Events

January events

* January 13 – Opening of the Milan–Venice railway's bridge over the Venetian Lagoon between Mestre and

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

in Italy.

March events

* March 26 –

John M. Forbes John Murray Forbes (February 23, 1813 – October 12, 1898) was an American railroad magnate, merchant, philanthropist and abolitionist. He was president of both the Michigan Central railroad and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad in ...

becomes president of the

Michigan Central Railroad The Michigan Central Railroad (reporting mark MC) was originally incorporated in 1846 to establish rail service between Detroit, Michigan, and St. Joseph, Michigan. The railroad later operated in the states of Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois in ...

June events

* June 14 – The first

Gare du Nord The Gare du Nord (; English: ''station of the North'' or ''Northern Station''), officially Paris-Nord, is one of the six large mainline railway station termini in Paris, France. The station accommodates the trains that run between the capital ...

station in Paris, France, is opened. * June 20 – The Paris–Lille railway is opened in France. * June 22 – The

North British Railway The North British Railway was a British railway company, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1844, with the intention of linking with English railways at Berwick. The line opened in 1846, and from the outset the company followe ...

is opened to public traffic between Edinburgh and Berwick-upon-Tweed, the first line to cross the border between Scotland and England. Waverley Station is opened. * June 26 – The Great Northern Railway (Great Britain) is authorised by Act of Parliament with powers to construct a direct line from London to York with a loop via Boston, with a capital of £5,600,000, the largest single scheme ever approved by Parliament.

July events

* July 1 – The Leeds and Bradford Railway opens between Leeds and

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

, West Yorkshire, England. * July 15 – The first railway line in Hungary opens between

Pest Pest or The Pest may refer to: Science and medicine * Pest (organism), an animal or plant deemed to be detrimental to humans or human concerns ** Weed, a plant considered undesirable * Infectious disease, an illness resulting from an infection ** ...

and Vác. * July 16 – The

London and North Western Railway The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom. In 1923, it became a constituent of the Lo ...

is formed in England by amalgamation of the London and Birmingham Railway, Grand Junction Railway and Manchester and Birmingham Railway.

August events

* August 11 – First section of Furness Railway in England opens to mineral traffic; passengers are first carried on December 1. * August 18 – Gauge Act passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom rules that new railways in Great Britain should be built to

standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...

and 5 ft 3 inches in Ireland unless otherwise authorised. * August 28 –

Railway Mania Railway Mania was an instance of a stock market bubble in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the 1840s. It followed a common pattern: as the price of railway shares increased, speculators invested more money, which further incre ...

reaches its zenith as the Parliament of the United Kingdom closes its session having passed 272 Acts setting up new railway companies.

September events

* September 21 – The town of

Kendal Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England, south-east of Windermere and north of Lancaster. Historically in Westmorland, it lies within the dale of th ...

, England, declares a public holiday for the opening of the Kendal, Oxenholme and Lancaster section of the

Lancaster and Carlisle Railway The Lancaster and Carlisle Railway was a main line railway opened between those cities in 1846. With its Scottish counterpart, the Caledonian Railway, the Company launched the first continuous railway connection between the English railway networ ...

; the first revenue trains are operated on September 22. * September 28 – The East Lancashire Railway opens to the public from

Clifton Junction Clifton railway station is a railway station in Clifton, Greater Manchester, England which was formerly called Clifton Junction. It lies on the Manchester–Preston line. History The railway line between Salford and , the Manchester and Bolton ...

to Rawtenstall in England.

November events

* November 10 – Portland Company established by John A. Poor and Septimus Norris of the Norris Locomotive Works.{{cite book, title=The Grand Trunk in New England, author=Holt, Jeff, publisher=Railfare, year=1985, isbn=0-919130-43-7, page=124

December events

* December 17 – The

is opened throughout to

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...

Births

April births

* April 13 –

Lucius E. Johnson Lucius E. Johnson (April 13, 1846 – February 9, 1921) was a president of the Norfolk and Western Railway from September 30, 1903, until the mid teens, when he was named chairman of the board, a position he held until his retirement on Janua ...

, president of the

Norfolk and Western Railroad The Norfolk and Western Railway , commonly called the N&W, was a US class I railroad, formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It was headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, for most of its existence. Its motto was "Precis ...

1904–1921 (d. 1921).

October births

* October 6 – George Westinghouse, American inventor; developed the

Westinghouse air brake The Westinghouse Air Brake Company (sometimes nicknamed or abbreviated WABCO although this was also confusingly used for spinoffs) was founded on September 28, 1869 by George Westinghouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Earlier in the year he had ...

(d. 1914).