October 23, 1882 The New York, Chicago & St. Louis ("The Nickel Plate Road") officially begins operations.
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October 23, 1906 The Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen present a demand for an 8-hour day for switchmen working in the Chicago Switching District.
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October 23, 1928 The Pennsylvania Railroad forms the "Keystone Container Car Company" to operate its new LCL container service. The new company will compete with the New York Central's "L.C.L. Corporation". The first service by the Keystone Company will be one week from today between Philadelphia and New York.
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October 23, 1929 The Pennsylvania Railroad announces it has placed an order for 100 additional Class M1 4-8-2's for fast freight service. Fifty of the locomotives will come from Baldwin, 25 from Lima and 25 from Juniata.
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October 23, 1929 The first transcontinental air service, New York to Los Angles, begins.
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October 23, 1956 The New Haven begins testing its version of "Train X": a bi-directional set with Baldwin-Maybach diesel hydraulic locomotives at each end.
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October 23, 1959 Grand Trunk Western 4-8-4 6325 is donated to the City of Battle Creek and placed on display in a city park.
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October 23, 1996 Norfolk Southern offers a counter to CSX's bid for Conrail of eight days previous, triggering a bidding war.
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October 23, 2004 A Japanese "Bullet" train derails for the first time since the service was inaugurated in 1964. The train was traveling at 135 mph when an earthquake caused the derailment. There were no injuries.
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October 24, 1853 The Cleveland & Toledo RR (later LS&MS) is completed Cleveland to Sandusky OH
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October 24, 1871 Toledo, Peoria & Western Railroad opens a branch between La Harpe and Lomax on the Chicago Burlington & Quincy.
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October 24, 1877 The first trials of rioting strikers in Pittsburgh gets underway.
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October 24, 1910 The Pennsylvania Railroad takes delivery of its first P54 suburban coach. The all-steel cars are assigned to local service out of Penn Station.
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October 24, 1918 The secretary to the Mayor of Boston boards the 20th Century Limited with enough flu vaccine to inoculate 17,000 San Franciscans. It is hoped that the vaccine will halt the spread of the “Spanish” flu pandemic. The vaccine will prove to be useless.
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October 24, 1956 The world's first PCC car, Brooklyn 1001, is given to the Shore Line Trolley Museum, its present home.
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October 24, 1959 Pullman service ends on the Bangor & Aroostook.
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October 24, 1959 Last run of the Canadian Pacific/Boston & Maine "Red Wing".
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October 24, 1959 Last in-service run of Norfolk & Western 611, class J 4-8-4 Northern. The last run is an excursion, a precursor to the locomotive’s extensive fan trip career.
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October 24, 1960 Vice President Richard Nixon leaves Washington DC via the Pennsylvania Railroad on his only whistle-stop tour of the campaign.
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October 24, 1995 The sale of the former Kalamazoo, Lake Shore & Chicago trackage between Hartford and Paw Paw to Pioneer Railcorp is finalized. Pioneer will operate the line as "West Michigan Railroad Company".
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October 24, 1996 Wisconsin Central buys the ex-Chicago & North Western lines in the U.P. from UP.
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October 25, 1848 The Galena & Chicago Union Railroad (later C&NW) runs the first steam locomotive out of Chicago. Named "Pioneer" it had worked for the Michigan Central as the "Alert" constructing the line west of Kalamazoo. The locomotive has been preserved.
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October 25, 1854 The broad gauge (5'6") Carillon & Greenville Railway opens near Hawkesbury ON as a portage railway around Hawkesbury Rapids. On this date in 1910 it will close, having become the last broad gauge railroad in North America.
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October 25, 1873 The first train operates from Auburn Jct. to Butler IN on the Detroit, Eel River & Illinois Railroad. (later ERRR, L&T, TH&I, Vandalia, PCC&StL, PRR, PC, CR)
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October 25, 1923 The Pennsylvania Railroad's first Class M1 4-8-2 locomotive is completed at Juniata. Designed for dual service, they will be used mostly for freights.
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October 25, 1926 The Detroit, Toledo & Ironton begins using Pullman-built gas-electric cars between Delray and Bainbrdge OH. The new equipment cuts travel time from 11 to 9 ? hours.
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October 25, 1958 New York Central passenger service between Bay City and Midland MI comes to an end.
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October 25, 1959 The New York Central adds Budd Slumbercoaches (which it names "Sleepercoaches") to the "20th Century Limited". Coaches are removed, returning the "Century" to all-sleeping car status.
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October 25, 1964 Observation lounge cars with a Master Room are restored to the "Broadway Limited".
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October 25, 1978 The ex-Delaware & Hudson PA's leave the U.S. for Mexico.
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Mark Tomlonson
