out of the United States. He will then build the Great Northern.

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February 16, 1897 The "Pere Marquette", first all-steel carferry on the Great Lakes, makes its maiden voyage from Ludington MI to Manitowoc WI.

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February 16, 1907 The New York Central's "Brewster Express" pulled by two S-1 electric locomotives derails at 205th Street in the Bronx, killing 21 and injuring 150. The wreck is blamed on the engines lateral force shearing spikes and causing the rails to spread. The electric locomotives will be rebuilt to 2-D-2 configuration and limited to 35 mph on curves.

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February 16, 1911 Due to claims resulting from the Kingsland Wreck last September, the stockholders of the Ft. Wayne & Wabash Valley agree to reorganize as the Ft. Wayne & Northern Indiana Traction Company.

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February 16, 1925 The Michigan Central opens a new bridge over Niagara Falls, replacing the previous span built in 1855.

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February 16, 1929 The Toledo, Peoria & Western drops all mail contracts, as well as rider cars on freight trains. Caboose passengers will continue to be carried for a short time.

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February 16, 1996 An Amtrak train and a MARC commuter train collide in Silver Spring, MD. Eleven people are killed. The crash, along with a crash on New Jersey Transit one week earlier that killed three, leads to a broader usage of the "Delay in Block" rule, revised standards for cab-end construction and larger windows in passenger equipment for easier evacuation.

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February 16, 2004 Jervis Langdon dies. Mr. Langdon was appointed a trustee of Penn Central following its bankruptcy and later served as its President. He was one of the movers and shakers behind the Chesapeake & Ohio's purchase of the Baltimore & Ohio, although he left the new company shortly thereafter to join the reorganized Rock Island.

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February 16, 2010 A perfume manufacturer announces what it calls "the first perfume dedicated to a rail line". The manufacturer claims to have captured the essence of Manhattan's former New York Central High Line, now a park.

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February 16, 2013 Amtrak takes operational control of the State-owned former New York Central line between Kalamazoo and Dearborn MI.

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Mark Tomlonson

February 15, 1854 The Pennsylvania Railroad opens its Pittsburgh to Harrisburg main line, including Horseshoe curve.

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February 15, 1855 The Joliet & Chicago Railroad (later C&M, StlA&C, C&A, GM&O, ICG, CN) is chartered. It will be completed next year.

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February 15, 1857 The Michigan legislature ratifies and land grant awarded last June for the Flint & Pere Marquette (later PM, C&O, CSX) railroad.

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February 15, 1870 Ground is broken for the Northern Pacific Railroad.

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February 15, 1872 The Pittsburgh, Cincinnati & St Louis Railway (later PRR) grants the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway and the Northern Railway of Illinois use of its tracks between Canal Street and its Chicago passenger station.

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February 15, 1873 George M. Pullman meets with Midland Railway officials to establish Pullman service in Great Britain. The first attempt is not a success as passengers refuse to pay the extra Pullman fare.

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February 15, 1904 Passenger service on the Grand Rapids & Indiana ends between Milton Junction and Luther MI.

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February 15, 1916 The Ft. Wayne & Springfield (Interurban) is sold. It will re-emerge as the Ft. Wayne & Decatur.

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February 15, 1918 The Pennsylvania Railroad signs a permanent agreement with the New Haven giving NH access to Penn Station.

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February 15, 1937 The Indiana Service Corporation abandons passenger service on the former Toledo & Chicago north of Ft. Wayne to Waterloo, Garrett and Kendallville. Freight service will continue through May 10, 1945.

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February 15, 1946 Sleeping cars return to Great Northern trains with 351-450 mile runs.

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February 15, 1950 The Pennsylvania Railroad says 90% of all of its passenger trains are now pulled by diesel locomotives, as well as 65% of its freight trains.

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February 15, 1953 Kansas City Public Service ends trolley service in Kansas. Trolleys remain for a time in Kansas City MO.

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February 15, 1955 The Mechanical Research Committee, made up of representatives from six roads says four of its members will order new lightweight equipment. The Pennsylvania Railroad will order a "tubular" train from Budd, New York Central and New Haven will look into "Train X" or something similar and the Santa Fe is looking at high-level cars for its "El Capitan". Baltimore & Ohio and Chesapeake & Ohio do not weigh in.

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February 15, 1997 The former Detroit, Toledo & Ironton lines making up Grand Trunk's Flatrock Subdivision south of Diann become part of the Indiana & Ohio Railway. Grand Trunk retains rights north of Diann.

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February 15, 2005 Phoenix breaks ground for its new light-rail system.

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February 15, 2012 Amtrak begins 110 mph operation on its line between Kalamazoo MI and Porter IN. This is the first Amtrak line outside of the Northeast Corridor to operate at those speeds.

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February 15, 2016 The first train arrives in Tehran, Iran from China. The rail journey is 30 days shorter than one made by sea. The monthly freight train is part of a planned “One Belt One Road” program to use existing rails to connect China and Europe.

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Mark Tomlonson

February 12, 1827 Two dozen Baltimore merchants, concerned over loss of trade to New York and Philadelphia, hold their first meeting to discuss a rail road to the West, to be built along the line of the National Road.

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February 12, 1849 The Aurora Branch Railroad is chartered, the first segment in what will be the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy.

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February 12, 1855 Michigan passes a law requiring crews on passenger trains and depot personnel to wear badges on their hats or caps indicating their job title.

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February 12, 1855 The Detroit & Pontiac merges with the Oakland & Ottawa to form the Detroit & Milwaukee Railroad (later GT).

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February 12, 1868 The Columbus, Chicago & Indiana Central Railway (later PRR) is incorporated by the merger of the Columbus & Indiana Central Railway and Chicago & Great Eastern Railway The CC&IC operates between Columbus and Chicago via Logansport and between Columbus and Indianapolis, with a branch from Logansport to Effner.

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February 12, 1879 The Board of the Pennsylvania Railroad gives the Altoona (PA) Library Association $500 and the use of a room at the Altoona Shops to create a library for the use of PRR employees.

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February 12, 1900 The Pennsylvania Railroad Lines West Executive Committee authorizes the further expansion of Conway Yard, including a lengthened turntable for Class H4 and H6 locomotives.

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February 12, 1901 In two separate acts, Congress requires the Baltimore & Ohio and the Pennsylvania Railroads to eliminate grade crossings within the District of Columbia and to build new passenger stations.

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February 12, 1930 The Columbia City and Logansport (IN) RPO is discontinued.

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February 12, 1933 The last passenger train runs between Niles and Benton Harbor on the New York Central.

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February 12, 1934 In Chicago, Union Pacific takes delivery of M-10000, later known as the "City of Salina". It begins a nationwide tour of 12,625 miles. Some of that mileage will be run at 111 mph.

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February 12, 1953 The New York Central sells 28 acres of its old coach yard in Boston. The land will be developed as the Prudential Center.

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February 12, 2008 Arthur Lewis passes away at the age of 89. Mr. Lewis was an investment banker who oversaw both the creation of Amtrak and the creation of Conrail. He also worked for a bus-lobbying group and headed several airlines.

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February 12, 2012 Berkshire Hathaway acquires the BNSF Railway for $44 billion.

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February 13, 1849 The Vermont Central Railway opens from White River Junction south to Windsor VT.

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February 13, 1855 The Detroit & Milwaukee Railroad (later GTW) is formed by the merger of the Detroit & Pontiac and Oakland & Ottawa Railroad. This will create a continuous line from Detroit to Lake Michigan

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February 13, 1907 The New York Central & Hudson River Railroad uses an electric locomotive for the first time to pull a passenger train out of Grand Central Terminal. Earlier electric passenger trains used MU equipment.

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February 13, 1910 The Pennsylvania Railroad announces it has 324 all-steel passenger cars in service: 245 coaches, 21 combines, 10 diners, 29 baggage cars, 18 postal cars and one office car. This represents about 25% of the entire fleet.

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February 13, 1935 Madison, Wisconsin streetcar service ends as damage from an ice storm hastens the already-planned conversion to buses.

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February 14, 1834 King Ludwig I of Bavaria approves the first railroad in Germany.

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February 14, 1842 Author Charles Dickens arrives in New York, after traveling from Boston via railroad and steamship.

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February 14, 1857 The State of Michigan awards a federal land grant between Grand Rapids and Little Traverse Bay to the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad.

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February 14, 1867 The first car of flour shipped using the new Blue Line, a cooperative traffic agreement among several railroads, arrives in Boston from St. Louis.

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February 14, 1886 California orange groves ship the first trainload of fruit to the east.

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February 14, 1891 The last spike in the construction of the Great Northern is driven at Blaine WA.

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February 14, 1896 The Northern Pacific Railway opens Portland (OR) Union Station.

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February 14, 1897 Railroad reformer Robert R. Young is born. Chairman of the Board of Chesapeake & Ohio, Erie, Missouri Pacific, Nickel Plate, Pere Marquette, Wheeling & Lake Erie and finally New York Central, he is perhaps best known for his advertising campaign: "A hog can cross the country without changing trains but you can't".

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February 14, 1905 Workers tunneling for the Pennsylvania Railroad blast a hole under the Erie Railroad's Weehawken NJ yard. A number of freight cars are swallowed up by the hole, but no one is injured.

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February 14, 1915 The first position-light signals are placed in service between Overbrook and Bryn Mawr PA. Designed to increase signal visibility in electrified areas, they will eventually become a Pennsylvania Railroad standard.

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February 14, 1923 Great Lakes carferry "Ann Arbor #4" encounters a gale soon after leaving Frankfort MI. She turns around and heads back, but her load of freight cars break loose and careen about the deck. A huge wave hits her and swamps her. She founders against the Frankfort breakwater. No hands are lost, but some of the crew are injured.

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February 14, 1927 The first New York Central "J-1" Hudson locomotive is outshopped by Alco.

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February 14, 1932 The Kenosha Electric Railway ends operations. Streetcars will return to Kenosha in 2000.

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February 14, 1998 In Yaounde, Cameroon, an oil train collides with another freight train. After the wreck, a person trying to scavenge some of the waste oil sets off an explosion which kills 120.

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February 14, 2004 Tower 17 closes in Texas, the last in the state and the next to the last west of the Mississippi.

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February 14, 2007 A TGV train sets a new world speed record for conventional flanged-wheel-on-rail trains of 553 km/h (343.6 mph) breaking the 513.5 km/h record set in May 1990. The record will be broken again when preparations are made for an all-out attempt in April 2007.

Mark Tomlonson

February 11, 1848 Ohio passes a General Railroad Law. It requires all new railroads in the state to be built with a 4'-10" gauge and complete construction within seven years of being granted a charter.

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February 11, 1855 The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad is formed.

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February 11, 1862 The 13th Michigan infantry leaves Kalamazoo for the front lines in 21 coaches, 10 baggage and 8 freight cars.

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February 11, 1869 Following an investigation requested by the legislature, the Michigan Attorney General reports that the Grand Rapids & Indiana is insolvent and recommends dissolution.

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February 11, 1904 The Chicago River & Indiana Railroad (later NYC) is incorporated.

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February 11, 1908 The Pennsylvania Railroad issues an order forbidding the use of profanity in its shops.

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February 11, 1932 Dessert is added to the $1.25 ($23.09 in 2021 dollars) combination plate and a $2.00 ($36.95) steak dinner is added on Pennsylvania Railroad east-west passenger trains.

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February 11, 1948 New York Central’s “Pacemaker” becomes its first of 28 all-new post war passenger trains.

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February 11, 1956 Rock Island's Aerotrain, "Jet Rocket" begins service between Chicago and Peoria.

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February 11, 1997 Mona MacDonald Tippens of Arkansas ends her record-setting 79,841 miles of unduplicated train travel in 33 countries. She began her travels 28 months earlier. She will later write "Tomorrow The Train: Journey to the World Record", a book about her travels.

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February 11, 1998 Canadian National purchases the Illinois Central for $2.4 billion (US - $3.86 billion in 2021 dollars) in cash and shares.

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Mark Tomlonson

February 10, 1851 The Illinois Central Railroad receives its charter.

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February 10, 1879 The Pittsburgh & Lake Erie begins operations.

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February 10, 1887 The Lake Erie & Western Railroad (later NYC, NKP) is chartered.

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February 10, 1892 The Pennsylvania Railroad hosts a rail tour from New York City via New Orleans to Mexico City. The tour will last 4 weeks and cost $450.

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February 10, 1903 Union Traction Company opens its Elwood to Tipton [IN] line.

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February 10, 1935 Through electric service begins between New York and Washington on the Pennsylvania Railroad.

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February 10, 1935 The Pennsylvania Railroad's GG-1 electric locomotives make their first revenue run.

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February 10, 1942 RCA Victor spray paints one of its masters gold and presents it to Glenn Miller for "Chattanooga Choo Choo". The song has sold over a million recordings, but this "Gold Record" is a publicity stunt. The first Gold Record, an award from the Recording Industry of America, will be awarded 16 years later.

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Mark Tomlonson

February 9, 1875 The Troy & Greenfield Railroad (later B&M) opens Hoosac Tunnel.

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February 9, 1875 Theodore N. Ely of the Pennsylvania Railroad issues orders that locomotives will henceforth be painted "green". This is the origin of "dark green locomotive enamel" a. k .a. "Brunswick Green" as the standard PRR locomotive color. Number 131, a Class E 4-6-0 will be the first locomotive painted in the new scheme.

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February 9, 1899 The Minneapolis & St. Lois Railway purchases the Minneapolis, New Ulm & Southern.

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February 9, 1900 In Ford River MI a Chicago & North Western accommodation train running late is hit from the rear by a fast freight running on time. Nine people are killed, most of them not by the collision but by being trapped in the burning debris.

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February 9, 1904 Long Island Railroad President William H. Baldwin approves the electrification of the railroad's western end.

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February 9, 1907 The Peoria & Pekin Traction is bought 50/50 by the Chicago & Alton and the Rock Island, and is renamed the Peoria Railway Terminal.

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February 9, 1935 Budd delivers the trainset that will be most famously known as the "Flying Yankee" to the Boston & Maine.

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February 9, 2010 Pioneer Railcorp-owned Elkhart & Western applies to take over 23 miles of ex-Nickel Plate trackage from Argos to Walkerton IN. Norfolk Southern is expected to hand over the line as soon as March 6.

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Mark Tomlonson

February 8, 1867 The first through passenger train from Council Bluffs, IA arrives in Chicago over the Chicago & North Western Railway. It is the first such through service to the Missouri River.

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February 8, 1879 The Pennsylvania Railroad tests a passenger train that is heated by a steam boiler located in the baggage car.

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February 8, 1904 The Interborough Rapid Transit tests a steel subway car on the 2nd Avenue El.

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February 8, 1913 The Great Northern receives its first motor cars, numbered 2300 and 2301.

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February 8, 1918 The USRA announces that it will standardize rolling stock for all new equipment orders.

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February 8, 1985 Secretary of Transportation Elizabeth Dole recommends selling the government's share of Conrail common stock to Norfolk Southern Corporation for $1.2 billion. This is before the formal merger of the Norfolk & Western and Southern Railroads in 1990.

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February 8, 1986 A Canadian National freight runs a red signal in Dalehurst AB, possibly because the crew was asleep, and crashes head-on into VIA's train No. 4. Twenty-three people are killed; 71 are injured. Most of the first responders come from Hinton, just over 11 miles away.

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February 8, 2002 The last EMD FP45 makes its last revenue run on the Wisconsin Central.

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Mark Tomlonson

February 5, 1834 As railroads debate the use of steam over horse power, a satiric column appears in the West Chester Village Record urging the use of horse-drawn vehicles on the Columbia Railroad. The piece points out "the use of horses will create jobs for horse-breeders, blacksmiths, farriers, feed-growers, etc." The piece also says, "horses can go up to 12 mph and people should not desire to go faster. Besides only the rich will be able to afford locomotives."

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February 5, 1838 The Central Railroad of Michigan reaches Ypsilanti from the east.

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February 5, 1916 The last railroad-owned horse-drawn taxicabs are withdrawn from major Pennsylvania Railroad Stations. Increasing competition from private, motorized taxis have ended the service.

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February 5, 1927 Buster Keaton's movie "The General", the story of the Civil War Andrew's raid, is released. It bombs on its first release although it's now considered a classic.

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February 5, 1972 Airlines begin mandatory inspections of passengers and their baggage in attempt to curb hijackings.

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February 5, 1989 The Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe and J.B. Hunt truck lines set up an alliance whereby J.B. Hunt traffic will be moved off the roads and onto Santa Fe intermodal routes. The alliance begins when J.B. Hunt himself rides in a Santa Fe office car and sees how smoothly intermodal cars move across Illinois.

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February 6, 1815 John Stevens of Hoboken NJ is granted the first charter to build a railroad in the United States, the New Jersey Railroad Company. The line is never built. (Some sources say 1816).

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February 6, 1835 The Buffalo & Mississippi Railroad (later NI, LS&MS) is chartered to run from Buffalo NY to the Mississippi River.

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February 6, 1837 The Buffalo & Mississippi Railroad changes its name to the Northern Indiana Railroad. The line will manage to do some grading between Michigan City and La Porte IN before the money runs out.

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February 6, 1843 Through service begins between Albany and Buffalo with a gap at Rochester. The journey over several rail lines takes two days, with an overnight stop at Syracuse eastbound and Auburn westbound to avoid night running in winter.

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February 6, 1862 Pennsylvania Railroad executive and Assistant Secretary of War Tom Scott begins a trip scouting railroads in the Midwest for possible use against the South. The knowledge Scott gains will be called on during the PRR's postwar expansion.

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February 6, 1871 A New York Central & Hudson River passenger train strikes a derailed oil car near New Hamburg NY. The resulting fire kills 22.

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February 6, 1873 The Springfield, Athol & Northeastern Railroad (later B&A) is formed to rename the Athol & Enfield Railroad.

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February 6, 1879 Henry Roe Campbell, a pioneering Civil Engineer and the inventor of the 4-4-0 type steam locomotive, dies at the age of 72.

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February 6, 1883 The first train from New Orleans via the Southern Pacific reaches San Antonio. The first train from Los Angeles will arrive in San Antonio tomorrow.

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February 6, 1891 The Dalton gang robs its first train.

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February 6, 1908 The Kanauga Traction Company opens, operating with gas-electric cars between Gallipolis OH and Point Pleasant WV.

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February 6, 1908 The Florida East Coast opens its Florida Keys Extension to Knights Key, 47 miles from Key West, with a boat connection to Havana.

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February 6, 1951 Pennsylvania Railroad's "The Broker", a southbound express train running between Jersey City and Bay Head Junction is routed onto a temporary wooden overpass, built to allow construction of a permanent bridge over the New Jersey Turnpike. The train derails due to excessive speed. Some of the cars fall off the overpass, killing 85 of the 1,100 passengers. It is the deadliest U.S. train wreck since World War II. It is the third deadliest in US History.

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February 6, 1952 The New York Central approaches a consulting firm to study NYC's operating losses and to tailor its passenger services to actual demand.

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February 7, 1841 The Chicago & Rock Island Railroad, earliest predecessor of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific is incorporated.

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February 7, 1849 Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri proposes a transcontinental railroad on the floor of the Senate.

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February 7, 1855 The Buffalo & Mississippi and the Northern Indiana & Chicago railroads (later LS&NI, LS&MS, NYC) are merged into the Northern Indiana Railroad.

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February 7, 1871 The Clayton & Theresa Railroad (later NYC) is chartered.

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February 7, 1880 The first Grand Trunk passenger train leaves Chicago for points east.

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February 7, 1899 The Raquette Lake Railway (later NYC) is chartered.

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February 7, 1922 The van Sweringen brothers buy the Toledo, St. Louis & Western, also known as "The Clover Leaf". It will become part of their Nickel Plate Road.

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February 7, 1940 British railroads are nationalized.

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February 7, 1950 The Illinois Northern is acquired from International Harvester by the Santa Fe, Burlington, Pennsylvania and New York Central railroads.

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February 7, 1954 Detroit's Jefferson Avenue trolley line is converted to bus.

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February 7, 1962 A derailing Pennsylvania Railroad freight train demolishes the Wayland MI passenger depot.

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February 7, 1973 The RTV31 tracked hovercraft is given its first tests in the United Kingdom. The vehicle, an early version of Mag-Lev trains, is cancelled a week later due to budget cuts.

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February 7, 1979 "Supertrain" debuts on NBC. The TV series, patterned after "Love Boat" but set on a super-wide, super-luxurious train, will be a super-bomb. It is the most expensive TV series to date, and its failure coupled with the boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games will nearly bankrupt NBC.

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February 7, 1983 Elizabeth Dole, the first female Secretary of Transportation is sworn in.

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Mark Tomlonson

February 4, 1830 The Camden & Amboy Rail Road, the first to be built in New Jersey, is chartered.

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February 4, 1841 President-elect William Henry Harrison becomes the first president-elect to travel by train to the inaugural, changing from stagecoach to the Baltimore & Ohio at Frederick, MD.

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February 4, 1887 The Interstate Commerce Act is signed into law, setting up a commission to regulate rates on the railroads and ensure that the interests of farmers and small businessmen are represented. Thomas Cooley of Michigan is the commission's first Chairman.

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February 4, 1895 The first rolling lift bridge opens to rail traffic in Chicago.

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February 4, 1907 The Pennsylvania Railroad completes its first all-steel RPO car at Altoona.

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February 4, 1911 In honor of the work being done on the canal, Illinois Central names its premier passenger train the "Panama Limited".

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February 4, 1930 New Orleans opens "tieless, shockless, noiseless" streetcar tracks.

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February 4, 1941 Santa Fe FT A-B-B-A set #100 becomes the first FT in revenue service and the first diesels used on a road freight on the Santa Fe.

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February 4, 1941 The USO (United Service Organizations) is formed by the merger of six charitable groups. In addition to entertaining troops, the USO will provide station lounges for in-transit U.S. service men.

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February 4, 1948 The last steam engine built for the Santa Fe, 4-8-4 #3752, is test fired at the factory.

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February 4, 1966 The last RPO car operates in suburban service: Southern Pacific, San Francisco to San Jose.

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February 4, 1977 In Chicago’s “loop”, a CTA train hits the rear of a standing train. Motorman Stephan Martin continued to increase power to his train, forcing cars off the tracks and onto the streets below. Eleven are killed and 180 injured, the worst accident in CTA history.

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February 4, 2016 Felix the cat, on duty as “Senior Pest Controller” since 2011 in Huddersfield Station, England is given her own cat door to allow her to pass through the gates keeping non-paying passengers away from the trains. The newly installed gates had prevented Felix from carrying out her task of keeping the station vermin-free.

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February 4, 2020 Durango & Southern 493 undergoes its first tests as an oil burner. The D&S is converting its coal burners to oil to prevent sparks that may start forest fires in the Colorado mountains.

Mark Tomlonson

February 3, 1858 A Michigan act extends the time to complete the first 20 miles of the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad from December 1, 1857 to December 1, 1858, and to complete the whole line to November 5, 1865. This will be the first of many extensions granted to the GR&I.

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February 3, 1862 Thomas Edison becomes the first newspaper publisher to distribute his paper on a train. He sells his one-page Weekly Herald on a Grand Trunk train between Port Huron and Detroit.

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February 3, 1869 The Grand Rapids & Lake Shore Railroad (later PM, C&O, CSX) is formed. Next year the company will build a line between Muskegon and Nunica.

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February 3, 1881 The New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, known for most of its life as the Nickel Plate Road, is formed.

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February 3, 1893 Carferry Ann Arbor No. 1 is caught in the ice near Green Bay WI and will remain there for the next 63 days.

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February 3, 1903 The first Kenosha Electric Railway (interurban) opens for business.

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February 3, 1906 Thieves use nitroglycerin to break open the station safe in the Chicago Great Western depot in Marshalltown IA. The total take: $1.38 in pennies from the station’s gumball machine.

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February 3, 1918 San Francisco's Twin Peaks Tunnel, the longest (11,920 feet) streetcar tunnel, opens. The tunnel connects Market & Castro streets with West Portal and Ulloa.

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February 3, 1929 The Pennsylvania and Wabash railroads begin a through sleeping car service between Cincinnati and Detroit.

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February 3, 1935 Streetcars end in Madison WI.

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February 3, 1958 Railway Age Magazine reports 1,377 active steamers on U.S. rails and 1,709 in Canada. Mikados (2-8-2) are the most common type still steaming. The editors add, "The future of steam is in a museum."

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February 3, 1970 Great Northern issues its last public timetable.

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February 3, 1995 Canadian National sells the former Central Vermont line from New London CT to East Alborg VT to RailTex. RailTex will operate the line as the New England Central Railroad.

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February 3, 2004 Australia runs the first Trans-continental Adelaide to Darwin train.

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February 3, 2015 The Toronto Transit Commission removes a route sign it had posted at Downsview station last December after members of the public reported it looked too much like a penis. Other passengers who saw it thought it looked like a fungus or mushroom.

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February 3, 2020 Taking advantage of air rights obtained in 1977, construction begins on a 51-story skyscraper over the tracks of Boston’s South Station.

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Mark Tomlonson

February 2, 1832 The Lawrenceburgh & Indianapolis Railroad is incorporated in Indiana, that state's first. It is one of several railroads incorporated today. Only a small section of it will be completed.

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February 2, 1869 Dissident Grand Rapids & Indiana (later PRR) bondholders, including those favoring the "Allegan Company" (Kalamazoo Allegan & Grand Rapids (?) (later NYC)), plan to form a new company called the Michigan Northern Railroad to take the GR&I's land grant. Despite these efforts, the grant will go to the GR&I.

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February 2, 1880 Western railroads agree to a route plan, ending a sometimes-violent struggle for certain mountain passes.

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February 2, 1888 Richmond VA begins operating electric trolleys, designed by Frank Spraugue. This system follows over 60 attempts worldwide to create a successful trolley system.

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February 2, 1900 The Southern Ohio Traction Company opens between Cincinnati and Dayton.

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February 2, 1907 James A. McCrea suggests to his father, the President of the Pennsylvania Railroad, that a 1:60 scale model of Penn Station with electric trains be built to study and plan train movements. There is no indication this was actually done.

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February 2, 1907 The Elgin & Belvidere (interurban) opens for service between Marengo and Elgin IL.

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February 2, 1913 New York's partially completed palatial passenger station, Grand Central Terminal, opens in the center of Manhattan at 12:01 am. About 150,000 people will visit the new terminal today.

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February 2, 1925 The "Air Mail Act of 1925" is signed into law, authorizing commercial air lines to carry the mail. This will greatly aid the growth of commercial passenger air service.

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February 2, 1927 Canadian National opens Spadina Yard in Toronto. It is built on a former Grand Trunk yard that dates back to the 1850's. Construction on the yard will continue for at least two more years.

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February 2, 1939 The Seaboard Air Line introduces the "Silver Meteor", pulled by EMD E-4 diesels in a green, yellow and orange paint scheme. A contest had been held to name the train. The winner out of 76,366 entries has taken home $500.

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February 2, 1968 GP-7 #5609 becomes the last locomotive shopped at New York Central’s Collinwood Shops.

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Mark Tomlonson

February 1, 1832 "The Western Immigrant" newspaper of Ann Arbor MI suggests transcontinental railroad, the first mention in print of such a project.

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February 1, 1846 The first train arrives in Kalamazoo on the Central Rail Road of Michigan.

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February 1, 1854 The first train to use a single gauge over the entire trip between Buffalo NY and Erie PA on the Buffalo & State Line Railroad (later LS&MS, NYC) ?makes its run.

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February 1, 1869 The Carthage, Watertown & Sackets Harbor Railroad (later NYC) is chartered.

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February 1, 1870 The Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore Railroad (later PM, C&O, CSX) opens between New Buffalo & St. Joseph MI.

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February 1, 1871 The Kalamazoo & South Haven (later NYC, PC) is completed from Bloomingdale to South Haven.

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February 1, 1871 The Michigan Air Line Railroad (later MC, NYC) is completed between Jackson MI and South Bend IN.

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February 1, 1879 The Pennsylvania Company Board hears a report that a project is underway for a new railroad running between Grand Haven MI and Toledo OH via Allegan and Montieith MI using the tracks of the Allegan & South Eastern Railroad.

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February 1, 1890 Canada Atlantic Railway (later GT, CN) bridges the St. Lawrence River.

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February 1, 1900 The Grand Rapids & Indiana, Michigan Central and Pere Marquette railroads agree to enlarge and improve Grand Rapids (MI) Union Station.

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February 1, 1900 The Boston & Albany electrifies its Riverside to Newton Lower Falls shuttle.

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February 1, 1902 The Grand Rapids, Grand Haven & Muskegon (MI Interurban) begins service between Grand Rapids and Fruitport.

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February 1, 1903 The Pennsylvania Railroad cancels its premiere "Pennsylvania Limited" due to freight congestion in the Pittsburgh area. PRR feels that if freight crews no longer need to clear the line for 1-3 hours ahead of the Limited their time will be freed for more productive work.

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February 1, 1903 Kenosha WI begins electric streetcar service.

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February 1, 1907 The first scheduled car (interurban coach number 3) makes its run on the Ft. Wayne & Springfield. The car, under the apt control of motorman Smith and conductor Stroud, leaves Decatur with 25 passengers at 9:15 a.m. and arrives in Ft. Wayne at 10:45 a.m.

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February 1, 1910 In cooperation with Penn State, the Pennsylvania Railroad begins a free training program at its Altoona Shops to assist apprentices in math and engineering. The program will later be offered at other PRR ships throughout the system.

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February 1, 1913 Formal dedication ceremonies are held for the new Grand Central Terminal in New York City.

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February 1, 1916 The District of Columbia outlaws public drinking cups and towels. As a result Washington Union Station installs drinking fountains. Also at this time WUS begins replacing its arc lamps with incandescent bulbs.

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February 1, 1922 The Pennsylvania Railroad reverses a long-standing policy and announces plans to sell advertising space in its stations and trains.

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February 1, 1930 New York Central leases the Michigan Central for 999 years. The New York Central also leases the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway (The “Big 4”).

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February 1, 1931 The Pennsylvania Railroad asks employees for contributions of historical material to the railroad for a new museum at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. Most of the collection, with the exception of the locomotive "Pioneer" will be sold in 1972 at the Penn Central auction.

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February 1, 1936 Railway Express Agency begins offering coordinated rail-air express service for the United States and 33 countries reached by Pan American Airways.

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February 1, 1938 Car retarders are placed in service at Chicago's Clearing Yard.

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February 1, 1947 The Long Island Railroad bans its employees from reserving regular seats for card players.

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February 1, 1953 The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy "Kansas City Zephyr" begins service between Chicago and Kansas City via the new Centennial cut-off. The train will be advertised as "Shorter, smoother, faster" because of the new trackage.

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February 1, 1968 The New York Central and Pennsylvania railroads merge to form Penn Central Transportation. To "protect competition", the Norfolk & Western is given control of the Erie Lackawanna and Delaware & Hudson. Instead of merging with the two companies, they will be put under the umbrella of "Dereco", a subsidiary created by N&W to manage the lines.

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February 1, 1970 An express train rams a stationary commuter train in Buenos Aires, Argentina, killing 236.

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February 1, 1971 Canadian National again withdraws the Turbos from service to begin a rebuild program.

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February 1, 1975 Railway Express Agency declares bankruptcy. The company will be liquidated later in the year.

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February 1, 1990 CN Rail begins running trains without cabooses (aka “vans”).

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February 1, 2016 Unusually low temperatures, heavy snow and a rush of New Year’s travelers combine to strand nearly 100,000 rail passengers at Guangzhou Railway Station in southern China.

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Mark Tomlonson

January 29, 1830 Papers are filed for the first railroad incorporated in Kentucky, the Lexington & Ohio Railroad Company.

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January 29, 1834 In the first use of federal troops to put down a labor dispute, President Jackson calls on the War Department to quell a "riotous assembly" of Irish workers on the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad.

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January 29, 1835 The Morris & Essex Railroad (later DL&W) is incorporated in New Jersey to build from Newark to Morristown and further west.

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January 29, 1871 The Baltimore & Ohio stops charging state tax on through New York-Washington passengers using the Washington Branch. It had continued to collect the tax from passengers even though it hadn't been collected by Maryland for years.

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January 29, 1873 The gap between the eastern and western sections of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad is closed at Hawks Nest WV, completing the line to the Ohio River at Huntington WV.

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January 29, 1880 The Columbus, Hope & Greenburg Railroad (later NYC) is incorporated.

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January 29, 1902 Streetcar service extends from Appleton to Kaukauna WI.

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January 29, 1907 New York Central’s electrification project for Grand Central Terminal reaches High Bridge NY.

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January 29, 1909 The final spike is driven for the Virginian Railway.

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January 29, 1917 The Wabash Railroad leaves Pittsburgh, and the Wabash-Pittsburgh Terminal Railroad becomes the Pittsburgh & West Virginia.

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January 29, 1927 The U.S. Post Office issues the first private mail contract, to William Boeing and Edward Hubbard to carry mail between Chicago and San Francisco.

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January 29, 1929 The Orient Express becomes trapped in snow in Western Turkey for seven days, an event that will be fictionalized in Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express".

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January 29, 1940 Three trains collide in Osaka, Japan. The resulting explosion near Ajikawaguchi Station kills 181 people.

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January 29, 1963 Alco introduces its "Century" line of diesel Locomotives.

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January 29, 2010 An Illinois woman sues METRA, saying that she was injured by an exploding toilet one year ago today on a METRA train.

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January 30, 1834 The first railroad built in Kentucky, linking Lexington and Frankfort, is completed.

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January 30, 1875 The Detroit, Hillsdale & South Western (later NYC), which will run between Ypsilanti and Bankers MI is incorporated.

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January 30, 1883 The Toledo & Indianapolis (later T&OC, NYC) is completed.

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January 30, 1902 The Detroit Manufacturers Railroad (later NYC) is incorporated.

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January 30, 1923 The Grand Trunk is absorbed into the Canadian National. The Grand Trunk within the United States is spun off and becomes the Grand Trunk Western. CN will operate the GTW as a subsidiary.

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January 30, 1939 Streetcar service ends in Ashtabula OH.

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January 30, 1950 The Pennsylvania Railroad announces the beginning of "Keystone" freight service for less-than-carload freight. Five hundred boxcars and 3,000 containers are purchased. The new equipment along with higher freight train speeds are designed in part to compete with the New York Central's "Pacemaker" service introduced in 1946.

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January 30, 1985 Amtrak's "Cardinal" is pulled by steam, 4-8-4 #614T. The locomotive is winding up a month of tests, hoping to prove a modern coal-burning steam locomotive can compete with an oil-burning diesel.

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January 30, 2001 Master Railroad photographer O. Winston Link dies. Best known for his nighttime shots of the Norfolk & Western, some of his work reaches the status of cultural icon, quoted in commercials, music videos and TV's "The Simpsons".

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January 31, 1853 The Black River & Utica Railroad (later RW&O, NYC&HR, NYC) is incorporated.

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January 31, 1862 The Railways & Telegraph Act authorizes President Lincoln to seize and operate any railroad or telegraph line needed for the war effort. It also creates the U.S. Military Railroads to operate captured Confederate lines.

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January 31, 1882 The Rochester & Ontario Belt Railway (later NYC) is incorporated.

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January 31, 1918 The USRA begins operating trains loaded with just food and supplies for the Allies from St. Louis and Chicago to Eastern ports. The trains are run on a 60-hour schedule, versus 8-14 days previously.

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January 31, 1925 Trolley service ends in Ann Arbor MI

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January 31, 1927 The Cambridge Power Light & Traction Company is shut down by its owners, the Ohio Service Company, who can no longer justify serving the mere 3,000 people living along its route.

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January 31, 1932 Railway unions in the United States accept a 10% pay cut in hopes of easing the effects of the Depression on the railroads which will in turn allow them to keep their jobs.

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January 31, 1932 Findlay OH loses streetcar service.

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January 31, 1935 Union Pacific's M-10000 enters service as the "City of Salina" between Salina KS and Kansas City. The 116-seat train carries an average 280 passengers per round trip.

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January 31, 1939 The Pennsylvania Railroad's Class S1 6-4-4-6 duplex passenger locomotive leaves Altoona. It is the first steam locomotive out of Altoona since 1930. The locomotive will prove to be too big in many respects and will be confined to service between Chicago IL and Crestline OH. The lessons learned from this locomotive will be applied to PRR's class T1 4-4-4-4.

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January 31, 1951 The “Philadelphia Enquirer” reports that in 1950 the Lionel Corporation earned more than Baldwin Locomotive Works.

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January 31, 1957 Last passenger service on the Illinois Central to Paducah KY.

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January 31, 1961 The Decatur (MI) depot is closed by the New York Central. The small-town station had no scheduled stops and few riders. The planned consolidation of freight agent services in Kalamazoo has rendered the depot obsolete.

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January 31, 2000 Amtrak's New Haven to Boston electrification project is completed.

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January 31, 2009 Canadian National takes control of most of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern. CN has acquired the line to connect its Wisconsin Central, Illinois Central and Grand Trunk lines while avoiding the congestion of Chicago.

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January 31, 2011 FedEx begins using BNSF and Norfolk Southern Intermodal services as part of its Less-Than-Truckload division.

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January 31, 2012 WATCO completes its purchase of the Ann Arbor Railroad, running between Ann Arbor and Toledo.

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January 31, 2018 A chartered Amtrak train carrying 200 Republican Senators and Representatives to a retreat at White Sulphur Springs strikes a garbage truck at a grade crossing in near Charlottesville, Virginia. The truck driver is killed and the Amtrak head-end crew suffers injuries. Three of the Congressmen who are also medical doctors assist with the injured.

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Mark Tomlonson

January 28, 1823 The Pennsylvania Senate passes a bill allowing John Stevens to build a railroad from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh. The Pennsylvania House will kill the bill in Committee.

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January 28, 1842 The State of Indiana halts funding of its Internal Improvements program, save for the Wabash & Erie Canal. All work on state railroads is halted.

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January 28, 1855 The first through train runs on the Panama Railway, the first transcontinental (trans-isthmus?) railroad.

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January 28, 1877 The Lake George & Muskegon River Railroad, Michigan's first logging road begins operations in Clare County.

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January 28, 1882 Cable cars begin service in Chicago IL.

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January 28, 1901 Cleveland OH shuts down its cable car service.

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January 28, 1907 The Winona & Warsaw Railway (a.k.a. Winona Interurban Railway) begins operations between Peru and Chili IN over the former Peru & Detroit Railway line it purchased last year.

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January 28, 1907 The New York Central & Hudson River Railroad begins electrified service in MU cars between Grand Central and Wakefield. Some trains continue to White Plains behind steam.

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January 28, 1919 The New York Central opens the "Commodore Hotel" across the street from Grand Central Terminal with 2,000 rooms.

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January 28, 1930 Streetcar service ends in Port Huron, MI.

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January 28, 1935 Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 Number 4800 brings the first electrically powered train out of Washington DC's Union Station with a round trip to New York City for the press and railroad and government VIP's.

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January 28, 1957 The Great Northern begins the use of a Univac 1 for payroll preparation.

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January 28, 1971 Transportation Secretary John Volpe reveals the basic system of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation or "Railpax". The system consists of 21 routes.

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January 28, 2002 The World Trade Center Station on the NYC Subway system reopens for the first time since the destruction of the Twin Towers.

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January 28, 2009 In China, a special passenger train added to handle the crux of passengers during the Lunar New Year holiday leaves Shanxi Province for Beijing with only two passengers. Chinese Railway officials believe that the tickets for the train were scooped up by scalpers and later seized in a raid by police.

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January 28, 2010 President Obama announces awards of $8 billion in Recovery Act funds for High-Speed Rail projects.

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January 28, 2014 The Mineral Range Railroad begins. The northern Michigan railroad operates on 12 miles of ex-Lake Superior & Ishpeming trackage along with an additional 1.9 miles of abandoned line that has been put back in service. The new line will serve the newly-built Humbolt Mill.

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Mark Tomlonson