February 6, 1815 John Stevens of Hoboken NJ is granted the first charter to build a railroad in the United States, the New Jersey Railroad Company. The line is never built. (Some sources say 1816).
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February 6, 1835 The Buffalo & Mississippi Railroad (later NI, LS&MS) is chartered to run from Buffalo NY to the Mississippi River.
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February 6, 1837 The Buffalo & Mississippi Railroad changes its name to the Northern Indiana Railroad (later LS&MS). The line will manage to do some grading between Michigan City and La Porte IN before the money runs out.
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February 6, 1843 Through service begins between Albany and Buffalo with a gap at Rochester. The journey over several rail lines takes two days, with an overnight stop at Syracuse eastbound and Auburn westbound to avoid night running in winter.
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February 6, 1862 Pennsylvania Railroad executive and Assistant Secretary of War Tom Scott begins a trip scouting railroads in the Midwest for possible use against the South. The knowledge Scott gains will be called on during the PRR's postwar expansion.
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February 6, 1871 A New York Central & Hudson River passenger train strikes a derailed oil car near New Hamburg NY. The resulting fire kills 22.
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February 6, 1873 The Springfield, Athol & Northeastern Railroad (later B&A) is formed to rename the Athol & Enfield Railroad.
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February 6, 1879 Henry Roe Campbell, a pioneering Civil Engineer and the inventor of the 4-4-0 type steam locomotive, dies at the age of 72.
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February 6, 1883 The first train from New Orleans via the Southern Pacific’s new “Sunset Route” reaches San Antonio. The first train from Los Angeles will arrive in San Antonio tomorrow.
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February 6, 1891 The Dalton gang robs its first train.
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February 6, 1908 The Kanauga Traction Company opens, operating with gas-electric cars between Gallipolis OH and Point Pleasant WV.
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February 6, 1908 The Florida East Coast opens its Florida Keys Extension to Knights Key, 47 miles from Key West, with a boat connection to Havana.
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February 6, 1951 Pennsylvania Railroad's "The Broker" is routed onto a temporary wooden overpass, built to allow construction of a permanent bridge over the New Jersey Turnpike. The train derails due to excessive speed. Some cars fall off the overpass, killing 85 of the 1,100 passengers. It is the deadliest U.S. train wreck since World War II. It is the third deadliest in US History.
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February 6, 1952 The New York Central approaches a consulting firm to study NYC's operating losses and to tailor its passenger services to actual demand.
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Mark Tomlonson
