October 20, 1854 Kingston Locomotive Works, the predecessor of the Canadian Locomotive Company, completes its first locomotive.
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October 20, 1872 The first closed track circuit is installed in Kinzua, PA. Invented by Dr. William Robinson, the circuit is the basic building block of electric railroad signaling systems.
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October 20, 1880 James J. Hill signs a contract with the Dominion of Canada to build a railroad from Montreal to Vancouver within ten years. He will do it in five.
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October 20, 1881 Construction of the Pontiac, Oxford & Port Austin Railroad (later GTW) begins in Caseville, bringing rail service to Michigan's "Thumb" area.
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October 20, 1883 The Oberlin & LaGrange Railway (OH, later NYC) is chartered.
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October 20, 1890 The Great Northern begins construction of its Pacific Extension at Havre MT.
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October 20, 1891 The Kewuanee, Green Bay & Western (later GB&W) is completed.
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October 20, 1893 Fond du Lac WI experiments with an electric streetcar system. The experiment will end next year.
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October 20, 1900 Construction officially begins on the Grand Rapids, Grand Haven & Muskegon (MI Interurban). Some preparatory work began last month.
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October 20, 1920 The Association of American Railroads issues standards for stenciling reporting marks on the sides of freight cars.
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October 20, 1925 The Boston & Maine uses a diesel switcher for the first time.
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October 20, 1928 The Great Northern "holes through" on the new Cascades Tunnel.
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October 20, 1931 To create a pretext for the invasion of Manchuria, a railway explosion is faked by Japanese troops.
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October 20, 1953 The Pennsylvania Railroad hires its first African-American brakeman. It agrees to eliminate its "Whites Only" rule in hiring conductors.
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October 20, 1954 To commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Horseshoe Curve, the Sylvania Electric Products Corporation sponsors a night shot of the Curve using more than 6500 flashbulbs.
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October 20, 1957 The Pennsylvania Railroad runs a "Farewell to Steam" excursion between New York and Sea Girt NJ.
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October 20, 1980 The Southern Pacific buys the former Rock Island line from Kansas City to Tucumcari NM. The Katy buys the Rock's former Herrington KS to Dallas line and renames it the "Oklahoma, Kansas & Texas".
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Mark Tomlonson
