January 9, 1830 Ground is broken in Charleston, South Carolina for the South Carolina Canal & Rail Road (later SRR, NS). It will be the first railroad in South Carolina to use steam locomotives. In 1833 its 136-mile length will earn it the title of world's longest railroad.
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January 9, 1850 A freight train crew on the Pennsylvania Railroad that had earlier run into the rear of a passenger train is disciplined. It is the first mention of a wreck on the PRR.
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January 9, 1882 The first train from Cincinnati OH to Dayton on the Cincinnati Northern (narrow gauge, not the later NYC ancestor) leaves Cincinnati. It will not arrive in Dayton, however, until January 12th due to poor track work.
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January 9, 1882 The re-opened Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad, now owned by Jay Gould and converted to standard gauge, opens between Huron and Massillon OH.
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January 9, 1891 The Ann Arbor & Ypsilanti Street Railway begins service using a small steam car. A trial run had been made on January 3.
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January 9, 1897 Today’s “Literary Digest” carries an article on the Fitchburg MA trolley system, which has fitted a former flatcar with traction motors, armor plate, two 6 pound (3 ? inch) cannons and one 18 pound (5 1/8 inch) cannon. The car’s designers christen it “The McKinley”, style it like a battleship, and hope that it will aid the navy in coastal defense against the Spanish fleet. Other than providing a campaign float for William McKinley’s Presidential bid, it never sees service.
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January 9, 1955 The departure of the 20th Century Limited from New York is broadcast live on the television show "Omnibus".
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January 9, 1969 The Canadian National pulls the Turbotrain from service due to problems operating in winter conditions.
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January 9, 2022 The last Budd R32 “Brightliner” runs on the New York City Transit system. They first ran in 1965, making them the longest-serving type of subway car in the world.
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January 9, 2022 In Pacoima CA, a pilot of a Cessna 172 makes an emergency landing on a city street. The plane and pilot come to rest on a grade crossing. Rescue workers free the pilot moments before the plane is struck by a Metrolink train. No one is hurt.
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Mark Tomlonson
