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March 8, 1855 The first train crosses the suspension bridge over Niagara Falls. Before this time, goods and passengers were ferried across the river. The bridge does not end the transfer, as the change in track gauge between lines in New York and Ontario remains, although the bridge itself has three gauges (56.5", 66" and 72"). The Bridge will allow the Michigan Central via the Great Western to reach markets in the east and will be a major selling point for the line. (Some sources say March 17)

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March 8, 1884 The Mahopac Falls Railroad (later NYC) is chartered.

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March 8, 1904 The Lucien cut-off, the causeway across the Great Salt Lake that has bypassed Promontory Summit, site of the Golden Spike Ceremony, is opened for service.

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March 8, 1905 The Aurora, Elgin & Chicago (Later CA&E) begins operations from its 52nd Street terminal eastward into downtown Chicago and the Loop. (Some sources say March 9)

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March 8, 1907 The Virginian Railway is formed. It is entirely controlled by Henry H. Rodgers of Standard Oil who is looking for a new outlet from the West Virginia coalfields.

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March 8, 1910 "Ann Arbor Carferry No. 1" burns at Manitowoc WI.

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March 8, 1924 New York Central President Alfred H. Smith is killed while riding a horse in Central Park. His horse had reared to avoid hitting another rider.

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March 8, 1926 The Illinois Central installs the first electro-pneumatic car retarders in the United States at Markham Yard near Chicago.

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March 8, 1933 The New Haven temporarily suspends the "Yankee Clipper" and "Merchants Limited" due to the Bank Holiday imposed by President Roosevelt.

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March 8, 1933 The movie "42nd Street" opens at the Strand Theatre in New York City. The movie features an extended musical number taking place in the interior of a Pullman all-section sleeper, including scenes in the men's and women's dressing rooms. In addition, the studio has hired a special train, "The 42nd Street Special" to carry many of the leading actors from Hollywood to the premier.

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March 8. 1941 The Nickel Plate's "Commercial Traveler" makes its final run in Ohio from Toledo to the Ohio/Indiana state line. Once the Toledo, St. Louis & Western's premier train, it is now a daily mixed train. Operation will continue for another two years in Indiana.

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March 8, 1955 The New Haven introduces a piggyback car patterned after those on the French National Railways. It is nine inches lower than a standard car.

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March 8, 1967 New York Central FA-2 #1102 becomes the last cab unit painted at NYC's Collinwood (OH) Shops.

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March 8, 1968 The last Soo Line passenger train runs on the former Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic between Champion and Calumet.

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Mark Tomlonson

March 5, 1832 The New Castle & Frenchtown Railroad begins regular daily revenue service. Passenger boats transfer their passengers to the railroad from stagecoaches, forming a through stage-boat-rail line between Philadelphia and Baltimore. During its entire existence, the NC&F is closed from December through March when steamboats are stopped by the ice.

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March 5, 1850 The Louisville & Nashville Railroad is chartered.

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March 5, 1859 The Martinsville & Franklin reorganizes as the Franklin & Martinsville (later Big Four, NYC). Traffic is so sparse on the line that it will see no trains for the next seven years.

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March 5, 1872 George Westinghouse Jr. receives patent No. 124,405 for the automatic railroad air brake.

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March 5, 1879 The Grand Rapids & Indiana leases the Allegan & South Eastern Railroad. The line has track laid from Allegan to Monteith, and unfinished portions between Monteith and the Ohio State line. The lease is retroactive to January 1.

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March 5, 1880 The first through Cincinnati Southern (later CNO&TP, NS) passenger train departs Cincinnati OH for Chattanooga TN. In the newspaper article covering the story, the reporter dubs the train the "Chattanooga Choo Choo”, the first use of the phrase.

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March 5, 1888 The Toledo, Ann Arbor & Lake Michigan Railway is organized to build from Cadillac to Frankfort MI.

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March 5, 1920 The Milwaukee Railroad completes the electrification of its line between Othello and Tacoma, WA, 207 miles.

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March 5, 1927 Great Northern runs its first electric train using its new single-phase system, from Skykomish to the old Cascade Tunnel.

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March 5, 1930 The Pennsylvania Railroad holds a "Golden Spike" ceremony at 41st St. in Chicago to mark the upgrading of the New York-Chicago main line to 130-pound rail.

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March 5, 1972 The last "Birney" streetcar in regular service is retired in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia.

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March 6, 1830 Colonel Stephen H. Long constructs a road bridge over the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. It is the first known road bridge to cross a railroad.

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March 6, 1834 The London & Gore Railroad in Upper Canada receives its charter; the first railroad charter in what is now Ontario. Running between Niagara Falls and Windsor, it will be later part of the Great Western, Grand Trunk and Canadian National Railways.

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March 6, 1880 The Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis & Chicago Railroad (later NYC) is incorporated.

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March 6, 1882 Regular service begins between Cincinnati OH and Dayton on the Cincinnati Northern.

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March 6, 1902 The Grand Rapids, Grand Haven & Muskegon (MI Interurban) adds service between Grand Haven Junction and Spring Lake Village.

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March 6, 1958 The New York Central dedicates its Robert R. Young yard at Elkhart, IN. It is NYC's second large, computerized yard. It has been built to pre-sort cars coming to and from the Chicago area.

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March 7, 1832 The New Jersey Railroad & Transportation Company (later PRR) is chartered to build across the state.

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March 7, 1834 The Detroit & Pontiac (later D&M, GT) receives its charter from Michigan Territory.

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March 7, 1848 The body of former President John Quincy Adams, who had died of a stroke on the floor of the House on February 21, is carried from Washington to New York via three separate railroads.

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March 7, 1850 The Toledo, Norwalk & Cleveland Railroad (later LS&MS, NYC) is chartered.

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March 7, 1865 A collision between an express train and a disabled passenger train kills five Union Soldiers and a train crewman and injures 48. The accident prompts Ashbel Welch to come up with a block system to control trains (which he had studied in England) for the Philadelphia & Trenton Railroad.

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March 7, 1873 In Prescott, AZ the last reported outbreak of the Great Epizootic devastates the horse population. The virulent equine flu has halted transportation within cities in 33 states, Canada and Cuba.

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March 7, 1887 Henry Whiting combines 7 Boston street railways into a single system, the West End Street Railway. At 1,700 cars and 200 miles of track it is the largest in the world. He is also given permission to build a subway.

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March 7, 1905 The first McKeen car, the first successful use of internal combustion on U.S. railroads, makes its first run, Omaha to Valley NE.

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March 7, 1909 The Winona Interurban Electric Railway is forced by its major creditor to begin operations on Sundays, a move resisted by its Sabbatarian founders, including H.J. Heinz and J. M. Studebaker.

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March 7, 1910 ACF builds a sleeper car with traditional sections named "Peoria" for the interurban Illinois Terminal Railroad.

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Mark Tomlonson

March 4, 1826 Granite Railway, the first incorporated company to build and operate a rail road in the United States, is chartered in Massachusetts.

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March 4, 1839 The first "express" traffic carried by rail travels between Boston and New York, carried in the pouch of a courier.

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March 4, 1869 The Spuyten Duyvil & Port Morris Railroad (later NY&H, NYC&HR, NYC) is chartered.

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March 4, 1882 Britain’s first electric trams (streetcars) run in London.

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March 4, 1889 The Grand Trunk carferry "Transit I" is destroyed by fire in its dock at Windsor.

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March 4, 1907 The first section of Philadelphia's Market Street Subway-Elevated opens from 69th Street Terminal to 15th Street. (Some sources say March 7)

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March 4, 1908 A new Hours of Service law takes effect: 9 hours for train operators and 16 hours for trainmen.

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March 4, 1913 The Great Northern places its first open observation car on its roster. This is not an open-platform observation car, but a roofless car for tourist use.

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March 4, 1913 Workers connect the main channel truss of the Kenova Bridge, spanning the Ohio River between South Point OH and Kenova WV. The bridge is 4,000 feet long and 82 feet above normal water level.

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March 4, 1925 Films of President Coolidge's inauguration are rushed from Washington to New York on a special train chartered by International News Reel that takes three hours and forty minutes for the trip. The film is developed on the train and is shown in theatres at 4:12 p.m. This beats both Pathe and Fox who have sent their films by plane, but require developing once the plane lands.

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March 4, 1935 Raymond Lowey is given an exclusive contract with the Pennsylvania Railroad. He will not design equipment for any other railroad and PRR will use no other designer.

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March 4, 1946 Robert R. Young publishes his soon-to-be-famous "A hog can cross the country without changing trains, but YOU can't" advertisement as part of his fight to buy the Pullman Company on the theme of a lack of transcontinental cars.

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March 4, 1947 Ms. Friedel Klussman launches a drive to preserve San Francisco's cable cars.

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March 4, 1970 In the single largest train-off petition ever sent to the I.C.C., Penn Central seeks to drop all passenger service west of Buffalo and Harrisburg. A total of 34 trains are to be discontinued, joining 14 others already in various stages of litigation.

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Mark Tomlonosn

March 3, 1831 George M. Pullman is born in New York.

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March 3, 1842 The Pittsfield & North Adams Railroad (Later WRR, B&A, NYC) is chartered in Massachusetts to build between its namesake cities.

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March 3, 1851 The Northern Indiana Railroad (later LS&MS) is chartered in Ohio to create a better route into Chicago for the Michigan Southern and associated companies.

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March 3, 1853 Congress authorizes a survey for a trans-continental railroad.

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March 3, 1871 An Act of Congress incorporates the Texas Pacific Railroad Company to build from Texas to San Diego.

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March 3, 1921 President-Elect Harding travels to Washington DC from his home in Marion OH. East of Harrisburg PA the train makes the run in one-half hour less than the fastest schedule between Harrisburg and Washington.

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March 3, 1938 The “Mallard”, which will later set the steam speed record, is built in LNER’s Doncaster Works.

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March 3, 1944 A double-headed mixed train in southern Italy stalls in a tunnel. Carbon monoxide poisoning kills 521 people. Five people survive. One hundred ninety-three who carried no identification, most of them black marketers, are buried in a mass grave at the site.

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March 3, 1947 The Baltimore & Ohio begins its "Sentinel" freight service, offering guaranteed delivery of fast freight between major cities.

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March 3, 1949 American Car & Foundry tests the new Spanish "Talgo Train" at Berwick PA. It will later be tested on the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western.

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March 3, 1955 The Pennsylvania Railroad runs its first "TrucTrain" TOFC train from Chicago to Kearny, NJ. It is the first time the Pennsylvania has carried trailers of common-carrier trucking companies on its flatcars.

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March 3, 1966 For the first time GG-1's are retired by the Pennsylvania Railroad. Numbers 4804, 4831 and 4847 leave the fleet. 4804 has cracks in the running gear, a problem that will plague other GG-1's.

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March 3, 1970 The merger creating the Burlington Northern Railroad from the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, the Great Northern, Northern Pacific and the Spokane, Portland & Seattle takes effect.

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Mark Tomlonson

March 2, 1831 An Act of Congress authorizes the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad to extend a branch into the District of Columbia.

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March 2, 1836 In the earliest "cornfield meet" for a which a full date was recorded, a passenger and freight on the Camden & Amboy Railroad meet head on near Burlington NJ. No one was injured.

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March 2, 1863 Congress adopts a track gauge of 4' 8 ?" for the Union Pacific Railroad over the objections of ex-Illinois Central attorney and President Abraham Lincoln. President Lincoln had lobbied for a 5' gauge, but the narrower, "Stephenson" gauge is adopted to make the railroad less useful to the 5' gauge railroads of the Confederacy. This action will lead indirectly to the gauge being adopted as standard throughout North America.

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March 2, 1866 The Hudson River Railroad and the New York & Harlem Railroad begin operating into Albany.

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March 2, 1893 The United States Safety Appliance Act is signed into law, mandating that all cars in interchange service be equipped with air brakes, automatic couplers and grab irons.

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March 2, 1902 The first segment of the James Bay RR (later Canadian Northern, Canadian National) is opened between Parry Sound and Canada Atlantic Junction, 3.7 miles.

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March 2, 1902 The Pennsylvania Railroad begins overnight sleeper service between Chicago and Muncie, IN.

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March 2, 1913 The New York Central’s electrification project reaches Croton, NY.

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March 2, 1925 To aid automobile and truck drivers, the Joint Board of State & Federal Highway Officials establishes a numbering system for Federally-supported highways.

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March 2, 1931 The Chesapeake & Ohio opens a new Greenbrier Hotel at White Sulphur Springs WV.

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March 2, 1936 Pennsylvania Railroad K-4s #3768 receives a streamlined tender to match its Raymond Loewy designed shroud applied a week and a half earlier. The locomotive, nicknamed "The Torpedo" by crews, begins an exhibition tour.

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March 2, 1939 The Great Northern receives its first EMD diesel.

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March 2, 1950 The Nickel Plate runs its first diesel-powered mainline freight, as two yard switchers are pressed into service to handle a train from Peru to Michigan City IN.

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March 2, 1958 The last local trolley line to operate in the state of Wisconsin, Milwaukee's #10 (Wells) line, is converted to diesel bus operation.

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March 2, 1958 The Baltimore & Ohio Introduces Budd "Slumbercoaches" on its Baltimore-Chicago "Columbian".

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Mark Tomlonson

March 1, 1833 A meeting of cab owners and drivers is held at Tammany Hall to protest the occupation of streets by the New York & Harlem Railroad. At the end of the meeting the crowd spills out of the hall and tears up a piece of track.

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March 1, 1837 The Long Island Railroad opens between Jamaica and Hicksville NY.

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March 1, 1852 The Buffalo & State Line Railroad is completed between Buffalo and the PA/OH state line. Because of Pennsylvania Law, it is built to a 56.5" gauge between Buffalo and the NY/PA state line, 60" between the state line and Erie, and 58" between Erie and the Ohio line. (Some sources say Feb. 22.)

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March 1, 1869 First train into Grand Rapids MI on the Kalamazoo, Allegan & Grand Rapids Railroad (later LS&MS, NYC, PC).

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March 1, 1877 The U.S. Supreme Court upholds the regulation of railroads.

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March 1, 1884 The Norwood & Montreal Railroad (later RW&O, NYC, PC, CR, CSX) is organized.

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March 1, 1888 The Lartigue Railway Construction Company opens a 14.5-kilometer steel-railed monorail. It links the town of Ballybunion, on the west coast of Ireland, with the market town of Listowel. The only passenger-carrying monorail in the British Isles for many years, it will run until 1924. Rising operational costs and road transport will force it out of business.

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March 1, 1893 The New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad leases the Old Colony Railroad.

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March 1, 1898 The "Maritime Express" between Montreal and Halifax begins service on the Intercolonial Railway. Later Canadian National will operate the train.

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March 1, 1901 The Elberfeld-Barmen Suspension Railway, also known as the Wuppertal Schwebebahn, a monorail system with the cars suspended below the rail, opens in Elberfeld Germany.

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March 1, 1899 The St. Joseph, South Bend & Southern Railroad (later MC) begins operations on the former tracks of the Indiana & Lake Michigan in Southwest lower Michigan and North Central Indiana.

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March 1, 1907 The Terre Haute, Indianapolis & Eastern, one of the largest but ultimately one of weakest interurbans in the Midwest, is formed from several predecessor companies.

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March 1, 1907 Sometime this month (date undetermined) the Pennsylvania Railroad will issue a rule that all passenger stations must be equipped with cats for rodent control.

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March 1, 1909 The Pennsylvania Railroad names its new New York Terminal "Pennsylvania Station".

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March 1, 1910 An avalanche sweeps away 2 Great Northern passenger trains that have been snow-bound near Wellington WA since February 23. Ninety-six people are killed, the last body not recovered until July. It's the worst snowslide accident in U.S. history and the worst natural disaster in Washington State.

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March 1, 1912 The Pennsylvania Company assumes control of the 3-foot gauge Ohio River & Western.

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March 1, 1913 The Federal Valuation Act takes effect, authorizing the Interstate Commerce Commission to set a value on the nation's railroads for rate-making purposes. In future years these Valuation Reports will be excellent tools for railroad historians.

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March 1, 1914 The Grand Rapids & Indiana ends its operation of the Traverse City, Leelanau & Manistique Railroad between Traverse City and Northport MI.

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March 1, 1920 USRA control of railroads ends.

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March 1, 1920 The Pennsylvania Railroad ends its Lines East/Lines West structure and forms instead four regions. It also takes this opportunity to restructure most of the corporation.

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March 1, 1924 The Pennsylvania & Ohio Electric Railway (Conneaut to Ashtabula, 14 miles) quits.

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March 1, 1925 The Chesapeake & Ohio moves from Dearborn Station to Central Station in Chicago.

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March 1, 1929 Sixty-nine railroads buy the American Railway Express Company and rename it Railway Express Agency.

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March 1, 1933 The Pennsylvania Railroad imposes an unpaid furlough of six days per month to spread work among its remaining employees. In addition, the PRR cancels some long-distance trains due to lack of business following the closing of many banks throughout the Midwest.

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March 1, 1934 The former Mansfield (OH) Railway Light & Power Company's interurban route is abandoned by the Ohio Public Service Company. The city lines will soldier on for another three years.

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March 1, 1948 The Pennsylvania Railroad places their take on a recreation car on display. Designed by Raymond Loewy, the car includes a children's playroom, newsreel theatre, pinball game, and a lounge with zebra-hide chairs.

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March 1, 1951 The USO Lounge at Chicago Union Station, which has been closed since 1947, reopens for Korean War traffic.

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March 1, 1955 Peter Zars earns the distinction of being the first person born aboard the California Zephyr.

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March 1, 1955 The Pennsylvania Railroad builds a new TOFC facility at Cincinnati. The new yard will handle Chicago-Cincinnati and New York-Cincinnati traffic.

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March 1, 1977 Turboliners take over the full run of Amtrak's "Adirondack" ending the service of the rebuilt Alco PA-4's and dome cars.

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March 1, 2005 A new international freight train departs Hohhot, China. It will arrive in Duisburg, Germany near Frankfurt, having traveled over 8,000 miles across 6 countries in 15 days: China, Mongolia, Russia, Belarus, Poland and Germany. The train will operate twice monthly.

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March 1, 2011 The first Metro-North M-8 cars enter service.

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Mark Tomlonson

February 26, 1851 The first Milwaukee Road predecessor, the Milwaukee & Mississippi Railroad runs its first train: from Milwaukee to Waukesha, WI. (some sources say February 25).

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February 26, 1870 The experimental air-driven Beach Pneumatic Transit opens for public demonstrations over a one-block route in New York City. The next subway will not open for another 34 years as the city builds elevated railroads for mass transit.

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February 26, 1908 The Hudson & Manhattan "Tubes" open for service between 19th Street and Hoboken.

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February 26, 1928 Moffat Tunnel opens.

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February 26, 1950 The new streamlined Wabash "Blue Bird" is christened.

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February 26, 1951 Trolley service ends in Queens, NY.

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February 26, 1956 Pennsylvania Railroad's Aerotrain is placed in demonstration service between New York and Pittsburgh. Its seven hour, 30 minute schedule is the fastest ever between the two cities.

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February 26, 1973 The Chessie System Inc. Is formed from the Baltimore & Ohio, Chesapeake & Ohio and Western Maryland railroads.

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February 26, 1979 Amtrak "Superliner" cars begin operation.

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February 26, 2005 Charlotte NC breaks ground for a new light-rail line.

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February 26, 2017 Dolton Tower (IL) is closed. It was the last ex-Pennsylvania Railroad tower still active in the Chicago area.

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February 27, 1832 Baltimore coachbuilder Richard Imlay displays three railroad passenger cars in Monument Square, including one that will seat 50.

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February 27, 1837 Illinois passes an "Internal Improvements" Act.

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February 27, 1847 The Alton & Sangamon Railroad (later C&A, GM&O, ICG, UP) is chartered in Illinois to connect the towns of Alton and Springfield.

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February 27, 1860 The Central Railroad of New Jersey displays two new Woodruff sleepers designed for New York-Pittsburgh service.

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February 27, 1865 The Pennsylvania Legislature establishes a railroad police force. While railroads have employed security personnel previously, this is the first time they are given official police powers.

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February 27, 1886 The New Jersey Junction Railroad (later NYC&HR, NYC) is incorporated.

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February 27, 1917 The Milwaukee Railroad completes the electrification of its line from Harlowton, Montana, to Avery, Idaho, 440 miles.

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February 27, 1917 The Pennsylvania-Detroit Railroad Company is incorporated to extend the PRR into Detroit. This will let PRR tap the growing finished automobile market.

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February 27, 1921 The Pennsylvania Railroad creates a private telephone system on its Paoli Line to keep station agents informed of train delays, etc. The information is then posted at the station.

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February 27, 1921 Michigan Central and New York Central passenger trains collide at Porter IN when the engineer of the Michigan Central train misunderstands the fireman’s call of the home signal indication. The engineer’s view of the signal was obscured by the smoke of a standing freight train. Thirty-seven are killed.

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February 27, 1942 The Pennsylvania Railroad's Altoona Shops complete an experimental troop sleeper based on an X38 automobile box car.

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February 27, 1965 The Buffalo Creek & Gauley shuts down after 61 years of operation in West Virginia, having never operated a diesel locomotive. It will run again for a short time in the 1970's with diesels.

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February 27, 2000 Two Santa Fe Alco PA diesels arrive in Oregon from Mexico for restoration. The units are little more than hulks.

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February 27, 2002 In Godhra, northwest India, a region with long-standing Hindu-Muslim tensions, a train carrying mostly Hindus catches fire. Sixty people are killed. Although the cause of the fire is eventually traced to a fault in a coach, early reports say the fire was caused by radical Muslims dousing the train with gasoline and lighting it. This false allegation triggers religious riots in which nearly 1,000 people are killed.

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February 28, 1815 George Stephenson receives a Patent for his second steam locomotive, an improved version of the principles worked out in the "Blusher" last July.

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February 28, 1827 The Baltimore & Ohio, America's first passenger railroad is chartered.

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February 28, 1847 Maine Governor Joshua L. Chamberlain signs the charter of the Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad. Despite never getting as far as Moosehead Lake, the 33-mile railroad will remain in continuous operation through 2009.

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February 28, 1852 Because of a gap in the Pennsylvania Railroad, over 440 passengers stay each night at the Hollidaysburg Inn. Five hundred wagons and 2,600 horses are used to ferry passengers and freight across the gap.

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February 28, 1866 The Canada Southern Railway is incorporated in Canada from the Erie & Niagara Extension Railway.

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February 28, 1871 The Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore Railroad (later PM, C&O, CSX) reaches Grand Junction MI.

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February 28, 1903 President Theodore Roosevelt signs legislation authorizing a single, Union Station in Washington DC rather than two stations, for the Baltimore & Ohio and Pennsylvania Railroads.

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February 28, 1906 A gas-electric railcar built by Strang, the "Ogerita", leaves Weehawken Terminal bound for San Francisco. The car, which includes a back-up battery and can make 48 mph, has been testing on various Pennsylvania Railroad branch lines.

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February 28, 1908 First test run through Grand Trunk's St. Clair tunnel using electric locomotives.

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February 28, 1920 The Transportation Act is passed, allowing the ICC to set intrastate rates in some cases and forming the Railway Labor Board. It also sets a date for the end of USRA control.

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February 28, 1931 The Cleveland Southwestern & Columbus Railway (interurban) quits.

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February 28, 1931 The Detroit, Toledo & Ironton is sold to Pennroad Corporation (PRR subsidiary) and the Wabash Railroad.

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February 28, 1986 The last official move is made at Canadian National's Spadina Roundhouse in Toronto. The facility will later be demolished to make room for the Skydome.

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Mark Tomlonson

February 25, 1834 Formation date of the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac.

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February 25, 1848 Future railroad magnate E.H. Harriman is born.

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February 25, 1848 Incorporation papers are filed for the Bellefontaine & Indianapolis Railroad. (later NYC)

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February 25, 1854 Grand Junction Railroad & Depot Company is merged the Union Railroad (later B&A).

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February 25, 1876 The Board of the six-foot gauge Erie Railroad ratifies a contract to lay a third rail on its line between Waverly NY and Buffalo/Suspension Bridge for the use of the standard-gauge Lehigh Valley Railroad.

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February 25, 1880 The Terminal Railroad of St. Louis is incorporated.

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February 25, 1893 Horsecar service ends in Kalamazoo MI.

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February 25, 1902 The 2-mile long Fulton Chain Railroad, notable for its initial operation with wooden rails, is reorganized as the Fulton Chain Railway, operated by the New York Central.

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February 25, 1941 Baltimore & Ohio EA #56 and EB #56X complete 365 trips on the "Capitol Limited", running over 280,000 miles with 100% availability.

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February 25, 2003 CSX announces it is moving its headquarters from Richmond VA to Jacksonville FL.

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February 25, 2016 Following a 4.2 million Pound makeover, the “Flying Scotsman” locomotive returns under steam to its home in York at the National Railway Museum.

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Mark Tomlonson

February 24, 1846 Congress is asked to fund a land grant to build a rail road from Lake Michigan to Oregon.

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February 24, 1865 The Jackson, Lansing & Saginaw Railroad (later MC, NYC, PC, CR, NS, A&B) receives its charter.

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February 24, 1875 The Pennsylvania Railroad YMCA is organized at Altoona. Railroad YMCA's will provide cheap and safe accommodations for crew layovers across the United States.

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February 24, 1879 The Pittsburgh & Lake Erie opens for passenger service between Pittsburgh and Youngstown.

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February 24, 1893 The Lake Superior & Ishpeming is formed.

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February 24, 1900 The Cincinnati & Miami Valley Traction Company is consolidated into Southern Ohio Traction

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February 24, 1916 The Pennsylvania Railroad makes its first payout under Pennsylvania's new Worker Compensation Law. The widow of a man killed by a locomotive on his way to work will receive $100 in funeral expenses plus $21.48 per month until November 1921. [$2,515.00 and $540.00 respectively in 2021]

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February 24, 1930 The Standard Steel Car Co. is incorporated as a Pullman subsidiary.

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February 24, 1955 The Pennsylvania Railroad announces it has purchased a "tubular" train from Budd. It will be known as the "Keystone".

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Mark Tomlonson

February 23, 1852 The Potsdam & Watertown Railroad (later RW&O, NYC) is chartered.

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February 23, 1855 The Hudson & Boston Railroad (later B&A) acquires the Hudson & Berkshire Railroad at foreclosure sale.

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February 23, 1864 Pennsylvania authorizes the Pennsylvania Railroad to tunnel under a house of worship without consent, clearing the way for construction of Grants Hill Tunnel in Pittsburgh.

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February 23, 1892 The Cincinnati, Jackson & Mackinaw becomes the Michigan & Mackinaw Railroad.

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February 23, 1926 The Pennsylvania Railroad announces it has let a contract for six 2-D-2, 3,730 HP electric passenger locomotives to Westinghouse. The car bodies are to be built at Altoona. The locomotives will see service between Penn Station and Manhattan Transfer.

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February 23, 1938 Opera Star Lily Pons christens the Reading's "Crusader" streamliner. The 5-car train has been in service for several months without a name. "Crusader" was chosen in a contest.

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February 23, 1944 The 100-foot turntable at the Pennsylvania Railroad's Conway Yard is replaced by a 110-foot turntable. The new turntable will accommodate PRR's Duplex locomotives.

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February 23, 1947 Great Northern's "Empire Builder" is given new, streamlined equipment.

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February 23, 1956 The Board of the Pennsylvania Railroad authorizes building a new line to serve the Olin-Mathieson aluminum plant in Hannnibal OH. The branch, built on the grade of the unfinished Marietta & Ohio of 100 years earlier, is the last major line built by PRR.

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February 23, 2000 Conrail's Milwaukee Jct. Tower in Detroit is closed.

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Mark Tomlonson

February 22, 1850 The Columbus & Xenia Railroad is completed between its namesake Ohio cities. It is the first railroad in Ohio to be built with T-Rail (as opposed to strap rail) in its original construction. (Some sources say Feb 21.)

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February 22, 1851 The Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati RR (later Big Four) is completed from Cleveland to Columbus.

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February 22, 1852 The Buffalo & State Line Railroad (later LS&MS) opens between Buffalo and the NY/PA state line near Erie.

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February 22, 1854 The Chicago & Rock Island Railroad completes its line between Chicago and Rock Island, IL. It is the first railroad to reach the upper Mississippi River.

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February 22, 1855 The first common carrier railroad in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the Iron Mountain Railroad (later DSS&A, SOO, CN) is charted.

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February 22, 1856 The first railroad in California, the Sacramento Valley (later Southern Pacific) is opened between Sacramento and Folsom.

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February 22, 1863 Construction begins on the Central Pacific Railroad.

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February 22, 1866 The first railroad bridge over the Hudson between Albany and Greenbush opens, linking the New York Central and the Hudson River Railroads. NYC will begin running through trains between New York and Buffalo, but in summer will still deliver most freight to the river steamers.

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February 22, 1867 The Pullman Palace Car Company is incorporated in Illinois.

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February 22, 1881 The Kankakee & Seneca Railroad is incorporated. Running 49 miles between its two namesake Illinois towns, it is intended to be a link between the Rock Island and Big Four railroads.

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February 22, 1890 The Peoria & Eastern Railroad is chartered (some sources say February 21).

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February 22, 1910 The Interstate Commerce Commission denies a petition filed by several railroads to allow them to increase their shipping rates to cover recent wage increases.

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February 22, 1919 The Pennsylvania Railroad halts work on a new freight yard in West Philadelphia. Laid out in 1914, it is now deemed too short for the longer freights trains created by heavier steam locomotives. Expanding the yard is deemed too difficult.

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February 22, 1920 The Milwaukee Road stages a pushing match (no drawbar could withstand a tug-of-war) between 2-6-6-2 Mallet 9520 and brand new bi-polar electric 10254. The bi-polar wins. A similar contest between two steam engines will be staged in 1930 for the movie "Danger Lights" starring Jean Arthur.

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February 22, 1938 Santa Fe's "El Capitan", offering coaches and “Lunch Counter” food service cars begins weekly Chicago-Los Angeles service.

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Mark Tomlonson

February 19, 1918 The Committee on Standard Locomotive and Cars reports to the USRA that its proposed standards of last week will delay construction of equipment due to material shortages. USRA Director William McAdoo ignores the advice and proceeds with standard designs.

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February 19, 1931 The 1927 application to unify the Great Northern, Northern Pacific and the Spokane, Portland & Seattle is withdrawn.

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February 19, 1935 New York Central 4-6-4 #5344 enters service as the first streamlined Hudson.

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February 19, 1978 The musical "On the 20th Century" with Book & Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and Music by Cy Coleman opens on Broadway. It features sets based on the 1938 Dreyfus-styled New York Central train.

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February 19, 1982 The Chessie System abandons trackage between Manistee and Petoskey via Traverse City, the former Manistee & Northeastern.

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February 19, 1983 Pere Marquette 2-8-4 1225 is moved from the Michigan State University campus to Owosso MI.

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February 19, 2009 The San Joaquin Valley Railroad (CA) is forced to shut down operations when high winds cause dry cow manure to drift across the tracks. The three-foot drifts will later be cleared away by the rancher.

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February 20, 1852 The Michigan Southern Railroad via the Northern Indiana & Chicago (later MS&NI, LS&MS, NYC, PC, CR, NS) reaches Chicago. The rush to beat the Michigan Central into Chicago has left a break in Michigan Southern's line between Laporte and Michigan City. Michigan Southern travelers are forced to take a stagecoach between those two cities.

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February 20, 1873 The last rail is laid on the Canada Southern Railway, completing the line from St. Thomas to Ft. Erie, Ont.

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February 20, 1904 Streetcars begin running between Indiana Harbor and East Chicago IN.

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February 20, 1915 The Panama-Pacific Exhibition opens in San Francisco. The Pennsylvania Railroad wins the Grand Prize for the best railroad display. They have brought scale models of Penn Station. Washington Union Station and a 2 miles=1 inch map of the entire PRR system. They are also showing promotional films in two P70 coaches spliced together. Westinghouse contributes to the display with a DD1 locomotive.

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February 20, 1917 The Pennsylvania Company obtains trackage rights over the Wabash at Detroit.

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February 20, 1921 A blizzard hitting the east coast causes transmission lines to fail, halting or delaying electric-powered rail service. Some stranded passengers one-half mile east of Manhattan Transfer burn newspapers, advertising cards and car seats in an attempt to stay warm until help arrives.

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February 20, 1939 The Lehigh Valley introduces its "Asa Packer", a rebuilt heavyweight train that has been "streamstyled". It is in service between Jersey City NJ and Mauch Chunk PA.

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February 20, 1946 Pullman Standard claims (incorrectly) delivery of the first passenger car built after World War II.

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February 20, 1954 Last run of Potomac Edison (interurban) in Maryland.

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February 20, 2002 An overcrowded train en route from Cairo to the southern Egyptian city of Luxor bursts into flames. At least 360 are killed.

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February 20, 2014 While filming the movie “Midnight Rider” just outside Doctortown GA, a camera assistant is killed while on CSX’s Altamaha River bridge. The movie crew had permission to shoot in the area, but did not have permission to be on CSX tracks.

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February 21, 1804 Richard Trevithick, on a bet, mounts a stationary steam engine on wheels and pulls 10 tons of iron (the amount in the bet) plus 5 wagons and 70 men 16 km (9.75 miles) at an average speed of 5 mph. The engine was heavy enough to break some of the iron plates in the tramway it was running over. Trevithick collected 500 Guineas on the bet. The demonstration also proves that smooth wheels on a smooth iron rail could do useful work, although there were issues with traction. (Some sources put this event on February 13)

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February 21, 1843 Michigan authorizes an extension of the Central (later MC, NYC, PC, CR, NS) and Southern (later MS, MS&NI, LS&MS, NYC, PC, CR, NS) Railroads and the Clinton & Kalamazoo Canal in anticipation of proceeds from an 1841 land grant.

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February 21, 1879 The Senate Commerce Committee passes a bill on transporting livestock, sponsored by Senator John R. McPherson. The Bill reads that livestock must not be carried in railroad cars more than 28 hours at a time, but may be carried for 60 hours if fed and watered in cars. (Senator McPherson and his friends have recently obtained patents for devices that allow this.) The Bill also calls for federal inspection of cargo at major ports.

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February 21, 1880 The Pennsylvania Railroad begins posting the 1:00 a.m. weather report from the U.S. Signal Office in principal railroad stations.

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February 21, 1900 The Chicago Junction, Chicago Rock Island & Pacific, Michigan Central, and Pennsylvania railroads agree to joint operation of the Calumet Western Railroad in Calumet IL.

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February 21, 1900 The City of New York awards Subway Contract No. 1 to build a line from City Hall up 4th Avenue, 42nd Street and Broadway.

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February 21, 1935 The New Haven receives the last of its 50 new lightweight air-conditioned coaches. The new cars have been purchased through the Federal Emergency Administrator of Public Works.

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February 21, 1936 Streamline shrouding designed by Raymond Loewy is applied to Pennsylvania Railroad K-4s Pacific #3768.

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February 21, 1947 General Electric releases its final report on its coal-burning turboelectric locomotive. The units are more expensive to build and operate than comparable diesel-electric locomotives. General Electric scraps its project.

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February 21, 1951 Pullman's experimental "Train X" receives its first over-the-road test. A prototype car is evaluated on tracks between the Pullman-Standard plant in Hammond IN and nearby Griffith.

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February 21, 1954 An SNCF electric train hits 151 mph in tests, setting a world's record.

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February 21, 1954 Since Mississippi does not require advance notice, Gulf Mobile & Ohio terminates the Mississippi portion of their "Little Rebel" trains in mid-run. Passengers are taken by bus and car to their destinations.

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February 21, 1967 The last horse used in Great Britain to switch railroad cars is retired in Newmarket, Suffolk.

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February 21, 1968 The last "Golden State" arrives in Chicago on the Rock Island, on time.

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Mark Tomlonson

February 18, 1848 The Cleveland, Painesville & Ashtabula Railroad (later LS, LS&MS) is chartered, although it will not begin operations until 1852.

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February 18, 1868 The Erie Railway board approves an agreement to obtain a broad-gauge route to Chicago by building a new railroad between Akron and Toledo and having the Michigan Southern & Northern Indiana (later LS&MS, NYC, PC, CR, NS) lay a third rail between Toledo and Chicago.

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February 18, 1871 The Mahoning Coal Railroad (later LS&MS, NYC, PC) is chartered.

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February 18, 1925 The Pennsylvania Railroad announces it has replaced over 1,500 handcars with motorized track cars.

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February 18, 1930 The Pullman Company buys the Osgood-Bradley Car Company, which has been making trolleys and other transit cars since 1833.

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February 18, 1947 The Pennsylvania Railroad announces it first operating loss, for the year 1946.

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February 18, 1947 The "Red Arrow" derails at Bennington Curve, just west of Horseshoe Curve. Twenty-four are killed as the cars roll down the mountain.

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February 18, 2003 A Korean man, despondent over his failing health, sets fire to a commuter train in Daegu, South Korea. The blaze spreads to a second train arriving at the station. At least 198 people are killed and 147 suffer injuries.

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February 18, 2004 Runaway freight cars carrying fuel and industrial chemicals derail, setting off explosions that destroy five villages in Neyshabur, Iran. Up to 295 people are killed, up to 200 of those being rescue workers.

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Mark Tomlonson

February 17, 1848 The Indianapolis & Bellefontaine Railroad (later NYC) is chartered.

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February 17, 1870 The Pullman Palace Car Company leases Central Transportation Company, retroactive to January 1, 1870 and absorbs its sleeping car fleet. This gives Pullman, formerly confined to some Midwestern roads, an additional 6,000 route-miles.

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February 17, 1872 The President of the Peninsular Railway (later GTW, CNR) writes to the Pennsylvania Company noting that his road is laid from Lansing MI to a point 12 miles west of South Bend. He proposes joining the Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne & Chicago (later PRR) at Valparaiso for a route to Chicago in exchange for Bonds and a favorable freight rate.

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February 17, 1885 The Southern Pacific Railroad and the Central Pacific Railroad are consolidated into the Southern Pacific Company, a Kentucky corporation.

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February 17, 1911 The Locomotive and Boiler Inspection Act sets regular and mandatory boiler inspections, to be performed by the ICC.

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February 17, 1912 The eastbound “Pennsylvania Limited” wrecks near Ft. Wayne. Four are killed and 10 injured.

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February 17, 1950 A head-on collision between two Long Island commuter trains at Rockville Center results in 32 deaths.

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February 17, 1961 An application to create the Burlington Northern Railroad is filed with the ICC.

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February 17, 2003 Heavy snow causes the roof of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum in Baltimore to collapse, damaging several exhibits.

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Mark Tomlonson