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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Mark Tomlonson

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Mark Tomlonson

January 5, 1832 The Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad Company (later CCC&StL, NYC, PC, CR, I&O) is incorporated in Ohio to build between Sandusky and Dayton via Springfield. The charter, the first successful one in Ohio, replaces a planned canal project that has been shelved for lack of water.

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January 5, 1861 The Amboy, Lansing & Traverse Bay Railroad (later JL&S, MC) becomes the first land-grant railroad in Michigan to receive certification that it has completed the requisite 20 miles of track.

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January 5, 1869 Representatives of railroads running between New York and Washington meet at New York to devise a plan to eliminate the use of horse-drawn transfers through the streets of Baltimore.

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January 5, 1876 In a dispute over a level crossing, the Pennsylvania Railroad parks a locomotive on its tracks in Hopewell NJ where the Delaware & Bound Brook Railroad hopes to cross. When the locomotive backs up to clear another PRR train, D&BB partisans chain it to the track. Today and tomorrow 1500 railroad employees plus townsfolk from Hopewell will confront each other. Four PRR locomotives will derail in unsuccessful attempts to ram barricades.

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January 5, 1893 The last rail in the construction of the Great Northern Railroad between the Great Lakes and Everett, Washington is put in place at Scenic, WA. It is the fourth transcontinental railroad completed, and the first to receive no Federal aid nor to be involved in a major financial scandal. Service on the line will not start until July. (Some sources place this event on January 6.)

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January 5, 1914 The Pennsylvania Railroad announces it carried 111,000,000 passengers in 1913 without a single fatality.

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January 5, 1917 After a five-year court battle, the merger of the Evansville & Southern Indiana Traction Company and the Evansville Public Service Company is approved.

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January 5, 1955 The Sand Springs Railway (interurban, OK) ends passenger service.

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January 5, 1956 General Motor's "Aerotrain" number 1000 is tested by the Pennsylvania Railroad between Washington and Newark. Aerotrain 1001 makes its initial Chicago to Detroit test run on the New York Central.

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January 5, 1966 All parties agree to include the New Haven in the Penn Central merger.

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January 5, 1985 The Alaska Railroad becomes the property of the State of Alaska.

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January 5, 1988 The last passenger train leaves Detroit's Michigan Central station.

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January 5, 2007 300 kph (186 mph) train service begins between Panchiao and Kaohsing, Taiwan, using Japanese "Bullet Train" technology. A second section from Panchiao to Taipei will open March 2.

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January 5, 2011 In a report issued today, the Public Interest Network reports that highway tolls and other fees cover only 51% of the total cost of road transportation, the rest being borne by taxes.

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January 5, 2012 In Vernon VT, 15 "Turtle Crossings" are installed under 700 feet of railroad track to allow endangered spotted turtles to safely reach their nesting grounds.

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Mark Tomlonson

January 4, 1875 The Prince Edward Island Railway opens between Summerside and Tignish.

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January 4, 1877 Commodore Vanderbilt dies at his home at the age of 82. He leaves the bulk of his estate and control of the Vanderbilt Lines to his son, William Henry.

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January 4, 1891 The Southern Railroad inaugurates its "Washington and Southwestern Vestibule Limited", an ancestor of the "Crescent Limited".

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January 4, 1901 Union Traction Company opens its Anderson-Indianapolis line.

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January 4, 1915 The "Dixie Flyer", running between Chicago and Florida on a C&EI/L&N route receives all-new steel cars.

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January 4, 1920 Ottawa Central Station (Ontario) is renamed Ottawa Union Station.

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January 4, 1932 The Indiana Railroad (interurban) abandons its main line between Indianapolis and Dunreith branch.

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January 4, 1952 The Chesapeake & Ohio carferry "Spartan" is launched.

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January 4, 1962 New York City installs the first automated subway train.

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January 4, 1963 The Baltimore & Ohio ends passenger service to Cleveland.

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January 4, 1965 In his State of the Union address, President Johnson calls for funds to study high-speed rail service in the Northeast Corridor.

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January 4, 1969 The Port Authority Transit Corporation of Pennsylvania and New Jersey (PATCO) begins operations between Broadway, Camden and Lindenwood NJ.

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January 4, 1970 The "Lake Cities" makes its last run between Chicago and Hoboken, ending long-distance passenger service on the Erie-Lackawanna. The train will arrive at its end terminals tomorrow morning.

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January 4, 1987 Conrail engines running light run through a signal and collide with an Amtrak train at Gunpow Interlocking on the Northeast Corridor, killing 16. Ricky Gates, the Conrail engineer was found to be using marijuana and watching TV at the time of the accident. The incident will lead directly to licensing and drug testing of locomotive engineers.

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January 4, 1990 An overcrowded 16-car passenger train strikes a standing freight train in Sindh Province, Pakistan, killing 307 and injuring an estimated 700 people.

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Mark Tomlonson

January 3, 1870 The Kalamazoo & South Haven (later MC, NYC, PC, CR) is completed from Kalamazoo to Kendall MI.

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January 3, 1908 The St. Clair Coal Railway (IL) is merged into the Vandalia Railroad.

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January 3, 1910 Tired of its cars being routed to the Boston & Maine by mistake, the Brookville & Mahoning (PA) changes its name to the Pittsburg & Shawmut.

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January 3, 1914 The Niagara, St. Catharines & Toronto Railway (interurban) opens from St. Catharines to Niagara-on-the-Lake, ONT.

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January 3, 1933 A recreation car is placed on the "Florida Special", operating southbound on Fridays and northbound on Mondays. The car includes a three-piece Hawaiian band, a dance floor, contract bridge tournaments and other amusements including a wading pool. Next year, the pool will be withdrawn due to sloshing water and additional cars will be built making the cars available on all trains.

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January 3, 1934 When a flying wheel rim from a grade crossing collision kills an engineer, the Pennsylvania Railroad orders its P-5 electrics still under construction to be built with a center cab rather than box cab design.

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January 3, 1954 The last steam powered passenger train departs Washington DC's Union Station. Richmond Fredricksburg & Potomac engine #622 "Carter Braxton" departs at approx. 1: 40 PM for Richmond VA.

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January 3, 1960 Washington DC ends suburban and overhead trolley operations.

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January 3, 1962 First through train, Sydney to Melbourne.

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January 3, 1970 The Chesapeake & Ohio buys the Chicago, South Shore & South Bend.

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January 3, 2005 The Federal Railroad Administration publishes a "final rule" requiring reflective material on the sides of locomotives and freight cars as a safety measure to make trains more visible at highway-rail grade crossings. The rule requires railroads to install yellow or white reflective materials on locomotives over a 5-year period and on freight cars over a 10-year period.

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January 3, 2020 To try to increase public awareness of grade crossing dangers, the North Carolina Department of Transportation and Morrisville police place the remains of a car wrecked in a November 30 car/train collision at the site of the accident for 30 days to illustrate the damage caused to a car when it is hit by a freight doing 55 mph.

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Mark Tomlonson

January 2, 1832 Daniel K. Minor, publisher of the "New York American", publishes the first issue of the "American Railroad Journal". It is the first U.S. periodical devoted entirely to the railroad industry. It is the direct ancestor of "Railway Locomotives and Cars".

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January 2, 1871 The first train runs from Kalamazoo to South Haven on the Kalamazoo & South Haven Railroad.

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January 2, 1893 Standards are set for Railroad Timepieces, a vital necessity when most trains move by timetable and train order.

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January 2, 1901 The Detroit & Charlevoix Railroad (later MC) is chartered.

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January 2, 1913 The Cleveland Alliance & Mahoning Valley Railway becomes the last interurban in Ohio to open for business.

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January 2, 1916 Interurban service between Battle Creek and Grand Rapids via Richland begins. Between Battle Creek and Montieth the line uses former trackage of the Cincinnati Northern. From Montieth to Grand Rapids it uses new trackage constructed by the Chicago & Michigan.

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January 2, 1922 A train of 100 Pennsylvania steel boxcars carrying 500 Durant automobiles leaves Jersey City for California via the Overland Route. It is the largest transcontinental shipment of a single commodity to this date.

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January 2, 1930 The New York Central system acquires the lease of both the Michigan Central and "Big Four" lines.

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January 2, 1934 The Seaboard Air Line's "Orange Blossom Special" becomes the first Florida train to be completely air-conditioned.

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January 2, 1935 Chicago & North Western begins "400" service between Chicago and St. Paul, so named because the 400-mile trip is scheduled to take 400 minutes.

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January 2, 1938 First run of "The City Of San Francisco"

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January 2, 1958 The Litchfield & Madison Railway is merged with the Chicago & North Western.

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January 2, 1958 The New Haven Railroad drops 10 of its 38 New York-Boston trains and 4 of its 32 New York-Springfield trains.

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January 2, 1970 The world's then-largest freight car leaves Pittsburgh for Florida carrying an electric generator. The car can carry 1.2 million pounds, is 177 feet long and has 44 wheels.

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January 2, 1996 The Interstate Commerce Commission is replaced by the Surface Transportation Board.

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Mark Tomlonson

January 1, 1838 The United States Government contracts with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad to carry mail. The B&O is the first railroad in the U.S. to get a mail contract.

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January 1, 1850 The Vermont Central opens between Waterbury and Burlington.

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January 1, 1853 The Baltimore & Ohio reaches the Ohio River at Wheeling, Virginia.

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January 1, 1866 The first train arrives in Schoolcraft on the Schoolcraft & Three Rivers Railroad. [Later K&WP, LS&MS, NYC, PC, CR, NS, GDLK]

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January 1, 1867 A third rail for standard gauge equipment is placed in service on the broad-gauge Great Western Railway of Canada, opening a continuous standard-gauge line from Chicago to New York with the new train ferry Great Western between Detroit and Windsor. The Great Western is the largest iron or steel vessel on the Great Lakes. Through sleeping car service is inaugurated between Suspension Bridge (Niagara Falls) and Chicago.

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January 1, 1870 The first train into Kalamazoo on the Kalamazoo & South Haven Railroad. [Later MC, NYC, PC, CR]

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January 1, 1870 Grand River Valley Railroad completed from Jackson to Grand Rapids via Charlotte and Hastings [later MC, NYC, PC, KBECR].

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January 1, 1872 The Denver & Rio Grande Railway opens from Denver to Colorado Springs, a new town founded by General William J. Palmer.

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January 1, 1872 The Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore Railroad (later PM, C&O, CSX) reaches Pentwater MI from the south. Also today, the Grand Rapids & Holland Railroad completes a branch between its namesake cities for the C&MLS.

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January 1, 1874 Horsecar service begins between Belding and the Ionia & Lansing railroad in Kiddville.

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January 1, 1874 The Michigan portion of the Mansfield, Coldwater & Lake Michigan Railroad between Allegan and Monteith is leased to the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad.

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January 1, 1876 The North Brookfield Railroad (later B&A, NYC) is opened.

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January 1, 1877 The Toledo, Wabash & Western Railway reorganizes as the Wabash Railway.

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January 1, 1879 The Pennsylvania Company begins operating the Indianapolis & Vincennes Railroad. The line was leased on December 28.

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January 1, 1888 Tracks of the Minneapolis, Sault Ste. Marie & Atlantic Railway (later Soo Line) reach Sault Ste. Marie.

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January 1, 1899 South Central Station (now South Station) in Boston opens.

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January 1, 1900 The Pere Marquette Railroad is formed from the Chicago & West Michigan, Flint & Pere Marquette and Detroit, Grand Rapids & Western. It is Michigan's largest railroad. (Some sources say December 31, 1899)

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January 1, 1900 The Pullman Palace Car Co. buys out its major competitor, The Wagner Palace Car Co.

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January 1, 1900 The Pennsylvania Railroad establishes a company pension, with 70 set as the mandatory retirement age.

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January 1, 1902 The Wabash Railroad ceases operation of the Logansport & Toledo (later PRR, PC, CR) between Logansport and Butler. It is taken over by the Terre Haute & Indianapolis Railroad.

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January 1, 1905 The Terre Haute & Indianapolis, St. Louis, Vandalia & Terre Haute, Terre Haute & Logansport, Indianapolis & Vincennes and the Logansport & Toledo merge to become the Vandalia Railroad. (later PRR)

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January 1, 1907 The Pennsylvania Railroad discontinues its practice of publishing train schedules in daily newspapers.

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January 1, 1907 The Ft. Wayne & Springfield makes its first trip from Decatur to Ft. Wayne. Only the first 7 miles of the trip are run under wire, the remainder of the trip to Ft. Wayne is made attached to the construction train. Once in Ft. Wayne, the car enters street car track and again runs under wire to the depot.

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January 1, 1910 The Winona & Warsaw Railway, operating 3 1/3 miles between Warsaw and Winona Lake, begins operations under lease of the Winona Interurban Railway.

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January 1, 1913 To avoid buying new cars for service into Grand Central and Penn Station, the New Haven contracts with the Pullman Company to operate its lounge and sleeping cars.

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January 1, 1914 The world's first commercial airline with a regular schedule begins operation between St. Petersburg and Tampa FL. It will fail within four months.

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January 1, 1917 The Vandalia Railroad is merged with other Pennsylvania Railroad properties to become the PCC&StL Railroad.

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January 1, 1917 The Pennsylvania Railroad begins screening "The Americanization of Tony", a company film designed to teach citizenship to Italian employees.

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January 1, 1919 The Lebanon & Franklin Traction Company of Ohio quits.

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January 1, 1919 The Columbus, Magnetic Springs & Northern Railway (OH, Interurban) is abandoned.

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January 1, 1922 The New York Central leases the Toledo & Ohio Central.

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January 1, 1923 Britain's railroads are rationalized into four geographic groups.

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January 1, 1930 The Cincinnati & Lake Erie is organized out of the remnants of the Ohio Electric Railway et al. It offers through service between Cincinnati and Detroit on frequent headways. It is perhaps most famous for staging a race between one of its cars and a biplane, and winning.

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January 1, 1930 The Toledo & Ohio Central begins operations into Columbus Union Station.

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January 1, 1935 The Voroshilovgrad Locomotive Works delivers an Aa20-1 class locomotive. It is the first and only seven-coupled steam locomotive on a rigid frame. Designed by engineering students, the 4-14-4 engine is quickly withdrawn from service after it chews up miles of track and has to be nursed through any crossover or switch.

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January 1, 1936 The Pennsylvania Railroad marks the completion of its Philadelphia-Harrisburg electrification project with the arrival of GG1 4859 pulling the “Metropolitan” into Harrisburg.

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January 1, 1938 Railroads in the Netherlands are nationalized.

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January 1, 1948 British railways are nationalized, forming British Railways.

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January 1, 1949 The Pennsylvania Railroad begins using "Wassell Units", installing 2 for passenger reservations. They are consoles with 9 rotating drums holding reservation boards, and are operated by clerks who are in communication with ticket agents. PRR will install 8 more units at a later date.

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January 1, 1950 The Chicago Rock Island & Pacific acquires the Pullman Railroad, a shirt line operating in Calumet IL.

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January 1, 1953 Ten Pullman-Standard "Super Domes" join Milwaukee Road's "Hiawatha" fleet. They are the first Pullman-Standard dome cars to use curved glass.

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January 1, 1954 "K" style air brakes are banned

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January 1, 1954 EMD introduces its 567-C engine and the "9" line of diesels: GP-9, F-9 and SD-9, all rated at 1750 horsepower.

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January 1, 1955 The Pennsylvania Railroad drops the traditional free pass on its trains for officials and employees of other railroads.

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January 1, 1957 The Chicago & North Western Railroad leases the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway, aka "The Omaha Road".

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January 1, 1959 The Pennsylvania Railroad retires "Queen Mary", its last open-platform observation car in regular revenue service.

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January 1, 1960 The New York Central drops its membership in the Railway Express Agency, citing large losses from the express business.

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January 1, 1961 The Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic, and Wisconsin Central merge with the Soo Line.

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January 1, 1967 In honor of the Canadian Centennial, singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot debuts his "Canadian Railroad Trilogy".

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January 1, 1969 The New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad is added to Penn Central. The fomer lines become the New Haven Division with headquarters in New Haven CT.

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January 1, 1969 A 98-car Penn Central freight train traveling at 42 mph splits and breaks in two while passing another PC freight. The accident, at Dunreith IN, will burn and release toxic fumes for 10 hours. The fires spread to Dunreith, causing the evacuation of the town and the closing of US Route 40.

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January 1, 1971 Free transfer service between Chicago railroad stations ends.

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January 1, 1982 The Burlington Northern absorbs the Colorado & Southern.

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January 1, 1983 The Seaboard System is created with the Louisville & Nashville, Seaboard Coast Line and several smaller railroads.

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January 1, 1984 The Grand Trunk Western fully absorbs the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton.

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January 1, 1986 Remnants of the Milwaukee Road as well as the Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern become part of the Soo Line.

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January 1, 1990 The Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad is sold. The passenger operations are taken over by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transit District.

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January 1, 1994 The former East and West German railroad systems are united.

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January 1, 1996 Canadian National absorbs the operations of Grand Trunk and the Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific. Both roads remain as "paper" companies.

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January 1, 1998 In the United States, ditch lights are required on all locomotives operating over public crossings at more than 20 mph.

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January 1, 2005 General Electric begins production of its Evolution Series locomotives.

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Mark Tomlonson

December 31, 1849 The Hudson River Railroad opens to Poughkeepsie NY.

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December 31, 1852 The first Baltimore & Ohio train leaves Baltimore for Wheeling.

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December 31, 1853 First train to Clinton MI.

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December 31, 1853 Canada's Great Western Railway opens between Hamilton and London Ontario.

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December 31, 1869 The Central Pcific begins construction on a branch line through the San Joaquin valley.

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December 31, 1870 The Vermont Central Railroad leases The Rutland Railroad.

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December 31, 1878 The first standard gauge train leaves Buffalo NY for Jersey City NJ over the Erie Railroad after the Erie has laid a third rail within its 6-foot gauge on the main line.

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December 31, 1879 The Pennsylvania Railroad runs special trains between Jersey City and Menlo Park, carrying 3,000 people to a public exhibition of Thomas Edison's new electric light.

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December 31, 1883 Michigan Central carferry service at Detroit begins.

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December 31, 1887 Michigan's only international railroad bridge, the 1.2-mile series of spans across the rapids of the St. Mary's River at Sault Ste. Marie is opened. The double bascule spans are, at the time, the largest of this type of in the world.

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December 31, 1895 The General Power & Quick Transit Company places six 40-foot interurban cars in service between South Bend and Mishawaka IN. They are among the first cars built specifically for interurban use.

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December 31, 1900 The Monongahela Railroad is incorporated, owned 50/50 by the Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie.

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December 31, 1921 The Pennsylvania Railroad contracts with Fruit Growers Express to operate its refrigerator cars over the PRR. It also leases 5,927 refrigerator cars to FGE.

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December 31, 1922 All but three miles of the Springfield, South Charleston, Washington Court House & Chillicothe Traction Company (OH) is abandoned. The rest becomes an industrial spur.

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December 31, 1925 Last day of operations on the Dayton & Northern (interurban).

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December 31, 1930 General Motors buys Electro-Motive Corporation.

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December 31, 1930 Last day for streetcars in Zanesville OH.

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December 31, 1936 The Pennsylvania Railroad reports it has 1,100 air-conditioned passenger cars.

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December 31, 1945 The New Haven makes its last steamboat runs to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.

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December 31, 1949 Last day for streetcars in Toledo OH.

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December 31, 1951 Common-carrier rail service on Cyprus ends.

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December 31, 1952 The Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley Railroad (PA) drops its third rail interurban service and becomes freight only.

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December 31, 1955 Grand Trunk Western drops passenger service between Pontiac and Caseville MI. The last run carried one passenger: a reporter covering the event.

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December 31, 1957 The Norfolk & Western retires its experimental steam turbine locomotive "Jawn Henry" after a major turbine failure. Although given much support from N&W during its trial period, engineers cannot solve the problem of large operating costs.

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December 31, 1957 The Southern Railroad runs its last steam locomotive.

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December 31, 1958 The Pennsylvania Railroad drops the “Ohioan”, ending passenger service between Anoka Junction and Bradford.

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December 31, 1963 The Iowa Terminal acquires the Charles City Western. (IA Interurbans).

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December 31, 1968 The Pullman Co., owned by the railroads to provide sleeping car services, ceases all operations, primarily due to Penn Central's insistence that it staff its own cars.

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December 31, 1968 The last sleeper runs on the former Chicago & Alton, where George Pullman's first sleeper made its debut.

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December 31, 1978 All high-carbon steel wheels are to be removed from all rail equipment.

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December 31, 1978 The last intercity passenger trains on the Rock Island, which did not join Amtrak, make their last runs.

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December 31, 1983 All running boards are to be removed from box cars and refrigerator cars.

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December 31, 1985 Last day of operation for the remaining sections of the Milwaukee Road. It will be absorbed by the Soo Line.

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December 31, 1990 The Norfolk & Western Railway is leased by the Southern Railway. Both railroads have been owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation since its formation in 1982.

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December 31, 2011 The Canadian National fully absorbs the Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range and the Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific railroads. The two roads are placed in the CN-controlled Wisconsin Central Ltd. family.

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December 31, 2012 The Canadian National reorganizes its holdings in the former Elgin, Joliet & Eastern and places them in CN’s Wisconsin Central Ltd.

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Mark Tomlonson

December 30, 1829 As experiments in motive power continue, six persons travel over the Baltimore & Ohio in a sail car.

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December 30, 1853 The Gadsden Purchase is finalized. The land, bought from Mexico, is acquired primarily because it includes the best rail route between Texas and California. The land is now the southern portion of Arizona and New Mexico.

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December 30, 1862 The Central Transportation Company is incorporated, merging the sleeping car patents of T.T. Woodruff and Edward Knight of Philadelphia. The new company assumes operation of sleeping cars on the Pennsylvania and other railroads.

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December 30, 1869 The Ohio & Mississippi Railroad opens its Louisville Branch between North Vernon, IN and Jeffersonville, giving the Baltimore & Ohio system access to Louisville.

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December 30, 1871 Grand Duke Alexis of Russia and his party travel through Kalamazoo on their way to Chicago from Detroit, traveling via the Michigan Central Railroad. The Grand Duke tours rebuilding efforts following the Chicago Fire.

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December 30, 1889 The Hamilton & Lindenwald Electric Transit (OH) receives its charter.

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December 30, 1906 A train wreck at Terra Cotta near present day Fort Totten in Washington DC kills 52. The accident leads to the ICC banning future wooden body passenger car construction.

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December 30, 1927 The first subway in The Orient opens in Japan: The Ginza Line in Tokyo.

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December 30, 1960 The Soo Line is formed with the merger of the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic, Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie and Wisconsin Central railroads.

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December 30, 1963 Dayton Union Railway Company sells the old portion of Dayton Union Station to the city. The station will be demolished.

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December 30, 1968 The Long Island Railroad places its first M-1 "Metropolitan" cars in revenue service.

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December 30, 1969 RPO service between Detroit and Grand Rapids MI ends.

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December 30, 1976 Boeing LRV's begin serving on the MBTA.

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Mark Tomlonson

December 29, 1841 The Central Railroad of Michigan reaches Jackson from the east.

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December 29, 1876 The Lake Shore & Michigan Southern's train No. 5 "The Pacific Express" falls into the Ashtabula River in Ohio after the collapse of the bridge. Eleven of the passenger cars burn in a fire started by the car stoves. Sixty-four people are killed and 64 injured out of 159 people on board. It is the worst U.S. train wreck to date.

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December 29, 1901 The first test runs are made on the Grand Rapids, Grand Haven & Muskegon (MI Interurban).

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December 29, 1904 An agreement is signed to form the Vandalia Railroad (later PRR) from the merger of the Terre Haute & Indianapolis, St. Louis Vandalia & Terre Haute, Terre Haute & Logansport, Logansport & Toledo and the Indianapolis & Vincennes railroads. The agreement will take effect on January 1.

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December 29, 1925 The Pennsylvania Railroad holds its first annual Christmas Party at the Metropolitan Opera House in Philadelphia. Other parties are held at regional centers throughout the system.

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December 29, 1932 "Twentieth Century", a play by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur set on the famous New York Central passenger train opens on Broadway.

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December 29, 1939 The Pioneer Zephyr reaches one million miles in revenue service near Council Bluffs IA.

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December 29, 1953 The last electric train runs through the Detroit River tunnel. It's replaced by diesels.

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December 29, 1968 Penn Central abandons Albany Union Station in favor of a new station across the Hudson in Rensselaer. All trains now operate over formerly freight-only tracks through Albany.

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December 29, 1968 PATH announces it will build a new station beneath the under-construction World Trade Center.

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December 29, 2006 Six New Yorkers set a new Guinness World Record for riding the entire New York City subway system in the shortest period of time: 24 hours, 54 minutes and 3 seconds, breaking the previous record by over an hour and a half. The world record required that the participants visit all 468 stations in the subway system by boarding or exiting at or riding on-board a train that opened and closed its doors at each of those stations.

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December 29, 2011 An Illinois appeals court rules that the estate of a dead man can be sued by people injured by flying parts of his cadaver. The man died when struck by a METRA train in 2008. Court officials call the case "irregular, gory and creepy".

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Mark Tomlonson

December 28, 1825 George Featherstonhaugh (pronounced fen-shaw), of Duanesburgh NY, runs a newspaper notice announcing the formation of the Mohawk & Hudson Rail Road Company.

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December 28, 1829 The Baltimore & Ohio begins experimental excursions between Pratt Street and Carrollton Viaduct using a variety of cars, including a six-person car pulled by two dogs.

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December 28, 1860 The Pennsylvania Railroad Board declines a request by the American Railway Literary Union to place religious books and tracts in PRR passenger trains.

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December 28, 1878 The Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore Railroad becomes the Chicago & West Michigan Railroad. (later PM, C&O, CSX)

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December 28, 1879 The Tay Bridge over Scotland's Firth of Tay collapses in a gale with the loss of seventy-five persons. Although it was hailed as an "engineering triumph" when it was built three years earlier, the railway bridge has collapsed due to faulty design.

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December 28, 1889 The Newark & Granville Street Railway, the first electric interurban line in the United States, begins operations in Licking County OH.

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December 28, 1901 The Escanaba & Lake Superior Railway begins regular operations between Escanaba and Channing.

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December 28, 1910 With the opening of Penn Station, the Pennsylvania Railroad disposes of its former cab fleet of 82 carriages and 60 horses. They are no longer needed to carry passengers to and from the river ferries.

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December 28, 1912 The Municipal Railway of San Francisco, the first publicly-owned transit system in a large American city, begins operations.

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December 28, 1917 The United States Railroad Administration takes over operation of all U.S. railroads at 12:00 noon.

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December 28, 1918 The USRA establishes eight hours as the basic workday, with time-and-a-half the standard for overtime.

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December 28, 1921 The Pennsylvania Railroad abandons the Central Indiana Railway between Advance and Brazil IN and authorizes the enlargement of the yard at Richmond IN.

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December 28, 1955 A parade of 12 Brilliners and 8 War Board cars highlight the end of trolley service in Atlantic City, NJ. Atlantic City is the last trolley line in the Garden State to operate on a main street.

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December 28, 1972 Amtrak's French-built Turboliners begin service.

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Mark Tomlonson