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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

June 2, 1861 Confederate troops destroy the Baltimore & Ohio's Opequon Bridge by setting fire to over 50 loaded coal cars standing on it. The wreckage will burn for two months.

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June 2, 1873 Construction begins on San Francisco's first cable car line, Clay St.

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June 2, 1881 The Owasco River Railway, owned by the International Harvester Company, is chartered. Later the switching line in Auburn, NY will be jointly owned by the New York Central and Lehigh Valley.

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June 2, 1897 The Burlington's "Limited", hailed by George M. Pullman and several contemporary accounts as "The finest train ever" is put into service.

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June 2, 1913 The U.S. Department of Labor settles a strike by Railroad Clerks, the first use of Federal Mediation.

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June 2, 1903 The Chicago, Cincinnati & Louisville Railroad (later C&O) completes its first section of track in Indiana from the Ohio State line to Cottage Grove.

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June 2, 1923 The New York State Legislature passes the Kauffman Act, outlawing the use of steam locomotives in parts of New York City after January 1, 1926.

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June 2, 1929 The Erie Railroad inaugurates the "Erie Limited" between Jersey City and Chicago, scheduled at an even 25 hours.

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June 2, 1929 Streetcars in Massillon OH end service.

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June 2, 1934 The last car of the last interurban to operate in Michigan, the Southern Michigan Railway running from South Bend through Niles to St. Joseph, arrives in St. Joseph at 12:10 am.

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June 2, 1934 The Northern Indiana quits interurban operations as Train 71 arrives in Michigan City at 12:30 am. Streetcar service ends in Elkhart IN.

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June 2, 1935 The "Detroit Arrow" (jointly operated by the Pennsylvania and Wabash) and "Twilight Limited" (New York Central) have their Chicago-Detroit times cut to 5 hours.

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June 2, 1965 Governor Rockefeller signs a bill creating the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Authority, serving New York City's metropolitan area. The state of New York also reaches an agreement with the Pennsylvania Railroad to buy the Long Island.

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June 2, 1995 Last day of operation of Z-1-a, Z-4-a, and Z-5-a electric locomotives, EP-59a and EP-69a electric multiple units, and Canadian Flyer coaches on the Montreal -Deux-Montagnes line. Locomotives Z-1-a 6710 and 6711, built for Canadian Northern in 1914, powers the last train. Locomotive 6711 had also powered the very first revenue train on this line.

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June 2, 1997 Conrail agrees to a merger with CSX Transportation. CSX Transportation promptly enters into an agreement with Norfolk Southern to divide Conrail's assets between them according to the split NS and CSX agreed to in April (pending approval of the Surface Transportation Board).

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June 2, 2010 A bank robber in San Jose CA uses a light rail train for a getaway. The police are waiting for him as he arrives at the next station.

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Mark Tomlonson

June 1, 1839 The Baltimore & Ohio opens a new main line alignment, eliminating the inclined planes at Parrs Spring Ridge.

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June 1, 1866 The Jeffersonville, Madison & Indianapolis Railroad (later PRR) is incorporated by merging the Indianapolis & Madison Railroad Company and the Jeffersonville Railroad. The merger is made retroactive to May 1.

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June 1, 1867 The Great Western Railway of Canada begins direct interchange of cars with the Michigan Central Railroad at Detroit.

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June 1, 1871 The Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad agrees to operate the Cincinnati, Richmond & Fort Wayne Railroad for 99 years from date of its completion.

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June 1, 1874 The Pennsylvania Railroad begins running the "Day Express" eastbound from Pittsburgh to Jersey City in only in 13 hours and 45 minutes. The train runs up to 132 miles non-stop by using a new means of taking on water: track pans. The pans are located near Monmouth Junction, Leaman Place, at some point on the Middle Division and near Johnstown.

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June 1, 1875 A groundbreaking ceremony for the Canadian Pacific Railway is held on the left bank of the Kamistiquia River in the townsite of Fort William about four miles from the river's mouth.

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June 1, 1876 A theatrical troupe charters a three-car train for a record setting cross-country trip. The top speed is 72 mph, and the total time is 84 hours and 17 minutes, roughly half the time of a regular train.

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June 1, 1881 Detroit, Butler & St. Louis RR (later Wabash) is completed from Montpelier, OH to Detroit, offering a direct route to St. Louis and Kansas City.

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June 1, 1882 The first Gotthard Tunnel in Switzerland opens. One hundred ninety-nine miners died during the construction of the 9.3-mile long tunnel; the world's longest until 1906.

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June 1, 1886 The Norfolk & Western converts from 5 foot to standard gauge in a single day.

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June 1, 1889 For the first time, the Orient Express makes all overland portions of its trip by rail.

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June 1, 1892 Great Northern's main line reaches Spokane WA.

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June 1, 1903 The Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway grants trackage rights to the Keokuk & Western Illinois Electric Company between Warsaw IL and the Keokuk & Hamilton bridge. The K&WIEC installs trolley poles and will operate interurban service between Warsaw and Hamilton until 1928.

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June 1, 1904 The Wabash Railroad reaches Pittsburgh.

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June 1, 1905 The Detroit, Toledo & Ironton first gains control of the Ann Arbor Railroad.

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June 1, 1906 Excavations begin for the Penn Station building, Manhattan.

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June 1, 1908 The Pennsylvania Railroad issues new rules that allow uniform employees to unbutton their coats in summertime.

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June 1, 1910 The deadline for the start of Long Island Railroad service into Penn Station passes. The service has been delayed by snags in the delivery of MP54 steel MU Cars to the Long Island.

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June 1, 1913 The Vandalia Railroad, thanks to improvements at Butler IN and securing rights over the Wabash between Butler and Toledo, begins additional freight and passenger service St. Louis to Toledo and Chicago to Toledo.

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June 1, 1914 Clearing Yard in Chicago, owned by the Belt Railway of Chicago opens for business.

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June 1, 1915 Pennsylvania Railroad's Lines East creates the General Divisions Baseball League for its employees. Other company sports include basketball and Track & Field.

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June 1, 1919 First run of Canadian Pacific's summer-only "Trans-Canada Limited", Montreal to Vancouver.

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June 1, 1923 In part to keep passengers entertained on cross-country trips, Canadian National announces the formation of its Radio Department. The Radio Department will eventually become the CBC Radio and Television network.

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June 1, 1925 Henry Ford begins trial runs on the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton with two D-D+D-D electric locomotives. Ford has plans (never realized) to extend his electrification project to a connection with the Virginian Railway.

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June 1, 1925 Ft. Wayne Union Railway opens.

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June 1, 1929 Interurban operations in Kalamazoo County cease as the last car runs between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek.

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June 1, 1932 The Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic ore dock at Marquette MI begins service a train of 30 ore cars.

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June 1, 1933 A United Air Lines Boeing 247 flies from coast to coast in 19 hours, 45 minutes. The fastest air-rail service over the same distance is 26 hours.

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June 1, 1937 The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania passes a "Full Crew" law. It is immediately blocked by the courts.

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June 1, 1939 Mount McKinley Hotel opens, bringing tourists via the Alaska Railroad to the Denali area.

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June 1, 1958 The last passenger train runs on Boston & Maine's Cheshire Branch.

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June 1, 1963 The Louisville & Nashville ends its use of Central Station in Louisville and moves to Union Station.

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June 1, 1968 The New Haven drops its sleeping car contract with the Pullman Company.

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June 1, 1985 After a four-year absence, VIA's "Atlantic" returns. The train also serves six stations in Maine.

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June 1, 1985 CSX Transportation begins running rights over the Canada Southern Subdivision of CP Rail and CN Rail.

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June 1, 1994 The first commercial trains begin using the "Chunnel" providing freight service between England and France.

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June 1, 1999 Conrail operations are taken over by Norfolk Southern Corporation and CSX.

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June 1, 2010 Progress Rail Services announces it is buying Electro-Motive from a partnership of Berkshire Partners LLC and Greenbriar Equity Group LLC. That partnership bought EMD from General Motors in 2005.

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June 1, 2016 The Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland is completed and ceremonies are held to inaugurate the tunnel. The 35-mile long tunnel is the world’s largest; at 1.5 miles the world’s deepest. Full commercial service is expected through the tunnel by December.

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June 1, 2018 The Durango & Silverton Railroad temporarily suspends operations due to the dry conditions in southwest Colorado and a wildfire burning 10 miles north of Durango.

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Mark Tomlonson

May 31, 1847 The first railroad between The Hague and Rotterdam opens for business.

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May 31, 1865 The Board of the Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne & Chicago Railroad (later PRR) decides that their stock cars can go to any stockyard in Chicago, not just those on the PFW&C.

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May 31, 1871 The Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad begins operations as a three-foot gauge line connecting Norwalk and Huron OH. The narrow gauge enterprise will fail within two years due to lack of traffic.

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May 31, 1879 An electric railway is demonstrated at the Berlin Trades Exhibition. Ernst Werner von Seimens has constructed a 300-meter circular track to carry passengers.

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May 31, 1887 The first Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe train enters Los Angeles.

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May 31, 1891 Work begins on the Trans-Siberian Railway.

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May 31, 1916 Michigan United Railways ends its lease of the Kalamazoo, Lake Shore & Chicago, ending hopes that the line between Kalamazoo and South Haven MI would become part of a statewide interurban network.

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May 31, 1926 A Sesquicentennial International Exposition opens on South Broad Street in Philadelphia. It is backed by the Pennsylvania Railroad, which is hoping to repeat the success of the Centennial Exhibition 50 years ago. The fair is a financial disaster and attracts few visitors, in part because of rainy weather and poor word-of-mouth. PRR exhibits models, paintings and a 1/32 size 69-foot operating four-track model railroad.

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May 31, 1934 The Detroit United Railway Stephenson line makes its last run.

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May 31, 1947 The Gulf, Mobile & Ohio acquires the Chicago & Alton and gains access to Chicago.

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May 31, 1949 This past month, airline passenger-miles exceed Pullman passenger-miles for the first time.

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May 31, 1952 The Winona Railway ends operations with a ceremonial trip from Warsaw to New Paris IN and back. Passenger service having ended several years before, the fans ride in gondolas pulled by a diesel locomotive.

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May 31, 1966 Great Northern takes delivery of its first SD-45 locomotive from EMD. It will later receive the "Hustle Muscle" sobriquet.

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May 31, 1969 The Texas & Pacific discontinues its "Texas Eagle", leaving Dallas without passenger service.

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May 31, 1970 Des Moines loses passenger service with the last run of Rock Island's "Cornbelt Rocket".

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May 31, 1972 At 12:28 pm Canadian National sends its last communication by Morse code, ending the use of Morse code for official railroad purposes in Canada. The message is sent from the Winnipeg Dispatcher to an agent in Morris, Manitoba.

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May 31, 2008 The Mt. Washington Cog Railway, all-steam since 1869, begins operating a diesel-hydraulic locomotive. The locomotive has been built in the company shops using a 600 hp John Deere tractor engine. The company hopes to combat the rising price of coal.

Mark Tomlonson

May 28, 1848 To extend its service, the Michigan Central Railroad places the steamboat "Mayflower" with accommodations for 300 cabin passengers in service between Detroit and Buffalo.

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May 28, 1860 Through passenger trains begin operating between Jersey City and Harrisburg via Allentown. The single round trip takes 18 hours. The service exists particularly to distribute New York newspapers.

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May 28, 1870 The first freight car with a feather key on its axles permitting wheel gauge to be adjusted en route is demonstrated. Invented by William B. Snow, it leaves Jersey City on the Erie Railway and will arrive in Chicago on June 3 en route to West Coast.

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May 28, 1879 The Pennsylvania Railroad Board approves the construction of an office building in Grand Rapids MI to serve as the headquarters for the Grand Rapids & Indiana.

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May 28, 1881 Construction begins on the New York, Chicago & St. Louis, which has already been dubbed "the great nickel-plated road" by the Norwalk (OH) Chronicle.

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May 28, 1900 The Compagnie du Chemins de Fer de Paris a Orleans opens the world's first electrified urban railroad terminal, the Gare du Quai d'Orsay in Paris. The system uses a 550-volt DC third rail, designed by the French General Electric subsidiary. The design of the terminal will greatly influence Penn Station.

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May 28, 1904 The Lebanon & Franklin Traction Company opens between its two namesake towns in Ohio for a route of 11 miles.

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May 28, 1905 The Boyne City, Gaylord & Alpena is incorporated.

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May 28, 1911 The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul's (it was not yet known as "The Milwaukee Road") "Olympian" and "Columbian" make their maiden runs.

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May 28, 1915 The Pennsylvania Railroad adopts its own standard for grade crossing signs.

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May 28, 1918 The American Railway Express Company is formed to unify the express business. American Express, Wells Fargo, Adams Express and the Southern Express as well as the express subsidies of the Great Northern, Northern Pacific and Soo Line form the new company.

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May 28, 1925 Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee's high-speed "Skokie" line opens.

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May 28, 1929 The Michigan Railroad Company declares bankruptcy.

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May 28, 1932 Due to the effects of the Depression, Illinois Central suspends operation of the "Panama Limited".

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May 28, 1947 General Motors' "Train of Tomorrow" gets its public debut at Soldier Field, Chicago.

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May 28, 1951 The United States Supreme Court refuses to hear a case in which a lower court ordered Atlantic Coast Line to stop segregation on its passenger cars. The case has been brought by a man who was removed from a train for refusing to move to a segregated car.

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May 28, 1961 Last run of the Orient Express between Paris and Bucharest.

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May 28, 1976 The Grand Trunk Western coal dock at Port Huron MI is demolished.

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May 28, 2015 A Grand Elk train stops in Kalamazoo MI during the morning rush, blocking several busy road crossings because of an air brake issue. A neighboring business owner offers fresh coffee to the waiting drivers, who are delayed up to 25 minutes as the train brakes are repaired.

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May 29, 1832 The first section of the Paterson & Hudson River Railroad (later Erie) between Paterson and Acquackanonk Landing (later Passaic) opens using horse power. It is the first revenue railroad service in New Jersey.

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May 29, 1853 Kalamazoo's Michigan Central Station is destroyed by fire when two drunks upset a stove in an illegal tavern two doors away. The fire is beyond the capabilities of the Kalamazoo Fire Department to extinguish. An intervening thunderstorm is credited with putting out the conflagration and saving the town.

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May 29, 1884 First cable cars in London, England.

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May 29, 1905 The Lansing Manufacturers Railroad is leased to the Michigan Central and Lake Shoe & Michigan Southern railroads for 25 years. The lease will take effect on July 1.

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May 29, 1906 A new 17-span drawbridge across the Susquehanna River at Havre-de-Grace MD opens. The former bridge is offered free to the adjacent counties for use as a road bridge, but the offer is declined.

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May 29, 1909 "Ann Arbor Carferry No. 4" capsizes at Manistique due to uneven loading. No one is injured, but the boat will be out of service until September.

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May 29, 1914 The steamer "Empress of Ireland" sinks in the St. Lawrence River near Rimouski in dense fog. One thousand twelve people perish, more than aboard the "Titanic". The ship was owned by Canadian Pacific Railway.

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May 29, 1916 Empire Builder James Jerome Hill passes away.

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May 29, 1931 Passenger service on the Pennsylvania Railroad ends between Columbus and Sandusky OH.

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May 29, 1935 The Otto Kuhler-styled "Streamlined Hiawatha" enters service on the Milwaukee Road.

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May 29, 1955 Long a steam-only holdout, the Norfolk & Western purchases its first diesels: eight Alco RS-3's.

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May 29, 1955 Great Northern's "Empire Builder" receives new dome cars.

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May 29, 1958 Passenger service ends on the New York Central’s Putnam Division.

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May 30, 1830 "Tom Thumb", a one horsepower locomotive built by businessman Peter Cooper, passes its first test by pulling over 4 tons at 15 miles per hour.

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May 30, 1880 The Pennsylvania Railroad cuts its New York to St. Louis time to 34 hours and its New York to Chicago time to 28 hours 30 minutes.

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May 30, 1907 Two interurban cars collide in Elyria OH. Eight passengers are killed, including the son of Elyria businessman Edgar F. Allen. This loss will lead him to help create charities dedicated to assisting crippled children, including “Easter Seals”.

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May 30, 1908 The "Ash Pan Act" requires all steam locomotives to be equipped with an ash pan that can be opened without crawling under the engine.

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May 30, 1911 Record crowds fill Indianapolis Union Depot and the Indianapolis Traction Terminal to see the first Indianapolis 500. The Peoria & Eastern will convey about 70,000 to the Speedway; traction lines about 5,000. Both the Monon and the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton have run special trains for the event.

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May 30, 1927 The 240-mile Angora Cesarea Railway in Turkey opens. Keeping with tradition, in Constantinople 100 sheep, a camel and rugs are sacrificed to mark the occasion.

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May 30, 1953 The Cedar Rapids & Iowa City Railway runs its last passenger trains.

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May 30, 1957 The last official steam-powered passenger train leaves Halifax NS. Steam will make at least one additional appearance before the end.

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May 30, 1960 Canadian National announces that its conversion from steam to diesel is complete.

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May 30, 1963 The Peoria & Eastern runs the last of its "500" specials. The race day special trains are profitable, but do not fit into the company's long-range plans.

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Mark Tomlonson