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This Weekend in RR History
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December 4, 1820 John Stevens proposes to build a railroad from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. He also offers to build a quarter-mile demonstration railroad on Market Street in Philadelphia. ? December 4, 1830 Construction of the Camden & Amboy begins at Bordentown NJ. ? December 4, 1877 The Eel River Railroad, running between Logansport and Butler, is incorporated in Indiana as a reorganization of the Detroit, Eel River & Illinois Railroad. ? December 4, 1891 For the first time in the United States, four trains are involved in one accident. In East Thompson CT, three trains collide at a level crossing, and a fourth slams into the wreckage two minutes later. Despite massive property damage, only three persons are killed. A March, 1953 wreck in Conneaut OH will also involve 4 trains. ? December 4, 1900 The new Grand Rapids MI Union Station opens. ? December 4, 1910 The Pennsylvania Railroad announces that through passenger business at New York is up 15% after the opening of Penn Station. Most long distance trains have been given additional cars. ? December 4, 1920 The Grand Rapids & Indiana organizes a Veterans' Association. ? December 4, 1946 The Pennsylvania Railroad orders its first two F3 freight road diesels from EMD. The A-B-B-B-A units are rated at 7,500 HP per set. ? December 4, 1955 What had been the world's longest trolley line, Chicago's 25-mile 36 (Broadway-State) PCC line, is broken into 2 routes. The State Street portion from the Loop to 120th and Morgan is converted to bus operation. ? December 4, 1961 The Rutland Railroad applies for abandonment. ? December 4, 1967 Pennsylvania Railroad's premier train, the "Broadway Limited" loses its all-Pullman status as coaches are added to the consist. ? December 4, 1999 Salt Lake City resumes light-rail service. ? December 4, 2003 Russia opens the Severomuisk Tunnel. Ten miles long, it has taken over 25 years to complete. ? December 4, 2004 The Minneapolis LRT opens the last four miles of the 12-mile Hiawatha Corridor, adding the MSP airport (stops at both terminals), an office park in central Bloomington, and the Mall of America to the line. ? December 5, 1868 The Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne & Chicago Railroad (later PRR) Board appoints a committee to settle a dispute between the Grand Rapids & Indiana (later PRR) and the Kalamazoo, Allegan & Grand Rapids Railroad (later LS&MS, NYC) so that there will be a single north-south line in Michigan. The committee will fail in its mission. Both railroads will build between Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. ? December 5, 1870 The last independent Kalamazoo & South Haven timetable is printed in the Kalamazoo Gazette. Timetables after this date will be printed as "Kalamazoo Division, Michigan Central Railroad". ? December 5, 1872 The Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore donates $5,000 to the new University of Pennsylvania Hospital. In return, the railroad is entitled to one free bed for use of injured employees or passengers. ? December 5, 1877 The Pennsylvania Company Board authorizes the reduction of gauge from 4' 10" to 4' 9". ? December 5, 1881 The first all-Pullman train in England runs from London to Brighton. It is also the first train lit by electricity. ? December 5, 1885 The New York Central & Hudson River Railroad leases the West Shore Railroad. ? December 5, 1905 Plans are approved for Potomac Yard in Washington DC. The yard will serve as a major transfer point between Northern and Southern lines. ? December 5, 1915 Debut of the Katy's "Texas Special". ? December 5, 1915 The Missouri Pacific/Nationales de Mexico "Sunshine Special" begins operations between St. Louis and Los Angeles with a second segment between St. Louis and Mexico City. ? December 5, 1921 Louisville & Nashville introduces the "Pan American". ? December 5, 1935 The New York Post Office is extended over the tracks leading to Penn Station. Tower A is now covered. ? December 5, 1948 The New York Central combines "The Pacemaker" and "The Advance Commodore Vanderbilt". Also combined: the eastbound "Fifth Avenue Special" and the "Interstate Express". Eliminated: the Michigan Central "North Shore Limited". ? December 5, 1989 France's TGV train hits 300 mph for the first time. ? December 5, 2003 The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers votes to merge their union with the Teamsters. ? December 5, 2008 The Honda assembly plant at Greensburg IN ships its first automobiles by rail. The cars are taken by the Central Railroad of Indiana, owned by RailAmerica, to Cincinnati, where they are interchanged with NS and CSX. ? December 5, 2017 Amtrak begins using the renovated Lincoln IL station. The building, built in 1911, had not been used for rail service for 30 years. ? December 6, 1903 Indiana Union Traction Company opens its Indianapolis to Kokomo route. ? December 6, 1917 In the largest explosion to this date, two ships collide and explode in Halifax NS. The “Imo” is loaded with ballast, the “Mont Blanc” with explosives. Roughly 2,000 people are killed when the “Mount Blanc” explodes. The city is devastated. Included in the losses: Intercolonial Railway's station (later CN) and associated facilities. ? December 6, 1935 The first modern escalator is placed in service, at New York's Penn Station. ? December 6, 1971 Auto-Train Corporation begins operations between Lorton VA and Sanford FL. ? December 6, 2005 The State of New Mexico signs an agreement with BNSF to buy almost 300 miles of track between Belen NM through Raton Pass to Trinidad CO. The state will use the line for commuter and light-rail service. BNSF retains overhead rights and freight customers. Amtrak will also use the line. ? December 6, 2006 A German passenger train traveling through Muenster goes into emergency when a soccer ball hits the air brake line between the engine and the first car. The driver was able to effect repairs within 8 minutes. No child on the adjoining soccer pitch claimed responsibility for the errant ball. ? December 6, 2010 Los Angeles' Metrolink unveils its new Hyundai Rotem cars. The first one will enter service next week, with the full order of 137 expected to be in operation by December 2012. ? December 6, 2018 The remains of the 41st U.S. President, George H.W. Bush, are carried from Houston to College station TX in a train pulled by Union Pacific locomotive 4141. Locomotive 4141 had been painted previously in the colors of Air Force One to honor Mr. Bush. Mr. Bush becomes the eighth President to have a funeral train. ? |
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December 4, 1949 To alleviate traffic congestion on the busy Broad-Erie-Germantown intersection in North Philadelphia and improve trolley service on route 23, a new southbound terminal loop was installed by laying new rail on Venango Street from 13th to Germantown. It replaced the off-street loop on Germantown Avenue at Butler Street which was converted to a bus terminal for routes H and Z. Boarding platforms and a passenger waiting room were constructed on the Butler Street location.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? December?4, 1955 As a result of the Broadway-State conversion, Chicago's Broadway PCC cars and StBBate Street buses ran together in the Loop; Broadway PCCs terminated at Polk Street and State Street buses terminated at Grand Avenue. Also, former trolley route 52 (Kedzie-California), converted to bus operation on May 30, 1954, was reconverted to trolleybus operation.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? December 5, 1948 Los Angeles trolley route B (Brooklyn-Hooper) was converted to trolleybus operation as route 2.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? December 6, 1954 The last New Jersey trolley line to operate on a main street, the Atlantic Avenue-Longport line in Atlantic City, was cut back from Longport to the Douglas Avenue loop in upper Margate; shuttle buses provided service from that location to Longport. During that winter, in a move to reduce operating costs, War Board cars and Fort Wayne cars ran regularly because the Brilliners were using up too much electricity.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Off-topic but of particular interest:? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?December 5, 1952 Philadelphia became the first city in the United States to ban downtown street parking from Callowhill to Lombard Streets between the rivers.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Dennis M Linsky On Fri, Dec 4, 2020, 7:49 AM Mark Tomlonson via <tomlonson=yahoo.com@groups.io> wrote:
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