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June 21, 1831 The Boston & Providence Railroad (later OC, NYNH&H, PC, Amtrak) is chartered to build between its two namesake cities.

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June 21, 1869 The last rail is laid on the second 20 miles of the Grand Rapids & Indiana between Cedar Springs and Morley, MI, beating the deadline imposed by the Michigan Legislature. It will open for revenue service by the fall, operated by Pennsylvania Railroad-controlled Continental Improvement Company.

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June 21, 1878 The first passenger train on the Toledo & Ann Arbor arrives in Ann Arbor.

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June 21, 1880 The Wabash Railroad contracts with General Jack Casement to build its new line between Butler IN and Detroit. Casement is famed as the builder of the Union Pacific transcontinental line.

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June 21, 1903 Samuel Dunkley offers his first Sunday Kalamazoo to Chicago excursion. Passengers ride the Kalamazoo & South Haven Railroad to South Haven and then sail on the Dunkley & Williams Steamship Line to Chicago. The all-day excursions are half the cost of a comparable all-rail trip on the Michigan Central. They prove so popular that a Kalamazoo minister will preach a sermon against them two years from now, decrying their desecration of the Sabbath.

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June 21, 1903 The "Northland Limited" is established on the Grand Rapids & Indiana as a summer-only train between Cincinnati and Mackinaw City, replacing the earlier "Northland Express". The train carries sleepers from Cincinnati, Louisville and Chicago. The Chicago sleepers are carried over the Michigan Central to Kalamazoo where they are added to the train.

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June 21, 1905 The 20^th Century Limited hits an open switch in Mentor OH and derails, killing 19.

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June 21, 1925 The Baltimore & Ohio begins the "Detroit-Washington Limited", its first train to Michigan using Pere Marquette trackage between Toledo and Detroit.

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June 21, 1935 The Pennsylvania's Michigan resort train "Northland" is renamed "The Northern Arrow" and given air-conditioned equipment.

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June 21, 1940 Wagon-Lits car No. 2419, in which Germany surrendered in 1918, is dragged out of its place in a museum by the Nazis to rest on the spot where it sat on November 11, 1918. After taking the French surrender, the Germans loot the Armistice Museum. Many of the museum articles will be returned after the war, but Wagon-Lits car 2419 will be destroyed.

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June 21, 1941 The last sleeper runs between Chicago and Grand Rapids MI on a Pennsylvania Railroad/Michigan Central routing.

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June 21 1942 Missouri Pacific's streamlined "Colorado Eagle" begins St. Louis to Denver service.

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June 21, 1948 Alco delivers its last steam locomotive: Pittsburgh & Lake Erie 2-8-4 #9406.

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June 21, 1951 The Pennsylvania Railroad reports that 79% of its passenger service is dieselized, along with 56% of its freight trains and 76% of its switching locomotives.

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June 21, 1954 The AAR network radio program "The Railroad Hour" signs off for the last time.

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June 21, 1958 Chicago PCC route 22 (Wentworth) converts to bus operation, ending on-street rail service in the Windy City.

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June 21, 1959 The Erie runs its last train over the 301 foot tall, 2053 foot long Kinzua Viaduct. It will later become a State Park and carry tourist trains.

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June 21, 1959 Soo Line #2719 closes out steam for that carrier as it hauls an excursion from Minneapolis MN and Ladysmith WI.

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June 21, 1968 Flathead Tunnel on the Great Northern is holed through.

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June 21, 1970 Penn Central declares bankruptcy, at the time the largest bankruptcy in U.S. corporate history.

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June 21, 2001 The world's heaviest train, weighing 109,705 tons, runs 170 miles between BHP Iron's Mount Newman mining complex and Port Hedland in Western Australia. The train consists of 8 General Electric AC6000 locomotives distributed through the train and 682 cars. It is 4 1/2 miles long.

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June 21, 2018 The Durango & Silverton resumes limited diesel operation following a total service suspension due to dry conditions and a wildfire 10 miles north of Durango.

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Mark Tomlonson

June 18, 1831 The "John Bull" locomotive is constructed in England by Robert Stephenson & Company.

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June 18, 1890 Indianapolis Street Railway begins operations.

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June 18, 1893 Great Northern's first St. Paul MN to Seattle WA train departs St. Paul.

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June 18, 1899 Canadian Pacific's "Imperial Limited" begins daily service through the summer between Vancouver and Montreal. It supplements the six days a week "Atlantic Express" (eastbound) and "Pacific Express" (westbound) at first, but will replace them in 1911.

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June 18, 1903 The Grand Rapids, Grand Haven & Muskegon (MI Interurban) reaches its full length with the commencement of service between Grand Rapids and Grand Haven.

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June 18, 1913 A northbound Lake Shore & Michigan Southern passenger train collides with a southbound work train on the north side of Kalamazoo. Two railroad employees are killed and 22 passengers, 3 rail employees and 2 mail clerks are injured.

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June 18, 1936 The Union Pacific-Chicago & North Western streamliner "City of Denver", pulled by UP's M-10005, makes its debut. The first westbound train will arrive in Denver tomorrow.

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June 18, 1947 General Motors' "Train of Tomorrow" enters Seattle-Portland service on the Union Pacific. Its uniqueness and its short length prevent a longer route, and the train's bedrooms are sold as parlor space.

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June 18, 1950 The Great Northern re-equips its “International” with streamline equipment.

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June 18, 1954 Last day of full operation on the Twin City Rapid Transit System in Minneapolis, the St. Paul lines having quit the previous November.

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June 18, 1954 The Rock Island announces it has purchased a Talgo train set for use between Chicago and Peoria.

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June 18, 1955 The Disneyland Railroad opens for business, using ex-D&RGW steam locomotives to bring in the tourists.

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June 18, 1962 The New York Central announces it has purchased $1.5 million in electronic communication systems ($12.7 million in 2019 dollars). NYC claims this is the first application of railroads using automated data transmission.

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June 18, 1964 The first true unit train - all cars owned by the shipper - is christened at Harrisburg PA. The train will carry coal from central Pennsylvania to power plants in Harrisburg and Martins Creek.

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June 18, 1965 RPO service is dropped from the Long Island Railroad.

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June 19, 1831 A Philadelphia merchant proposes to furnish the Camden & Amboy Railroad with railroad "rails" made of 9-foot lengths of 4-inch cast iron pipe, to be linked together with chains. The railroad is rightly skeptical.

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June 19, 1878 The Michigan Lake Shore Railroad (later PM, C&O, CSX) is sold at auction, ending Pennsylvania Company involvement. (some sources say May 11 or September 17)

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June 19, 1878 A national convention convenes in St. Louis to promote narrow gauge railroads.

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June 19, 1911 Pennsylvania's Governor signs the Full Crew Act, regulating various operations and requiring strict separation of work by trade. The law will take effect July 22 over protests of the railroads. The law requires a flagman and two brakemen on all freight trains over 30 cars and a brakeman and flagman on all passenger trains over four cars in length.

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June 19, 1954 Ceremonial end of operations of the Twin City Rapid Transit System (Minneapolis/St. Paul) as one last railfan trip is made over parts of the line that still have power.

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June 20, 1849 The Vermont Central Railroad opens between Northfield and Montpelier.

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June 20, 1863 West Virginia becomes the 35th State. The southern boundary is drawn in part to keep the Baltimore & Ohio out of Confederate control.

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June 20, 1864 The Atlantic & Great Western Railway (later Erie) opens to Dayton, OH. The Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad lays a third rail permitting broad-gauge Erie and Atlantic & Great Western cars to operate between Dayton and Cincinnati and, with the Ohio & Mississippi, completing a 6'-0" gauge line between Jersey City and East St. Louis.

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June 20, 1870 Building from the south, the Grand Rapids & Indiana reaches the town of Big Rapids, MI.

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June 20, 1875 The New York Central & Hudson River Railroad opens the entire Fourth Avenue Improvement in New York City with two of the eventual four tracks in service. The project eliminates grade crossings between Grand Central Station and Harlem River.

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June 20, 1887 Victoria Terminus, the busiest railway station in India, opens in Bombay.

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June 20, 1891 Charles L. Henry, "Father of the Interurban" enters the scene by buying the Anderson IN mule line. Mr. Henry will credit himself with coining the word "interurban" after attending the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, but other evidence indicates the word was in use as early as 1890 for electric railways and 1886 for steam roads.

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June 20, 1898 Madison IN begins streetcar service.

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June 20, 1908 The Toledo, Fostoria & Findlay (Interurban) opens for business.

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June 20, 1913 The New York Central & Hudson River Railroad begins using Harmon as its steam-to-electric transfer point.

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June 20, 1928 The Pennsylvania Railroad begins containerized intermodal service between New York, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Cleveland.

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June 20, 1930 General Motors purchases Winton Engine, a major supplier of diesel prime movers.

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June 20, 1937 Manhattan Transfer Station closes as the Hudson & Manhattan moves to Newark's Pennsylvania Station. Manhattan Transfer lost its position as an engine-change point with electrification four years earlier.

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June 20, 1946 First use of a Public Address system on a passenger train for station announcements. The system is installed in a New York City subway car.

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June 20, 1951 The ICC grants the abandonment request of the Winona Railway. Operations will continue for 11 months.

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June 20, 2011 Denton County [TX] Transit Authority begins service between Denton and Carrollton using RDC cars leased from Trinity Rail Express. The line connects to DART trains at Carrollton.

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June 20, 2016 CSX ends service on its Huntington Division, which served mainly Appalachian coalmines.

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Mark Tomlonson

June 17, 1831 The first boiler explosion in the United States occurs when the engineer of the "Best Friend of Charleston" ties the steam pressure relief valve shut.

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June 17, 1835 The locomotive "McNeill" begins service on the Paterson & Hudson Railroad. Built by Stephenson & Co. in England, it has been assembled by the machine shop of Rogers, Ketchum & Grosvenor, who will use the knowledge gained to design and build their own locomotives.

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June 17, 1923 Philadelphia's Broad Street station is now serving 70% of the trains it did before last week's fire. A "last spike" ceremony is held to celebrate the rebuilding of all 16 tracks.

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June 17, 1924 The Pennsylvania Railroad says it has drawn up plans for the electrification of its main line between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh as well as New York to Washington. No work can begin now due to lack of capital. PRR hopes to electrify Philadelphia to Pittsburgh first.

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June 17, 1927 The Illinois Terminal ends its operation (freight-only) of the former Kankakee & Urbana, begun last year when the K&U ended operations.

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June 17, 1933 As Federal Agents attempt to transport convicted killer Frank “Jelly” Nash back to Leavenworth Prison from which he had escaped, they are ambushed in Kansas City Union Station by a gang led by Vernon Miller. In the attempt to free Nash, both he and four Federal Agents are killed.

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June 17, 1934 The Baltimore & Ohio begins using Cleveland Union Terminal.

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June 17, 1939 Having proved unsatisfactory, Union Pacific returns its "Steamotive" to General Electric. It will be tested briefly on the Northern Pacific before returning to General Electric.

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June 17, 1939 The Great Northern dedicates a statue of James J. Hill at St. Cloud MN.

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June 17, 1953 Last official day of steam operations on the Southern Railway. 2-8-2 #6300 makes the last run. The Southern is the largest railroad to dieselize to this date.

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June 17, 1994 A 7 ?" gauge live steam locomotive "Peggy" covers 167.7 actual miles in 24 hours and sets a world's record. The event takes place in Weston Park, England.

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June 17, 2000 The second Kenosha Electric Railway begins operations on a two-mile route.

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June 17, 2009 The Kansas City Southern reopens a moribund Southern Pacific line between Victoria and Rosenberg TX. The 87.5-mile line, nicknamed "The Macaroni Line" because of the large number of Italian immigrants who built it, will replace 161 miles of UP trackage rights.

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Mark Tomlonson

June 16, 1893 The steam-electric locomotive "Fusee" (French for "rocket") is given its first stationary tests. Although never fully practical despite many miles of over the road testing, the "Fusee" foreshadows disc brakes in railroad equipment and many basic principles of modern diesel-electrics.

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June 16, 1902 The New Haven, Boston & Maine, and the Maine Central begin the "Bar Harbor Express" between Grand Central and Mt. Desert Ferry.

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June 16, 1910 Three wagons of the Frank A. Robbins's Circus fall off a Pennsylvania Railroad train near Gallitzin PA after striking a bridge girder. Ten people are injured and several wild animals escape, including four big cats, an elephant and a hyena.

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June 16, 1915 The Cincinnati, Wabash & Michigan Railroad, running between Benton Harbor MI and Indianapolis IN, is taken over by the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis (the “Big Four”). The Fairland, Franklin & Martinsville is also brought into the Big Four on this date.

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June 16, 1918 The Indianapolis & Frankfort opens between Ben Davis and Frankfort IN. The line is designed to move Indiana coal to Chicago, and will be operated by the PCC&St.L. It is the last new main line railroad to be built in Indiana.

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June 16, 1926 A special train of seven red Pullman cars leaves Grand Central in New York City for Chicago. Dubbed "The Cardinals' Special", the train carries Roman Catholic dignitaries to the XXVIII Eucharistic Congress in Chicago, the first Congress in the U.S. The cars will be repainted Pullman green and returned to regular service next month.

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June 16, 1926 The christening of Chicago, Burlington & Quincy's new "Denver Express" by Chicago Mayor William F. Dever is carried live on coast-to-coast radio.

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June 16, 1938 The Pikes Peak Railway debuts motorcar #7, the first rack railcar in the world.

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June 16, 1943 Baldwin tests a 2-D+D-2 diesel electric locomotive for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad that is designed for (but never equipped with) eight 750 hp V-8 prime movers. It's not a success, and the frame and trucks will end up under Seaboard Air Line's Baldwin Centipede #4500.

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June 16, 1948 Alco ends steam locomotive production. The final order, seven 2-8-4’s for the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie, had their tenders built by Lima as Alco’s former tender shop is full of diesels under construction.

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June 16, 1950 The Copper Range Railroad's coal dock at Houghton MI is razed.

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June 16, 1953 The last steam powered through passenger train runs on the Canada Southern.

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June 16, 1953 Steam ends on the former Michigan Central as 4-6-4 #5434 ends its run.

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June 16, 1964 Negotiations begin for the inclusion of the New Haven in the Penn Central merger.

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June 16, 1972 Two French passenger trains hit the debris from a collapsed tunnel near Soissons, France. One hundred eight passengers are killed.

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Mark Tomlonson

June 15, 1869 The first parlor cars are placed in service between New York and Boston, running via Springfield.

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June 15, 1883 The first train steams across the Marent Gulch trestle, a 222-foot tall wooden structure that may be the tallest wooden structure ever built. One hundred fifty people from nearby Missoula MT cheer as the Northern Pacific train makes it across. The wooden structure has been replaced by a steel bridge.

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June 15, 1887 The Pennsylvania Railroad inaugurates "The Pennsylvania Limited" between New York and Chicago.

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June 15, 1888 First train to Casper WY on the Chicago & North Western.

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June 15, 1895 Harper's Weekly reports on the Avon Park Transportation Company, a logging railroad in Florida that uses Shay locomotives running on 4 x 6 inch timbers embedded in the sand. While the rails are joined end to end, there is no crosstie. The Harper's article claims the operation is a success.

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June 15, 1901 The Dayton & Xenia Traction Company buys the Dayton & Xenia Rapid Transit.

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June 15, 1902 Pennsylvania Railroad's "Pennsylvania Special" begins a 20-hour Jersey City to Chicago schedule. The previous fast time was 28 hours.

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June 15, 1902 The New York Central & Hudson River Railroad's "20th Century Limited", "a train a century ahead of its time" according to contemporary accounts, begins operation. The average speed is 49 mph between New York and Chicago resulting in a 20-hour journey.

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June 15, 1907 The first segment of the Chicago-New York Electric Air Line is opened, La Porte to South La Porte IN, a distance of 3 miles.

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June 15, 1908 The first masonry is laid at Penn Station.

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June 15, 1910 The Quincy & Western (later Quincy Railroad) begins operations.

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June 15, 1924 Debut of the "Montrealer" and its twin, the "Washingtonian". Following a Canadian National/Central Vermont/Boston & Maine/New Haven/Pennsylvania routing, they will be favorites for diplomatic traffic between Ottawa and Washington. The "Washingtonian" will also be popular among rum-runners during Prohibition.

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June 15, 1927 Charles Lindbergh's mother christens the renamed "St. Louisian/New Yorker" in honor of her son's plane, the "Spirit of St. Louis". The first ceremonies take place at Penn Station. Other ceremonies will be held at St. Louis.

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June 15, 1928 The Kansas City Southern inaugurates "The Flying Crow" between Kansas City and Port Arthur TX.

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June 15, 1928 The one-mile long Walloon Lake Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad (MI) is abandoned.

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June 15, 1933 The 2-foot gauge Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington ends rail operations after one of its engines derails on the main line. WW&F will honor its mail contract by truck for about a month until the Post Office gets wind of the operation and ends the contract.

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June 15, 1938 The "20th Century Limited" is equipped with new streamlined equipment and a new schedule that averages 60 mph.

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June 15, 1938 The Broadway Limited begins regular service with its new "Fleet of Modernism" streamlined equipment.

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June 15, 1940 Streetcar service ends in South Bend and Mishawaka IN.

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June 15, 1942 J.G. White Engineering Company issues its report on the ailing Long Island Railroad. Among Long Island's problems: Fares frozen at a 1918 level and subsidized competition from transit and automobiles.

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June 15, 1943 The last GG-1 electric locomotive built leaves Altoona.

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June 15, 1945 The Pennsylvania Railroad extends the range of its 4-4-4-4 duplex locomotives from Chicago to Harrisburg PA. Until this time they were confined to the Ft. Wayne Division.

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June 15, 1950 The Pennsylvania Railroad introduces a computerized ticketing system designed by a subsidiary company of IT&T.

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June 15, 1953 The New York City Transit Authority is created, assuming the operation of nearly all subway, elevated and bus lines in New York City.

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June 15, 1963 Cass Scenic Railroad makes its first official run.

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June 15, 1967 The Pennsylvania begins shipping mail in COFC service. It has reserved 100 mail containers and 50 flat cars to meet demand.

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June 15, 1973 The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad becomes part of the Chessie System.

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June 15, 1974 The last Milwaukee Road electrically powered train makes its final run.

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June 15, 2008 As workers in Bihar state, India, try to clear nesting crows from railway telephone poles the crows become so agitated their flapping wings short-circuit the power lines. Railway service in the area is interrupted for three hours, stalling at least a dozen passenger trains.

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Mark Tomlonson

June 14, 1866 The Cincinnati & Martinsville (later Big Four, NYC) reaches its junction with the Indianapolis & Cincinnati Railroad.

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June 14, 1880 The Pittsburg, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railroad (later PRR) begins a new fast livestock train between Indianapolis and Pittsburgh timed at 29 hours, six hours less than the previous schedule. The train connects with another fast train on the Vanderbilt lines, giving a St. Louis to Pittsburgh time of 45 hours, or an average 18 mph.

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June 14, 1881 The New York, West Shore & Buffalo Railroad (later WS, NYC, PC, CR, CSX) is organized.

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June 14, 1901 The Atlantic City Railroad (later PRSL) is formed from the merger of the Camden County Railroad, Ocean City Railroad and the Seacoast Railroad.

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June 14, 1903 The Big Four Railroad (CCC&StL, later NYC) establishes the New York to St. Louis "Southwestern Limited", scheduled at 30 hours for the trip.

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June 14, 1929 The New York Central inaugurates its transcontinental rail-air service to Los Angeles in conjunction with Universal Air Lines (predecessor of United Air Lines) and Santa Fe via Southwestern Limited. Air travel is between Cleveland and Garden City, KS using Fokker Trimotors. Four passengers make the first westbound trip. Also on board: a silver container of Atlantic Ocean water from New York’s mayor to be presented to the mayor of Los Angeles.

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June 14, 1936 The Union Pacific-Southern Pacific-Chicago & North Western streamliner "City of San Francisco" makes its debut.

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June 14, 1943 The Dining Car Department of the Pennsylvania Railroad begins testing "prefabricated" meals on trains 125-156 between New York and Washington. The idea, proposed by Raymond Loewy, is given a mostly favorable review.

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June 14, 1946 The last steam locomotive built by the Pennsylvania Railroad, 4-4-4-4 T1 No. 5524, leaves the erecting shop at Altoona.

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June 14, 1951 Pullman forms a company, Trailmobile, to begin manufacturing truck trailers.

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June 14, 1954 The Interstate Commerce Commission orders all railroads to halt work on piggyback service, following a protest filed by trucking groups. The stay is set to expire January 15, 1955. The order comes two days before the Pennsylvania Railroad planned to begin service.

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June 14, 1954 Robert R. Young officially gains control of the New York Central. Harold S. Vanderbilt is forced out, the last Vanderbilt to serve the New York Central. A.E. Perlman is named President, the last NYC president.

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June 14, 1999 Amtrak's "Heartland Flyer" begins service between Oklahoma City and Ft. Worth TX.

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Mark

June 11, 1862 Herman Haupt, the former Pennsylvania Railroad construction engineer now in charge of reconstructing damaged railroads for the Union Army, issues regulations for his construction corps, most of whom are "contrabands": slaves who have escaped to Union lines and are paid by the Army as day laborers.

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June 11, 1872 The first American railroad YMCA is established at Cleveland Union Depot under the patronage of James H. Devereaux of the Vanderbilt Lines. Train dispatcher Henry W. Stager is the founder of the railroad YMCA movement, which aims to provide safe and clean housing for railroad crews laying over at distant terminals.

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June 11, 1886 Horsecar service begins in Elkhart IN.

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June 11, 1888 The Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad (The Soo Line – later WC, CN) is formed as four railroads merge.

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June 11, 1899 The Colorado & Southern takes over the Denver, Leadville & Gunnison and the Union Pacific, Denver & Gulf, two failing Union Pacific subsidiaries.

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June 11, 1905 The Pennsylvania Railroad's "Pennsylvania Special" cuts its 20-hour New York to Chicago time to 18 hours.

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June 11, 1906 The Pennsylvania Railroad completes the first all-steel passenger car, Class P85, at its Altoona Shops. The car is 74 feet, six inches (22.7 metres) long and weighs 110,000 pounds (49,896 kilograms). The car will journey to Atlantic City tomorrow for the Master Car Builders' convention.

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June 11, 1917 The Traverse City Railroad is sold to the Grand Rapids & Indiana.

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June 11, 1923 A fire causes heavy damage to the Broad Street Station, Market Street west of City Hall, Philadelphia. Only one train is cancelled as the Pennsylvania Railroad routes trains to other Philadelphia stations. The station will be rebuilt with the umbrella platform covers; a rebuilding process that begins while the original balloon shed is still burning.

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June 11, 1927 Following the presentation by President Coolidge of the Distinguished Flying Cross to Charles Lindbergh, newsreel film of the event is rushed by Pennsylvania Railroad train 460 from Washington to Manhattan Transfer. The train contains a baggage car fitted with a darkroom, and it makes the trip in under 3 hours.

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June 11, 1929 First run of Great Northern's "Empire Builder".

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June 11, 1949 The Pennsylvania Railroad removes its S2 steam turbine from service, citing high maintenance costs. The unit is placed in storage at Crestline OH.

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June 11, 1952 The Chesapeake & Ohio continues testing "Train X". Carrying executives from 14 other railroads, it hits 105 mph between Detroit and Plymouth MI behind an E-7.

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June 11, 1959 The 5.8-mile Springfield Terminal enters the intermodal age with a TOFC load of machinery interchanged with the Boston & Maine.

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June 11, 1960 Johnstown PA, the last small town in America with trolleys, ends trolley service.

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June 11, 1964 The last of the Ann Arbor Railroad's fleet of FA-2's is retired.

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June 11, 1968 The Pennsylvania steam locomotive “Rueben Wells”, built for the steep grade at Madison IN in 1868, makes its final leg in a move from storage in Pennsylvania to display in the Indianapolis Children’s Museum.

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June 11, 1981 The "Badger" steams out of Ludington enroute to Milwaukee under an MDOT subsidy that was approved earlier in March.

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June 11, 2005 China begins construction on a 200-km/h passenger rail network.

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June 11, 2006 Two Chinese 2-10-2 steam locomotives arrive in the U.S., purchased by Railroad Development Corporation. The locomotives are the last class of steam built in China. One of them, 7081, has the distinction of hauling the world's last, regularly scheduled steam powered passenger train.

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June 11, 2010 Canadian Pacific, having established a new route via Butler IN, asks the STB that its haulage rights over CSX between Detroit and Chicago end. The rights will expire on July 31.

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June 11, 2018 The Ford Motor Company announces it has bought Detroit’s Michigan Central Depot. Ford plans to use the structure, built in 1913, as a technology development center.

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June 12, 1827 A committee of the Baltimore & Ohio reports on their visits to the Quincy Railroad and the Mauch Chunk Railroad. Their report cites these two operations as proof that railroads are simple enough for Americans to build.

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June 12, 1832 The first railroad in Alabama, the Tuscumbia Railway (later SOU, NS), opens its first two miles of track.

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June 12, 1851 The State of Pennsylvania requires all freight cars to have a number and the cars' weight painted on the side.

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June 12, 1870 The Pennsylvania Railroad cuts its best New York-Chicago running time from 27 hours to 24 hours for the summer timetable. Express trains are cut to five stops between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

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June 12, 1873 The Ware River Railroad (later NLNR, B&A) is incorporated.

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June 12, 1889 At a spot near Armagh, Northern Ireland, runaway carriages collide with an oncoming train. Eighty-eight people are killed. This accident prompts the United Kingdom Parliament to pass the Regulation of Railways Act of 1889, mandating improved brake and signal systems.

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June 12, 1895 Trolley service begins in Elkhart IN.

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June 12, 1895 The Terminal Railway of Buffalo (later LS&MS, NYC, PC, CR, NS/CSX) is incorporated.

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June 12, 1898 Regular interurban service begins on the Detroit, Ypsilanti & Ann Arbor Railroad.

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June 12, 1905 "The Pennsylvania Special" behind E2 Atlantic #7002 runs three miles near Elida, Ohio, in 85 seconds, or at the rate of 127.2 miles per hour setting a record for the fastest train in the United States.

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June 12, 1940 The City of New York Board of Transportation acquires the IRT and BMT.

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June 12, 1941 Last run of the Copper Range School Train. The Copper Range had provided transportation for students in Adams and Stanton Townships since 1909. For the last year the train had been the only school train in the nation. School buses will take over.

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June 12, 1950 The Long Island Railroad dedicates the first of its eight 2,000-hp Fairbanks Morse C-Liners, using the occasion to introduce its new paint scheme.

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June 12, 1961 The first dedicated Tropicana TOFC train runs between Bradenton FL and Kearny NJ, carrying chilled orange juice for second morning delivery.

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June 12, 1967 The first "Paducah Geep," IC 8109, comes out of the Paducah KY shop. The former IC 9109 is the first in a series of first-generation Geep rebuilds at the Paducah Shops that will serve the Illinois Central and Illinois Central Gulf before finding their way to many shortlines.

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June 12, 2008 China tests its new High-Speed rail between Beijing and Tianjin. The train averages 236 mph in tests, and is expected to run closer to 217 mph when service begins August 1.

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June 12, 2019 The “Telegraph” in today’s editions reports that the Bridgnorth Funicular Railway has reinforced its two carriages due to passengers being heavier than those in 1891 when the line opened. ?Parts from a Land Rover were used for the reinforcement, which allows the doors to now open reliably.

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June 13, 1845 The Troy & Greenbush Railroad (later NYC) opens between its namesake New York towns. It is the last link in an all-rail line between Boston and Buffalo.

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June 13, 1875 St. Louis Union Depot opens at 12th and Poplar Streets. The first revenue passenger trains cross Eads Bridge.

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June 13, 1878 The 2-foot gauge Billierica & Bedford (MA) makes its last run at an unsuccessful rally to save the railroad. The last revenue run took place on June 1.

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June 13, 1896 Steam power is officially retired on Chicago's Lake "L", although the engines will be placed back in service within 8 days after an accident with the electric cars reveals a truck defect.

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June 13, 1920 The first Baltimore & Ohio passenger train leaves Detroit's Fort Street Union Depot.

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June 13, 1920 The Postmaster General announces that children can no longer be shipped by Parcel Post. The practice, never widespread, was used because postage was less than a train ticket. Parcel Post children generally rode in the mail car under the care of the clerks.

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June 13, 1938 New train sets for the "20th Century Limited" are placed on display at Grand Central Terminal and LaSalle Street Station.

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June 13, 1942 Four would-be German saboteurs land on Long Island. Among their intended targets: Horseshoe Curve and Hell Gate Bridge.

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June 13, 1948 The New Haven retires its "Comet" railcars as it makes deep cuts in passenger service on its Old Colony branch.

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June 13, 1954 Ceremonial last day of steam on the Maine Central, behind Pacific #470.

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June 13, 1956 First run of daily run-through TrucTrain (TOFC) service between Pittsburgh on the Pennsylvania Railroad and the southwest via M-K-T, Santa Fe and Frisco Railroads. The Pennsylvania Railroad will eventually establish TrucTrain routes to the South and New England and extend eastern terminals to Philadelphia and New York.

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June 13, 1966 The New York AFL-CIO and five operating unions agree to that state's repeal of the "Full Crew" law.

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Mark Tomlonson

June 10, 1844 The New York & New Haven Railroad is incorporated to build from New Haven to a junction with the New York & Harlem Railroad at Williamsbridge, now in the Borough of Bronx.

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June 10, 1872 The Pennsylvania Company agrees with the Toledo, Tiffin & Eastern Railroad and the Mansfield, Coldwater & Lake Michigan Railroad to build the MC&LM line from Woodville to the Michigan state line.

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June 10, 1875 The Syracuse, Phoenix & Oswego Railroad merges with the Syracuse Northwestern Railroad (later RW&O, NYC&HR, NYC).

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?June 10, 1901 The Boston Elevated Railway begins service.

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June 10, 1910 The Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway from Spokane to Portland is completed.

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June 10, 1923 First run of the Soo Line/Canadian Pacific summer-only "Mountaineer". Running between Chicago and Vancouver BC, it features open-side "observation" cars.

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June 10, 1953 The Board of the Pennsylvania Railroad votes to drop its participation in the Muskegon-Milwaukee car ferry run with Grand Trunk.

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June 10, 2011 Through freight service begins between the port of Duisberg Germany and Chonquing China. The 16-day trip is faster than competing ocean shipping.

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Mark Tomlonson

June 9, 1865 Author Charles Dickens survives a railway accident at Staplehurst, UK in which 10 are killed and 49 injured. The incident is believed to have inspired his short story "The Signalman".

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June 9, 1866 The Kalamazoo & Schoolcraft Railroad is incorporated. [Later K&WP, LS&MS, NYC, PC, CR, NS, GDLK]

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June 9, 1891 Electric streetcars begin in Grand Rapids MI.

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June 9, 1903 First day of service, Indiana Union Traction Company, Muncie to Indianapolis through Anderson.

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June 9, 1905 The Detroit River Tunnel Company, built for the Canada Southern, leased by the Michigan Central and owned by the New York Central, is formed.

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June 9, 1913 First train over 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. The Kenova Bridge is currently (2017) owned by Norfolk Southern.

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June 9, 1927 The Pennsylvania Railroad announces it will rename "The St. Louisian/New Yorker" "The Spirit of St. Louis" in honor Charles Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic. One of the observation cars will be named "Colonel Lindbergh".

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June 9, 1940 The Hammond, Whiting & East Chicago Electric Railway, known as the "Green Line" due to the color of its cars, ends operations.

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June 9, 1953 Chesapeake & Ohio 2-6-6-6 "Allegheny" No. 1642 suffers a boiler explosion. All three head-end crewmembers are killed when the cab is blown in one piece 200 feet in the air and 900 feet off the mainline into the adjacent river. The boiler is blown off the running gear and flips end for end, coming to rest 600 feet ahead of the train. The blast is blamed on a faulty feedwater injector and/or cold-water pump.

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June 9, 1977 Budd completes the first order of Amtrak "Amfleet" cars as the last car in the order leaves the factory.

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June 9, 2009 A half-mile segment of the former New York Central's elevated line on the west side of Manhattan is opened as a park. The rails remain in place in a rail bank, even though no train has used the line since 1980.

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June 9, 2010 The last ticket agent on the MARC Brunswick Line retires. Commuters will buy all their tickets from machines.

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June 9, 2011 Workers this week begin clean up work on Detroit's Michigan Central depot in anticipation of future restoration.

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Mark Tomlonson

June 8, 1857 The Grand Rapids & Mackinaw Railroad is incorporated in Michigan to build a railroad between the two namesake towns for the Grand Rapids & Indiana.

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June 8, 1870 An excursion train of eight cars carrying 400 guests opens the Vandalia Line (later PRR, PC) between Indianapolis and East St. Louis.

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June 8, 1871 The Continental Improvement Company contracts with Mansfield, Coldwater & Lake Michigan Railroad to operate track at its western end (Allegan to Monteith MI) pending the completion of the entire line.

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June 8, 1872 The Northern Pacific Railroad is completed to Fargo, Dakota Territory.

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June 8, 1879 At Altoona, the Pennsylvania Railroad conducts tests of heating passenger cars with a steam generator located in the baggage car, rather than using steam from the locomotive.

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June 8, 1880 The Cincinnati Railroad (later CCC&St.L, NYC, PC, CR) is incorporated.

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June 8, 1884 Horsecar service begins in Kalamazoo MI.

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June 8, 1894 Green Bay Traction begins streetcar service in Green Bay WI.

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June 8, 1912 Due to a transit strike, Boston's South Station posts its busiest day: 1,001 trains and 208,380 passengers.

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June 8, 1919 A new elevated train shed is installed at Indianapolis Union station.

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June 8, 1934 The Boston & Maine places an order with Budd for a trainset that will closely match the Burlington's "Pioneer Zephyr". The trainset, numbered "6000" will be best known as "The Flying Yankee".

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June 8, 1953 Union Pacific places its new 4,800 hp gas-turbine in service. General Electric has designed the locomotive to use propane, hoping that propane will not leave deposits on the turbine blades. Ash build-up on the blades has been a problem with the coal turbines..

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June 8, 1957 The Pennsylvania Railroad places 4-6-2 number 1361 at Horseshoe Curve as a monument.

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June 8, 1962 The Trustees of the New Haven Railroad ask to be included in the Penn Central merger. The Presidents of the New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroads state they would rather see all the railroads of the Northeast united in a single system.

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June 8, 1967 An 18-car New York Central freight trains runs from New York to Los Angeles in 54 hours, 17 minutes. This joint venture between NYC and the Santa Fe sets a new speed record, but does not lead directly to any changes in freight service.

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June 8, 1968 As Robert F. Kennedy's funeral train passes through Elizabeth NJ, some onlookers fail to clear the tracks as the Pennsylvania Railroad's Chicago to New York "Admiral" passes between the crowd and the funeral train. Two spectators are killed and four seriously injured. After this incident, PRR will stop all train movements until the funeral train passes.

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Mark Tomlonson

June 7, 1853 An iron Bollman truss bridge designed by Albert Fink opens over the Monongahela River at Fairmont, VA on the Baltimore & Ohio. It is the longest iron railroad bridge built to date.

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June 7, 1859 The Chicago & North Western Railroad is chartered.

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June 7, 1864 Congress extends its land grant to Michigan for the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad to cover the section between Grand Rapids and Fort Wayne.

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June 7, 1869 The Pennsylvania Railroad leases the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago and controlled lines effective July 1, giving it a direct line to Chicago and to Cleveland.

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June 7, 1880 For the first time, The Montour Railroad has passenger service listed in the Official Guide.

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June 7, 1892 Homer Plessy is arrested when he refuses to move from a seat reserved for whites on a train in New Orleans. The case will lead to the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark "separate but equal" decision in Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896.

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June 7, 1902 First interurban to Marshall MI.

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June 7, 1921 Pere Marquette incorporates the Flint Belt Railroad Company.

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June 7, 1939 The Royal Train carrying King George VI and Queen Elizabeth enters the United States at Suspension Bridge NY. It is the first visit by a reigning British monarch to either the United States or Canada. The train is made up of Canadian National and Canadian Pacific cars and Government of Canada cars 1 and 2.

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June 7, 1950 Lima-Hamilton Corporation delivers the first of 11 center-cab transfer diesels to the Pennsylvania Railroad.

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June 7, 1951 Long Island RR #401, the first diesel used in mainline freight service, is retired after 26 years.

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June 7, 1953 Chesapeake & Ohio Hudson #490 is brought out of retirement for a fantrip from Washington DC to Charlottesville VA, ending C&O steam in or out of Washington.

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Mark Tomlonson

June 4, 1869 The first Silver Palace car arrives in Sacramento, having made the trip from New York on the new Transcontinental Railroad.

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June 4, 1872 The Holly, Wayne & Monroe (MI) (later F&PM, PM) begins operations.

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June 4, 1873 The Northern Pacific Railroad opens to Bismarck, Dakota Territory, on the Missouri River.

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June 4, 1876 The “Transcontinental Express” arrives in San Francisco from New York via the transcontinental railroad, having departed 83 hours and 39 minutes earlier. Boat trips around South America take six to eight months.

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June 4, 1883 The West Shore Railroad (later NYC&HR, NYC, PC, CR, CSX) runs its first passenger train to Newburgh NY.

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June 4, 1911 Worcester MA opens a new Union Station. The station, built by the New York Central, serves the Boston & Albany, Providence & Worcester (later NYNH&H), Norwich & Worcester, and the Worcester, Nashua & Rochester and Boston, Barre & Gardner (later B&M) railroads.

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June 4, 1936 The Pennsylvania Railroad asks Baldwin Locomotive works for a locomotive that will carry 15 standard [heavyweight] passenger cars at 100 mph on level track between Paoli and Chicago. PRR rejects a 4-8-4 design, but likes Baldwin's 4-4-4-4 Duplex and asks Baldwin to consider a 4-4-6-4.

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June 4, 1965 The Pennsylvania Railroad "daylights" Radebaugh Tunnel near Greensburg PA, raising clearance on the main line from 16' 2" to 17' 5".

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June 5, 1879 The Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad is incorporated in Illinois. The road will own Dearborn Station and its associated trackage, providing a Chicago terminal for the Chicago & Eastern Illinois, Wabash, Erie, Monon and Grand Trunk Railroads.

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June 5, 1883 First trial run of the Orient Express, Paris to Vienna.

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June 5, 1885 Michigan passes a state law requiring railroads to place automatic couplers on all cars.

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June 5, 1910 The last train leaves the old Grand Central Terminal in New York City.

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June 5, 1922 The Atlantic City Railroad begins the summer-only "Baltic", between Camden and the Baltic Avenue Branch in Atlantic City. It is the only train to serve this branch.

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June 5, 1923 The Grand Rapids & Indiana "Northland" begins using all-steel cars to service Michigan resorts. This season through cars are carried to and from Chicago over the Michigan Central for the first time. Full service will begin June 24.

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June 5, 1935 The New Haven's streamlined, double-ended "Comet" enters service between Boston and Providence.

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June 5, 1950 The U.S. Supreme Court, in Henderson v. United States, declares racially segregated railroad dining cars unconstitutional.

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June 5, 1953 The last steam locomotive runs on the Lackawanna Railroad.

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June 5, 1958 The New Haven announces it has removed its lightweight TALGO "Dan'l Webster" and Train-X "John Quincy Adams" from New York-Boston service. The trains have proven to be expensive to maintain.

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June 5, 1959 General Car Leasing Company is incorporated to lease cars to the Pennsylvania Railroad.

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June 6, 1833 President Andrew Jackson makes the first rail journey by a sitting US president over the Baltimore & Ohio between Ellicott Mills and Baltimore. President Jackson is making a tour of the Northeast to secure support for his policies.

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June 6, 1855 The Schoolcraft & Three Rivers Railroad (MI) is organized. (Later K&WP, LS&MS, NYC, PC, CR, NS, GDLK)

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June 6, 1870 The first train arrives in Holland MI from Allegan on the Allegan & Holland (later C&WM, PM, C&O, CSX). The line will formally open on June 9.

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June 6, 1881 The Detroit & Bay City Railroad (later MC, NYC) is organized.

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June 6, 1892 Chicago's "L" opens to traffic.

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June 6, 1910 The U.S. Safety Appliances Act of 1893 is amended to require no less than 85% of cars in a train be equipped with air brakes.

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June 6, 1914 The Detroit & Mackinac buys the Au Sable & Northwestern Railroad.

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June 6, 1919 Incorporation date of Canadian National Railways.

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June 6, 1922 Through summer-only sleepers are established between St. Louis and Mackinaw City. The route uses the Illinois Central to Chicago, the Michigan Central to Kalamazoo and the Grand Rapids & Indiana "Northland Limited" to Mackinaw City.

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June 6, 1935 Union Pacific's M-10001 enters Chicago to Rose City service as the "Streamlined City of Portland". The 2,272-mile route will be covered in 39.75 hours, 18 hours faster than the previous best time. It is the first streamliner in cross-country service and the first to carry sleeping cars.

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June 6, 1937 Streetcars run for the last time in Mansfield OH.

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June 6, 1939 In cooperation with the Association of American Railroads, the Pennsylvania Railroad begins testing a freight truck designed for use at speeds over 80 mph.

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June 6, 1947 Chesapeake & Ohio takes over the Pere Marquette.

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June 6, 1949 The New York Central introduces streamlined equipment on “The New England States”.

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June 6, 1957 Pere Marquette 2-8-4 1225 is given to Michigan State University. She receives the honor only because she was first in line on the dead line.

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June 6, 1964 Steam returns to the Southern Railway with an excursion trip by Mikado 4501. The trip will prove to be the first in a far-reaching steam excursion program.

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June 6, 1968 Stuart Saunders proposes the establishment of a "National Railroad Passenger Council" to study the United States passenger rail network, decide what is worth saving, and arrange a Federal Subsidy.

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June 6, 1969 Last day of independent operations on the Chicago & Eastern Illinois.

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June 6, 1981 During a cyclone, seven coaches of a passenger train fall off a bridge into the Bagmati River near Samastipur in Bihar, India. About 210 bodies are recovered from the river, however official estimates put the death toll at 800. Prior to December 2004 it is the worst train disaster in history.

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June 6, 1981 Amtrak runs a "Farewell to the GG-1" fantrip.

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Mark Tomlonson

June 3, 1856 Congress makes a 40 million-acre land grant to Michigan for the purpose of aiding the construction of railroads along nine routes. The grant is to be every alternate or odd-numbered section for six sections in width on each side of the railroads. The grant will be forfeited if the railroads are not completed in ten years.

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June 3, 1864 First revenue train on the Central Pacific, Sacramento to Newcastle CA.

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June 3, 1868 The Kalamazoo, Allegan & Grand Rapids Railway [Later LS&MS, NYC, PC] is formed from the Kalamazoo & Allegan and the Kalamazoo & Grand Rapids companies.

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June 3, 1869 The Lake Shore & Michigan Southern is formed from the consolidation of several smaller lines: Michigan Southern & Northern Indiana, Cleveland & Toledo, Cleveland, Painesville & Ashtabula and Buffalo & Erie.

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June 3, 1900 The Seaboard Air Line Railway is completed to Florida. Through cars are established between New York and Tampa.

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June 3, 1928 The Lincoln branch of the Detroit & Mackinac is abandoned.

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June 3, 1937 The first Duplex-drive steam locomotive in the United States (Baltimore & Ohio 5600, the "George Emerson") leaves the Mt. Clare shops.

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June 3, 1951 The Great Northern inaugurates its “Western Star” passenger train.

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June 3, 1956 The New York Central places its "Train X" in service between Cleveland and Cincinnati as "The Ohio Xplorer". The train is carded at 5 hours, 30 minutes.

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June 3, 1965 EMD introduces its "645" series diesel engine, named for the cubic inch displacement of each cylinder (10.5 liters). The engine replaces the venerable "567" series, introduced in 1938. The "645" series will be installed in over 10,000 locomotives.

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June 3, 1988 An ICE train derails in Lower Saxony, Germany near Eschede. One hundred and one people are killed.

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June 3, 1989 An explosion of a liquefied gas pipeline engulfs two Trans-Siberian Railroad trains parked outside the Central Asian city of Ufa in the Soviet Union; five hundred seventy-five people are killed.

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June 3, 1996 The world's longest model train is run by the Arid Australia model group in Perth, Australia. It is 228 feet in length, consisting of 650 cars hauled by four locomotives.

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Mark Tomlonson