February 21, 1804 Richard Trevithick, on a bet, mounts a stationary steam engine on wheels and pulls 10 tons of iron (the amount in the bet) plus 5 wagons and 70 men 16 km (9.75 miles) at an average speed of 5 mph. The engine was heavy enough to break some of the iron plates in the tramway it was running over. Trevithick collected 500 Guineas (2024: $79,000) on the bet. The demonstration also proves that smooth wheels on a smooth iron rail could do useful work, although there were issues with traction. (Some sources put this event on February 13)
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February 21, 1843 Michigan authorizes an extension of the Central (later MC, NYC, PC, CR, NS) and Southern (later MS, MS&NI, LS&MS, NYC, PC, CR, NS) Railroads and the Clinton & Kalamazoo Canal in anticipation of proceeds from an 1841 land grant.
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February 21, 1851 The first train runs between Cleveland and Columbus on the Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati Railway. (later CCC&StL, NYC)
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February 21, 1879 The Senate Commerce Committee passes a bill on transporting livestock, sponsored by Senator John R. McPherson. The Bill reads that livestock must not be carried in railroad cars more than 28 hours at a time, but may be carried for 60 hours if fed and watered in cars. (Senator McPherson and his friends have recently obtained patents for devices that allow this.)
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February 21, 1880 The Pennsylvania Railroad begins posting the 1:00 a.m. weather report from the U.S. Signal Office in principal railroad stations.
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February 21, 1883 Five convicts escape form Sing Sing prison using a New York Central & Hudson River Railroad switch engine.
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February 21, 1900 The Chicago Junction, Chicago Rock Island & Pacific, Michigan Central, and Pennsylvania railroads agree to joint operation of the Calumet Western Railroad in Calumet IL.
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February 21, 1900 The City of New York awards Subway Contract No. 1 to build a line from City Hall up 4th Avenue, 42nd Street and Broadway.
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February 21, 1935 The New Haven receives the last of its 50 new lightweight air-conditioned coaches. The new cars have been purchased through the Federal Emergency Administrator of Public Works.
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February 21, 1936 Streamline shrouding designed by Raymond Loewy is applied to Pennsylvania Railroad K-4s Pacific #3768.
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February 21, 1947 General Electric releases its final report on its coal-burning turboelectric locomotive. The units are more expensive to build and operate than comparable diesel-electric locomotives. General Electric scraps its project.
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February 21, 1951 Pullman's experimental "Train X" receives its first over-the-road test. A prototype car is evaluated on tracks between the Pullman-Standard plant in Hammond IN and nearby Griffith.
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February 21, 1954 An SNCF electric train hits 151 mph in tests, setting a world's record.
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February 21, 1954 Since Mississippi does not require advance notice, Gulf Mobile & Ohio terminates the Mississippi portion of their "Little Rebel" trains in mid-run. Passengers are taken by bus and car to their destinations.
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February 21, 1967 The last horse used in Great Britain to switch railroad cars is retired in Newmarket, Suffolk.
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February 21, 1968 The last "Golden State" arrives in Chicago on the Rock Island, on time.
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February 21, 1981 MBTA discontinues passenger service to Rhode Island
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February 21, 1985 The Soo Line acquires the Milwaukee Road. They will operate the line as a subsidiary.
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February 22, 1850 The Columbus & Xenia Railroad (later Little Miami, PCC&StL, PRR, PC, Conrail) is completed between its namesake Ohio cities. It is the first railroad in Ohio to be built with T-Rail (as opposed to strap rail) in its original construction. (Some sources say Feb 21.)
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February 22, 1851 The Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati RR (later Big Four) is completed and service begins between Cleveland and Columbus.
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February 22, 1852 The Buffalo & State Line Railroad (later LS&MS) opens between Buffalo and the NY/PA state line near Erie.
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February 22, 1854 The Chicago & Rock Island Railroad completes its line between Chicago and Rock Island, IL. It is the first railroad to reach the upper Mississippi River.
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February 22, 1855 The first common carrier railroad in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the Iron Mountain Railroad (later DSS&A, SOO, CN, GDLK) is charted.
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February 22, 1856 The first railroad in California, the Sacramento Valley (later Southern Pacific) is opened between Sacramento and Folsom.
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February 22, 1863 Construction begins on the Central Pacific Railroad.
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February 22, 1866 The first railroad bridge over the Hudson between Albany and Greenbush opens, linking the New York Central and the Hudson River Railroads. NYC will begin running through trains between New York and Buffalo, but in summer will still deliver most freight to the river steamers.
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February 22, 1867 The Pullman Palace Car Company is incorporated in Illinois.
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February 22, 1881 The Kankakee & Seneca Railroad is incorporated. Running 49 miles between its two namesake Illinois towns, it is intended to be a link between the Rock Island and CCC&StL railroads? It will run until 1933.
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February 22, 1890 The Peoria & Eastern Railroad is chartered (some sources say February 21). The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis takes control.
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February 22, 1910 The Interstate Commerce Commission denies a petition filed by several railroads to allow them to increase their shipping rates to cover recent wage increases.
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February 22, 1919 The Pennsylvania Railroad halts work on a new freight yard in West Philadelphia. Laid out in 1914, it is now deemed too short for the longer freights trains created by heavier steam locomotives. Expanding the yard is deemed too difficult.
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February 22, 1920 The Milwaukee Road stages a pushing match (no drawbar could withstand a tug-of-war) between 2-6-6-2 Mallet 9520 and brand new bi-polar electric 10254. The bi-polar wins. A similar contest between two steam engines will be staged in 1930 for the movie "Danger Lights" starring Jean Arthur.
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February 22, 1938 Santa Fe's "El Capitan", offering coaches and “Lunch Counter” food service cars begins weekly Chicago-Los Angeles service.
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February 22, 1960 Canadian Pacific runs its last steam locomotive in regular service as 4-6-2 #76 arrives in Montreal.
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February 22, 2002 A gas cylinder on a stove explodes on a train running between Cairo and Luxor Egypt, killing 383.
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February 22, 2015 The London Daily Mail publishes a story on the “Wonderful World of Trains and Planes” model railroad exhibition in Birmingham, England. One scene in the display includes a train at a German WWII concentration camp. Reaction to the model is mixed, ranging from “a concentration camp is not entertainment” to “history needs to be out where it can be seen”.
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February 23, 1852 The Potsdam & Watertown Railroad (later RW&O, NYC) is chartered.
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February 23, 1855 The Hudson & Boston Railroad (later B&A) acquires the Hudson & Berkshire Railroad at foreclosure sale.
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February 23, 1861 President-elect Lincoln arrives in Washington for his inaugural on the Baltimore & Ohio.
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February 23, 1864 The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania authorizes the Pennsylvania Railroad to tunnel under a house of worship without consent, clearing the way for construction of Grants Hill Tunnel in Pittsburgh.
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February 23, 1892 The Cincinnati, Jackson & Mackinaw becomes the Michigan & Mackinaw Railroad.
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February 23, 1893 Rudolph Diesel receives a patent for his new engine design.
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February 23, 1926 The Pennsylvania Railroad announces it has let a contract for six 2-D-2, 3,730 HP electric passenger locomotives to Westinghouse. The car bodies are to be built at Altoona. The locomotives will see service between Penn Station and Manhattan Transfer.
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February 23, 1938 Opera Star Lily Pons christens the Reading's "Crusader" streamliner. The 5-car train has been in service for several months without a name. "Crusader" was chosen in a contest.
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February 23, 1944 The 100-foot turntable at the Pennsylvania Railroad's Conway Yard is replaced by a 110-foot turntable. The new turntable will accommodate PRR's Duplex locomotives.
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February 23, 1945 The Treuchtlingen railway station in Bavaria is hit by Allied bombers. Over 600 are killed and 1500 injured, Germany’s worst railway disaster.
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February 23, 1947 Great Northern's "Empire Builder" is given new, streamlined equipment.
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February 23, 1956 The Board of the Pennsylvania Railroad authorizes building a new line to serve the Olin-Mathieson aluminum plant in Hannnibal OH. The branch, built on the grade of the unfinished Marietta & Ohio of 100 years earlier, is the last major line built by PRR.
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February 23, 2000 Conrail's Milwaukee Jct. Tower in Detroit is closed.
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February 23, 2024 Kloosterboer International Forwarding and Alaska Reefer Management are fined $9.5 million for violating the Jones Act. Their scheme involved the “Bayside Canadian Railway”. BCR has 100 feet of track and one flatcar and was used to move shipments of fish from Canada to Maine to take advantage of a loophole in the Act.
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Mark Tomlonson
