November 9, 1867 The Paw Paw Railroad, at 4 miles Michigan's shortest common carrier, begins operation between Paw Paw and Lawton. (Some sources place this event earlier, in September or October 1867.)
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November 9, 1869 The Pennsylvania Railroad hosts several dignitaries for a demonstration of the Westinghouse air brake between West Philadelphia and Paoli. Another train operates between Pittsburgh-Philadelphia. PRR has had several successful tests of the air brake since the first failure in September.
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November 9, 1874 The Miami Valley Narrow Gauge Railway is incorporated in Ohio to build from Cincinnati to Xenia via Mason, Lebanon and Waynesville. Part of the line will use the old roadbed of the Cincinnati, Lebanon & Xenia Railroad.
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November 9, 1878 The Detroit & Milwaukee Railway is reorganized as the Detroit, Grand Haven & Milwaukee (later GT).
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November 9, 1885 The line over Cajon Pass is completed by the California Southern, a subsidiary of the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe.
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November 9, 1895 The last horsecar runs in Detroit.
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November 9, 1903 Streetcars begin service in French Lick IN.
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November 9, 1921 President Harding signs the Federal Highway Act of 1921, creating a system of numbered U.S. Highways. These highways are to serve every county seat.
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November 9, 1923 The Pennsylvania Railroad carries 1,700 Marines in five special trains to the University of Michigan football game in Ann Arbor.
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November 9, 1941 Thirteen people are killed when a Pennsylvania Railroad train wrecks at Dunkirk OH. Derailed cars on an adjacent track fouled the main line, resulting in the collision.
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November 9, 1951 The Texas & Pacific becomes the first southwestern railroad to drop steam. Train 28, pulled by 2-8-2 #800 from Shreveport to New Orleans closes the final curtain.
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November 9, 1953 Canadian National opens its 144-mile branch to the mines at Lynn Lake, Manitoba.
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November 9, 1953 Canadian Pacific begins using RDC's on some branch lines.
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November 9, 1953 The Pennsylvania Railroad places specially modified diesels on its Madison IN incline.
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November 9, 1955 The Norfolk & Western and Pennsylvania railroads along with Rail-Trailer Company of Chicago form Trailer Train Corporation to own and lease interline COFC and TOFC equipment.
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November 9, 1958 J.J. Wright of the New York Central announces he has developed a weigh-in-motion device for freight cars using absorbed radioactivity to determine the weight.
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November 9, 1963 A crash involving a freight train and two passenger trains in Tsurumi, outside Tokyo, kills 161.
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November 9, 1965 The failure of a power plant in Ontario near Niagara Falls causes a 13-hour blackout in New York City. The Pennsylvania Railroad's catenary power, coming from New Jersey is unaffected, however electric track switch motors in Penn Station are. Track switches are spiked and trains will be operated at reduced levels until power is restored tomorrow.
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November 9, 1969 Passenger trains on the Baltimore & Ohio, Chesapeake & Ohio and Pere Marquette routes into Chicago begin using Chicago & North Western Station following the closing of Grand Central Station yesterday.
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November 9, 1979 Burlington Northern opens the Powder River Basin in Wyoming.
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November 9, 2006 Lionel Trains (and Easy-Bake Ovens) are inducted into the "Toy Hall of Fame".
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November 9, 2011 Thirty years after the original was sold for scrap, a new 50-foot flagpole is installed on top of the former Buffalo [NY] Central Terminal tower.
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Mark Tomlonson
