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January 21, 1841 George Hacker patents a passenger car based on a tobacco barrel. The car was intended to be 30’ long with 20 windows, but the design was never built.

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January 21, 1880 The Ontario & Western (later NYO&W) is incorporated to run between Oswego NY and New York City.

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January 21, 1903 The Grand Trunk moves into a new depot at Lansing MI. Grand Trunk officials tout the station as "the handsomest between Portland ME and Chicago".

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January 21, 1929 The Pennsylvania Railroad announces the formation of coordinated rail-bus service on some long distance routes. Travelers will ride the bus by day connecting to towns and villages not on the PRR, and then ride the train by night.

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January 21, 1931 The first of three boat trains leave New York for San Francisco. There they will connect with a Matson Liner for the trip to Hawaii.

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January 21, 1946 Streetcars end service in New Albany IN.

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January 21, 1954 New York Central President William White says he has made plans with Rail-Trailer Company of Chicago to introduce modern piggyback service on the NYC.

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January 21, 1963 The last Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee RR interurban train pulls into Milwaukee at 2:55 a.m., ending 68 years of service on America's fastest Interurban. One of the cars in the last train is currently on display at the Illinois Railway Museum.

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Mark Tomlonson

January 20, 1837 An advertisement in the “Toledo Blade” states that the Erie & Kalamazoo has received its first steam engine, and service will commence “in a few days”.

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January 20, 1848 The Schenectady Locomotive Engine Manufactory is incorporated. It is a predecessor of both the Schenectady Locomotive Works and Alco.

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January 20, 1862 The Flint & Pere Marquette (later PM, C&O, Chessie, CSX, LSR) begins operations between East Saginaw and Mt. Morris MI.

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January 20, 1874 The Chicago lakefront depot of the Michigan Central, Illinois Central and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroads is destroyed by fire.

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January 20, 1877 Charles Collins, Chief Engineer of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway, commits suicide over last month's Ashtabula bridge disaster.

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January 20, 1880 The Illinois Central completes its purchase of the New Orleans, St. Louis & Chicago Railroad, which it has controlled since 1877.

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January 20, 1903 The Kanawha & West Virginia (later NYC, PC, CR) is incorporated.

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January 20, 1907 The Pennsylvania Railroad establishes trains 186 and 187, running only on Sundays between Chicago and Valparaiso IN. The trains are to serve city dwellers going to the countryside and returning in the evening.

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January 20, 1923 Canadian Government Railways incorporate as Canadian National Railways. Railways affected are Canadian Northern, Intercolonial, National Transcontinental, Grand Trunk Pacific Branch Lines, New Brunswick & Prince Edward Island, International Railway of New Brunswick, Salisbury & Albert, Elgin & Havelock, St. Martin's, Lotbiniere & Megantic, Caraquet & Gulf Shore and the New Glasgow Iron, Coal & Railway.

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January 20, 1953 More than 600 coaches, sleepers, parlor cars and diners converge on Washington DC for Dwight Eisenhower's first inauguration. Over 10,000 people use parked Pullmans as hotels; two thousand one hundred at Baltimore & Ohio's Eckington Yard alone.

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January 20, 1959 The Seaboard Air Line opens its new St. Petersburg FL station.

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January 20, 1986 Plans for the construction of a railroad tunnel under the English Channel are announced. Actual work will not begin for another 23 months.

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January 20, 2009 Washington DC's Metrorail sets a record as it handles more than 930,000 riders. Most of the increase is due to the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

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January 20, 2009 About 200 Indians riding on top of a passenger train are swept off by a tree branch. The passengers, all of them young men, were traveling to an army recruitment drive. Three of the riders were killed.

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January 20, 2017 Reviving a tradition he began as a Senator, Vice President Joe Biden takes an Amtrak train from Washington to Wilmington following the inauguration of Donald Trump.

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Mark Tomlonson

January 19, 1852 The 6-foot gauge Erie & Northeast Railroad opens between Erie PA and the New York State line, connecting with the Buffalo & State Line Railroad (later NYC).

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January 19, 1852 The New York & Harlem reaches Chatham NY.

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January 19, 1896 The Patterson Heights Street Railway opens. The half-mile Pennsylvania line has a single four-window car and one track switch. The line includes an incline to carry the car up and down a steep grade.

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January 19, 1904 August Belmont hosts a tour of the nearly finished Interborough Rapid Transit for members of the city's elite and the press. The trip from City Hall to 125th street is made on five handcars pumped by laborers.

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January 19, 1908 The first semi-automatic signals with through route locking are installed at Philadelphia's Broad Street station.

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January 19, 1914 The New York Central & Hudson River Railroad opens a new station at Rochester NY.

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January 19, 1921 The Pennsylvania Railroad completes the extension of Bridge No. 3 over the Scioto River at Columbus OH. The project hopes to prevent a recurrence of the damage caused by the 1913 floods.

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January 19, 1941 Shortly after midnight, the Indiana Railroad (Interurban) makes its last revenue rail runs. Service is transferred to buses starting in the morning. An Indianapolis to Seymour segment is turned over to the Public Service Company of Indiana and remains under wire.

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January 19, 1947 The first cuts are made in passenger service that increased during World War II.

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January 19, 1956 The Pennsylvania Railroad operates its first westbound COFC (container-on-flat-car) train from Kearny NJ to Chicago. The containers are designed by Clark Equipment Company of Battle Creek MI and built by Fruehauf Trailer Company of Detroit.

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January 19, 1958 Boston & Maine passenger operations in New York state end.

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January 19, 2005 The Lake Superior & Ishpeming files with the STB to abandon its Republic Branch.

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Mark Tomlonson

January 18, 1854 The Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad is organized to build from Hartford, IN, to the Michigan state line as part of a route between Louisville and northern Michigan.

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January 18, 1878 Construction begins on The Ghan route south of Part Augusta Australia.

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January 18, 1878 The Lake Shore & Michigan Southern experiments with arc lighting in its Cleveland Shops.

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January 18, 1898 Union Traction Company [IN] begins regular service between Anderson and Alexandria. This line has traditionally been considered the first interurban line in Indiana. (Some sources say January 1)

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January 18, 1900 The Office of Public Buildings and Grounds favors removing the Pennsylvania Railroad station from the National Mall in Washington DC. Two reasons are given: Washington will never be a commercial center and the Mall should be reserved for ceremonial events.

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January 18, 1926 Passenger service is taken over by gas-electric car #4731 on the former Eel River Railroad (PCC&St.L, PRR, PC, CR) between Logansport and Butler IN. (Some sources say January 20)

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January 18, 1938 French Railway companies are nationalized.

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January 18, 1944 The War Department returns control of the railroads to their owners following a wage dispute that threatened a nationwide shut-down.

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January 18, 1945 The Pennsylvania Railroad places its first production Q2 4-4-6-4 duplex locomotive in service in its Eastern Region. The locomotive proves to be "slippery" and consumes large amounts of water.

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January 18, 1946 "The Harvey Girls" a movie starring Judy Garland and Ray Bolger and set in a Harvey House Hotel, makes its American debut. The movie will win an Oscar for Best Song for Johnny Mercer's "On The Atchison Topeka and the Santa Fe".

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January 18. 1952 The Pennsylvania Railroad's experimental duplex Q1 6130 and steam turbine S2 6200 are dropped from the PRR roster. The Q2 duplex is also retired this month.

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January 18, 1953 President-elect Eisenhower travels from New York to Washington for his inauguration on the Pennsylvania Railroad's business car #90.

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January 18, 1977 A derailed Australian passenger train strikes a highway bridge. The bridge collapses on top of the third car of the train, killing 80. It is Australia's worst rail disaster.

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January 18, 1993 Two South Shore trains collide on gauntlet track in Gary IN. Seven people are killed, making it the worst wreck in South Shore history.

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January 18, 2005 Milwaukee dedicates a new rail passenger station at Mitchell International Airport. It will be served by Amtrak.

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January 18, 2006 CSX announces it is resuming limited rail service east of New Orleans on its coast line, however repairs continue on the bridge over Bay St. Louis. CSX is the last New Orleans' railroad to resume service after Hurricane Katrina. It was also the railroad that suffered the most damage in the storm.

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January 18, 2011 Groundbreaking ceremonies are held for the reconstruction of the St. Paul [MN] Union Depot. The structure has not seen a train since 1971. The renovated structure will be used by Amtrak, Greyhound and Jefferson bus line. Future plans include use by commuter rail and high-speed rail to Chicago.

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January 18, 2011 In celebration of its 40th birthday, Amtrak announces that four locomotives will be painted in "Heritage" paint scheme. Also, a four-car train will tour the country with artifacts and displays on Amtrak history.

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January 18, 2018 High speed rail service, known as “Brightline”, begins in Florida between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

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January 18, 2020 Amtrak train 313 on its way from St. Louis to Kansas City is hit by a falling boulder near Morrision MO. No one is hurt, but damage to the coach that was hit results in a small electrical fire, which is quickly extinguished.

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Mark Tomlonson

January 15, 1829 The "America", the first steam locomotive in the United States, arrives at New York.

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January 15, 1831 The first American-built locomotive to pull a passenger train, "Best Friend", runs from Charleston to Hamburg, South Carolina. On board are a Mr. & Mrs. Pierson, who are making the first railroad honeymoon trip in the U.S.

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January 15, 1838 The Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad (later PRR) reports that it has ordered two locomotives, two 8-wheel coaches with private apartments for ladies, drinking water and water closets, and seats stuffed with hair instead of moss. They have also ordered two coaches without ladies apartments and water closets.

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January 15, 1862 Michigan extends the construction deadlines for the Grand Rapids & Indiana.

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January 15, 1868 The Pan Handle [sic] Railway Company (later PRR) is incorporated in Pennsylvania as a reorganization of the Pittsburgh & Steubenville Railroad.

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January 15, 1885 An experimental streetcar line opens between South Bend and Mishawaka IN.

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January 15, 1898 The Pennsylvania Railroad paints its premier passenger train, "The Pennsylvania Limited", in a green/yellow/red scheme. This earns the train the nickname "The Yellow Kid" after a popular comic strip of the time.

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January 15, 1903 The New York Central & Hudson River Railroad stages a competition for the design of the new Grand Central Terminal. Among the entries: a 60-story tower that would be the tallest building in New York.

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January 15, 1915 The final spike is driven on the transcontinental Canadian Northern Railway at Basque, British Columbia.

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January 15, 1918 Noted railroad artist Gil Reid is born in St. Louis MO.

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January 15, 1928 The seven and a half-mile Mechanicsburg & Dillsburg Railway (PA), owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad, calls it quits. The interurban used a unique side trolley that required four poles on each car.

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January 15, 1937 The Pennsylvania Railroad, via trackage rights over the Grand Trunk Western, establishes new freight routes to the west. The ferry used for this service is the Grand Trunk's "Grand Rapids", running between Muskegon and Milwaukee.

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January 15, 1939 The Market St. Railway and Municipal Railway of San Francisco connect to the Transbay Terminal.

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January 15, 1943 The New York Central pays a dividend for the first time since 1931.

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January 15, 1950 The last through car leaves Peoria on the Illinois Terminal.

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January 15, 1953 The Pennsylvania Railroad's "Federal Express" crashes into the concourse of Union Station in Washington DC, injuring 87 passengers. By 7:00 AM the next day all of the train's cars will be removed from the station, leaving only GG-1 #4876 in the baggage room. So as not to restrict traffic in the station during the upcoming Presidential Inaugural, the engine will be lowered into the basement and a temporary floor built over it. The station will open as usual within 72 hours of the accident. The engine will eventually return to service.

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January 15, 1990 VIA Rail Canada cuts services by 51%.

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January 15, 1998 Ms. Fannie Mae Barnes becomes the first woman to demonstrate enough upper-body strength to become a grip operator on a San Francisco cable car.

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January 16, 1830 The Tuscumbia Railroad, the first in Alabama, is chartered.

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January 16, 1836 The first railroad out of Chicago, the Galena & Chicago Union, receives its charter. The railroad, later part of Chicago & North Western, will be constructed to reach the lead mines at Galena IL.

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January 16, 1837 Pennsylvania Governor Ritmer asks the Legislature to allow the use of locomotives between Philadelphia and Belmont Plane on the grounds that it will prevent cruelty to horses.

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January 16, 1857 The Detroit & Milwaukee Railroad (later DGH&M, GT) completes its line to St. Johns MI.

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January 16, 1868 William Davis, a Detroit fish dealer, patents a refrigerator car.

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January 16, 1873 Representatives of the Reading, Delaware & Hudson, Lehigh Valley, Central of New Jersey, and the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western set uniform prices for anthracite coal and fix the amounts to be shipped.

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January 16, 1892 The Chicago, St. Paul & Kansas City becomes the Chicago Great Western [later C&NW, UP].

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January 16, 1906 The Pennsylvania Railroad opens a new car shop at Hollidaysburg PA.

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January 16, 1932 The Fostoria & Fremont and Western Ohio (interurbans) quit.

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January 16, 1932 The last segment of the Chambersburg, Greencastle & Waynesboro Street Railway (PA) quits.

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January 16, 1939 The U.S. Circuit Court overturns a lower court ruling that would have allowed the New Haven Railroad to discontinue passenger service at 93 stations on its East End.

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January 16, 1944 A train crashes in Torro Tunnel in Leon Province, Spain. More than 500 are killed.

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January 16, 1969 Penn Central's "Metroliners" begin service between New York and Washington DC.

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January 17, 1854 The Great Western of Canada is completed to Windsor, ONT.

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January 17, 1870 Regular service begins between Grand Rapids and Jackson MI on the Grand Valley Railroad [later MC, NYC, PC, KBEC].

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January 17, 1871 The first cable car is patented by Andrew S. Hallidie, but it's another two and a half years before one enters service.

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January 17, 1880 The Louisville & Nashville takes control of the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis.

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January 17, 1888 The Bay View, Little Traverse & Mackinaw Railroad becomes part of the Grand Rapids & Indiana.

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January 17, 1908 The Manistique & Northern (later M&LS) is incorporated to take over the ailing Manistique, Marquette & Northern.

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January 17, 1917 The two-foot gauge Gilpin Tram Railway in Colorado ceases operation.

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January 17, 1932 The Arlington & Fairfax streetcar quits, ending its service in Washington DC.

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January 17, 1957 The New York Central begins changing the destination of some Michigan Central passenger trains to LaSalle St. Station in Chicago from Central Station raising the ire of the ICC and saving the railroad several million dollars annually.

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January 17, 1958 The Northern Pacific gives up steam.

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January 17, 2009 President-Elect Barack Obama journeys to Washington DC on a special Amtrak train for the inauguration. He rides in the "Georgia 300", a private car owned by John Heard of Fernandina Beach FL.

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Mark Tomlonson

January 14, 1878 The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the federal government has no power to overturn state laws creating segregated accommodations in railroad cars, opening the way for Southern states to impose "Jim Crow" segregation. Many northern railroads with branches in the south are also affected.

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January 14, 1905 Pennsylvania Railroad's Enola Yard opens. An urban legend arises that the name of the yard comes from an early operator at the site who felt all "alone", but the truth is that it is named after the daughter of the owner of the land on which the yard is built.

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January 14, 1923 In the Pennsylvania Railroad Timetable for its Southwest Region issued today, many branch-line and rural passenger trains are removed due to competition from buses and private automobiles.

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January 14, 1939 The last scheduled Southern Pacific commuter ferry run sails on San Francisco Bay. Other SP ferry service will continue in the bay until 1958.

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January 14, 1942 German U-Boats begin attacking United States coastal shipping. At first, the lack of blackouts on the east coast makes the ships easy targets. Attacks by U-Boats will force much cargo from ships onto the railroads.

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January 14, 2015 A bus carrying 12 prison inmates and 3 guards slips off a highway bridge near Odessa TX and strikes a Union Pacific freight train. Eight inmates and 2 guards are killed. The incident is blamed on black ice on I-20.

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January 14, 2017 Serbia attempts to send a train painted in Serbian national colors and lettered “Kosovo is Serbia” to Kosovo. Kosovo refuses to let the train cross the border, saying that it antagonizes existing conflicts between the two countries.

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Mark Tomlonson

January 13, 1842 The Philadelphia & Reading (later Reading) opens for revenue freight and passenger service from Mount Carmel to Philadelphia. Its coal-hauling operations will prove that a rail road can compete with a canal for heavy freight service.

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January 13, 1882 A rear end collision at Spuyten Duyvil kills Mr. Webster Wagner of the Wagner Car Company, operator of a fleet of sleeper cars.

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January 13, 1918 The Presidents of 70 different railroads meet at Grand Central Terminal to formulate a demand that Congress declare that Government control of the railroads is only for the duration of the war.

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January 13, 1928 The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul is reorganized into the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific.

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January 13, 1929 Chicago Great Western places a three-car trainset made by McKeen in service between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Rochester, serving the Mayo Clinic.

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January 13, 1930 Robert M. Davis of McGraw-Hill Publishing buys a single ticket at New York City's Penn Station for a 35-city tour. The ticket is a record 83 inches long.

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January 13, 1941 Freight motor no. 717 departs southbound with the last electric freight train from the Commerce Dr. freight terminal in Ft. Wayne IN. Its counterpart from Indianapolis will arrive at the freight terminal at 5:30 a.m. the next morning. This closes out electric freight service entering Ft. Wayne from all except the north line.

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January 13, 1947 The Nickel Plate Road orders 4 BL-1 diesel locomotives from EMD. The model will be upgraded to BL-2 by EMD after the order has been submitted. Six months later EMD will not have started construction of the locomotives and NKP will cancel the order.

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January 13, 1952 The "City of San Francisco" is trapped in snow on Donner Pass. Passengers will be stranded in the train until January 16.

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January 13, 1986 In the worst rail disaster on the African continent, an Ethiopian passenger train plunges into a ravine, killing 428.

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Mark Tomlonson

January 12, 1830 DeWitt Clinton Jr. reports to several New York businessmen on the cost of building a rail road from New York to New Orleans. The proposal calls for using stone sleepers north of Washington and wood pilings for the rest of the way. The cost is estimated at $11.8 million.

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January 12, 1883 The second U.S. transcontinental railroad, the Southern Pacific, is completed with a "Golden Spike" ceremony on the Pecos River High Bridge. (some sources say January 15)

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January 12, 1891 The first train of the Lowell & Hastings Railroad (later PM, C&O, Chessie, CSX) runs from Lowell to Grand Rapids MI.

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January 12, 1912 The Ann Arbor Railroad acquires control of the Manistique & Lake Superior.

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January 12, 1929 Seatrain service (railroad cars loaded on ships) begins between New Orleans and Havana.

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January 12, 1929 The Great Northern Railroad opens 8-mile long Cascade Tunnel, the longest in the United States.

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January 12, 1934 All interurban service in and around Lexington KY ends.

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January 12, 1942 The Chicago & North Western begins using streamline passenger cars on its "400" fleet.

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January 12, 1945 Bituminous Coal Research Incorporated's Locomotive Study Group, made up of representatives from eastern railroads and locomotive manufacturers, meets to find ways to combat the rise of the diesel locomotive. They decide reciprocating steam is dead, and to explore coal-fired turbines.

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January 12, 1952 Using ex-Denver & Rio Grande narrow gauge locomotives, Knott’s Berry Farm at Buena Park CA opens the “Ghost Town & Calico Railroad”.

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January 12, 1957 The Santa Fe's "Super Chief" and "El Capitan" passenger trains are combined during off-peak seasons.

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January 12, 1958 The Duluth South Shore & Atlantic runs its last passenger train between St. Ignace and Marquette MI. Other passenger service will continue through 1968.

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January 12, 1977 VIA Rail Canada is created as a subsidiary of Canadian National. For the previous nine months, "VIA" has been CN's brand for its passenger service.

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January 12, 1989 The Fox River Valley Railroad begins operations on former Chicago & North Western tracks between Green Bay, Milwaukee, Butler and Appleton WI.

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January 12, 2009 The Department of Transportation issues new rules for the construction of tank cars designed to carry hazardous material. The rules will apply to cars built after March 16, 2009. The railroads hope the tougher construction standards will reduce their liability insurance premium.

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January 12, 2010 A loose boxcar door on a passing CSX freight strikes Amtrak's northbound Silver Star, which was waiting in a passing siding near Boulogne FL. The door hits the fireman's side of the train, goes airborne and strikes four cars in the Amtrak train. Only the diner is severely damaged, loosing 20 feet of its roof. No one is in the diner at the time and no one is hurt.

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January 12, 2016 The “London Evening Standard” reports that train operator Southeastern blamed commuter train delays the previous day on “Too much sunshine”.? No further explanation was offered.

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Mark Tomlonson

January 11, 1859 The Atchison & Topeka Railroad (later AT&SF, BNSF) is chartered.

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January 11, 1868 The Sandusky & Cincinnati Railroad reforms as the Cincinnati, Sandusky & Cleveland Railroad (later Big Four, NYC).

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January 11, 1910 The Grand Rapids Street Railroad Company begins interurban service between Grand Rapids WI and Nekoosa. Grand Rapids will later change its name to "Wisconsin Rapids" and the traction company will follow suit.

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January 11, 1922 The van Sweringen brothers buy the Lake Erie & Western from the New York Central and align it with the Nickel Plate, which they also own.

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January 11, 1931 The Boston & Maine runs its first "Snow Train" for skiers and other winter vacationers.

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January 11, 1934 The new Dayton (OH) Union station is dedicated.

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Mark Tomlonson

January 8, 1855 The first through train runs from Chicago to Cairo, IL.

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January 8, 1855 A mob in Erie, PA tears up the tracks of the Erie & North Eastern, the last battle in the "Gauge War".

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January 8, 1863 Ground is broken for the Central Pacific Railroad in Sacramento.

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January 8, 1872 James Fisk of the Erie Railway is shot and mortally wounded by Edward Stokes, a blackmailer and rival in a love triangle.

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January 8, 1902 Two trains collide in a smoke-filled tunnel under Park Avenue in New York City, killing 17 and injuring 38. Public outcry following the accident will lead to the banning of steam engines in lower Manhattan and the building of Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station.

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January 8, 1923 The van Sweringens acquire the Chesapeake & Ohio.

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January 8, 1937 The Beech Grove (IN) Traction Company shuts down at 1:00 a.m. Its electric supplier, Indianapolis Railways, terminates electric service due to Beech Grove Traction owing almost $30,000 ($536,000 in 2019 dollars). It has been rumored that employee's pay consisted partly of BGT trolley tokens.

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January 8, 1954 The Sunset Limited becomes the first train to use the new New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal.

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January 8, 1956 Steam locomotive servicing at New York Central's Jackson MI shops officially ends.

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January 8, 1957 The New Haven's "Dan'l Webster", a "Train X' built by Pullman-Standard, makes its first public appearance. During the run the trailing unit catches fire due to a problem with a third rail shoe. When the damaged cars are towed home they derail, blocking the tracks and delaying rush hour trains.

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January 8, 1962 In the worst railway accident in the history of the Netherlands, the driver of one passenger train misses a signal and collides nearly head on with another. The accident, which kills 91 people, takes places just outside Harmelen.

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January 8, 1962 The Interstate Commerce Commission begins hearings on the "Big John" grain rate case. The American Watercraft Operators et al. have protested the Southern Railway's proposed discounts for bulk shipments of grain. The ICC will sit in almost continuous session through August 29 to hear the case. It will be resolved with a ruling in favor of the railroad by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1967. The decision is the first chink in the armor of regulated railroad freight rates.

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January 8, 1973 Pipe Major Gordon Speirs is asked to restrict his bagpipe playing in Liverpool Street Station, London to just one minute in fifteen. Hired by the Scottish Tourist Board, his playing is alleged to “interfere with station business”.

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January 9, 1830 Ground is broken in Charleston, South Carolina for the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road (later SRR, NS). It will be the first railroad in South Carolina to use steam locomotives. In 1833 its 136-mile length will earn it the title of world's longest railroad.

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January 9, 1850 A freight train crew on the Pennsylvania Railroad that had earlier run into the rear of a passenger train is disciplined. It is the first mention of a wreck on the PRR.

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January 9, 1882 The first train from Cincinnati OH to Dayton on the Cincinnati Northern (narrow gauge, not the later NYC ancestor) leaves Cincinnati. It will not arrive in Dayton, however, until January 12th due to poor track work.

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January 9, 1882 The re-opened Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad, now owned by Jay Gould and converted to standard gauge, opens between Huron and Massillon OH.

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January 9, 1891The Ann Arbor & Ypsilanti Street Railway begins service using a small steam car. A trial run had been made on January 3.

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January 9, 1897 Today’s “Literary Digest” carries an article on the Fitchburg MA trolley system, which has fitted a former flatcar with traction motors, armor plate, two 6 pound (3 ? inch) cannons and one 18 pound (5 1/8 inch) cannon. The car’s designers christen it “The McKinley”, style it like a battleship, and hope that it will aid the navy in coastal defense against the Spanish fleet. Other than providing a campaign float for William McKinley’s Presidential bid, it never sees service.

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January 9, 1955 The departure of the 20th Century Limited from New York is broadcast live on the Television show "Omnibus".

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January 9, 1969 The Canadian National pulls the Turbotrain from service due to problems operating in winter conditions.

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January 10, 1863 London's first subway begins operation, powered by steam. Parts of the line have been built in cuts and many ventilators are installed in the covered portions, yet it will remain very smoky until electric propulsion is adopted.

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January 10, 1864 The Indiana Central Railway, the Richmond & Covington Railroad and the Columbus & Indianapolis Railroad sign an agreement for the joint operation of their properties. This forms a railroad line between Columbus and Indianapolis via Bradford, OH, and Richmond, IN. The new line, later part of the Pennsylvania Railroad will be known as the "Great Central Line".

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January 10, 1872 Michigan's first Grange, a political and social group directed to the needs of farmers, is organized. By 1875, 600 local Granges will form throughout Michigan. The Grange movement will become one of the leading lobbyists for railroad rate regulation.

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January 10, 1872 The first Pennsylvania Railroad coal car runs over the Northern Pacific Railroad from Duluth to Moorhead, MN. The car has been carried by ship from Erie PA.

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January 10, 1878 The New York Central & Hudson River Railroad begins running RPO's to Chicago, replacing all-mail trains.

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January 10, 1900 A carbarn fire destroys all 10 streetcars and a snowplow owned by the Holland & Lake Michigan Railway.

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January 10, 1940 Streetcar service ends in Wausau WI.

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January 10, 1953 The last trolley line in Indianapolis, the College line, is converted to bus, ending rail service.

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January 10, 1956 The Chicago Indianapolis & Louisville officially becomes the Monon.

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Mark Tomlonson

January 7, 1830 The first railroad station in the U.S. opens in Baltimore for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, which today is opening its first segment of track. The first revenue rail passengers in the U.S. are carried behind horsepower and operation is irregular over the mile and a quarter line.

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January 7, 1840 Incoming Michigan Governor William Woodbridge recommends in his first message to stop all of the State's internal improvement appropriations. Illinois and Indiana have already dramatically cut back on their programs.

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January 7, 1876 The Toronto Globe reports that Commodore Vanderbilt has gained control of the Canada Southern Railway.

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January 7, 1883 The Chicago, Kalamazoo & Saginaw (later MC, NYC, PC, CR (one section); MC, GT, CN (other section)) is incorporated.

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January 7, 1887 The Manistee & Northeastern (later PM, C&O, Chessie, CSX, TSBY) is chartered to build between Manistee and Traverse City.

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January 7, 1927 Seaboard Air Line opens its own route between West Palm Beach and Miami for passenger service, ending trackage rights over the Florida East Coast. It also adds an extension to Ft. Myers for passenger service.

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January 7, 1929 The "20th Century Limited" runs a record seven identical sections. Eight hundred twenty two people pay the extra $10 fare ($147 in 2018) to ride The Century. An automobile show in New York City gets the credit for this sudden increase in traffic. Combined with other special trains arriving for the show, a record 266 sleeping cars arrive at Grand Central Terminal between 5:00 am and 9:50 am.

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January 7, 1932 The Nicholas, Fayette & Greenbrier Railroad begins operations. It is jointly owned by the Chesapeake & Ohio, which switches its east end, and the New York Central Subsidiary Kanawha & Michigan which switches its west end.

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January 7, 1952 The last segment of the Reading Traction Company (PA) quits.

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January 7, 1961 In cooperation with the Atlantic Coast Line, the Pennsylvania Railroad begins running a solid train of TOFC equipment from Florida to Kearny NJ.

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January 7, 1969 A Long Island Railroad commuter is arrested for "Theft of Services" after refusing to show his ticket while riding in an unheated and unlit car. Five more commuters will be arrested for a similar protest on January 10.

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January 7, 1995 The Algoma Central Railway is purchased by the Wisconsin Central. (Some sources say February 1)

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January 7, 2002 Amtrak train 351 becomes the first in regular service to hit 90 mph between Kalamazoo and Porter IN using the new GPS-based Incremental Train Control System.

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January 7, 2006 At 2:40 a.m. a Norfolk Southern train slams into a local in Graniteville SC due to a misaligned switch. A tank car carrying chlorine is punctured by a loose steel coil, sending chlorine gas into the air. The escaping gas kills nine people, including one of the engineers.

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Mark Tomlonson

January 6, 1853 The New Jersey Railroad, Camden & Amboy, Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore and the Baltimore & Ohio begin advertising that they will operate a continuous connecting railroad for mail, passengers and express between New York and Washington with connections guaranteed.

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January 6, 1853 President-elect Franklin Pierce, his wife and son are involved in a train wreck near Andover MA on the Boston & Maine. His son, Bernie, is the only fatality. Pierce will never fully recover from the emotional impact of losing his son. Some historians point to this trauma as preventing Pierce from taking adequate steps to prevent the American Civil War.

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January 6, 1872 Horsecars begin operation in Ft. Wayne IN.

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January 6, 1882 The Chicago & Western Indiana absorbs the South Chicago & Western Indiana and the Chicago & Western Indiana Belt Railway.

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January 6, 1889 First passenger train on the Manistee & Northeastern (later PM, C&O, Chessie, CSX, TSBY).

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January 6, 1892 The Terre Haute (IN) Electric Railway begins operations.

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January 6, 1910 The Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad buys the Chicago Terminal Transfer Railroad, giving the B&O direct control of all its Chicago terminals.

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January 6, 1918 The USRA makes major cuts in U.S. passenger service, saving $60 million per year. A la carte meals are abolished in diners, menus are limited and the number of dining cars is reduced. All passenger train advertising is eliminated (including train names). Consolidated ticket offices are established. During the war, the USRA will move 6,496,000 soldiers in 9,000 troop trains.

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January 6, 1919 The Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac opens a new station in Richmond VA, part of an extensive capital improvement project in the area. The west side belt line is also double-tracked to handle passenger trains.

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January 6, 1922 The Pennsylvania Railroad announces it will retire its last wooden Dining Cars in the next few months.

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January 6, 1930 The Detroit, Toledo & Ironton drops passenger service between Napoleon OH & Tecumseh MI.

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January 6, 1934 Streetcar service in Frankfort, KY ends as a result of a strike.

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January 6, 1940 Streetcar service draws to a close in Terre Haute IN.

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January 6, 1949 In response to the US "Friendship Train" which gathered food and other relief supplies for France and Italy, the French send a "Merci Train" to U.S. State capitols and Washington DC. The "40 and 8" boxcars in the train are filled with gifts of appreciation. They will be carried on flatcars while in the U.S.

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January 6, 1950 The Long Island Railroad drops its PRR-inspired keystone logo and introduces a new herald with "LI" in a circle.

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January 6, 2015 California breaks ground on its high-speed rail project.

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Mark Tomlonson