Events
January events
* January 1 – The
Ilford rail crash in England kills ten.
* January 15 – The final spike is driven on the
transcontinental
Transcontinental may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* "Transcontinental", a song by the band Pedro the Lion from the album ''Achilles Heel''
* TC Transcontinental, a publishing, media and marketing company based in Canada, a subsidiary o ...
Canadian Northern Railway at
Basque, British Columbia
Basque, British Columbia, is located in the province of British Columbia, Canada, near the village of Ashcroft. It is the post office and whistlestop-crossing on the historic Basque Ranch
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain ...
.
March events
* March 7 –
San Diego's Union Station officially opens, ushering in a new era of rail transport for the City.
* March 15 – The
Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway
The Monon Railroad , also known as the Chicago, Indianapolis, and Louisville Railway from 1897 to 1971, was an American railroad that operated almost entirely within the state of Indiana. The Monon was merged into the Louisville and Nashville Ra ...
, later known as the Monon Railroad, acquires control of the
Chicago and Wabash Valley Railroad.
April events
*
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railroad locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, in the early 20th century. The company was for decades t ...
delivers the first of 280
Péchot-Bourdon locomotives for the
French trench railways on the
Western Front (World War I)
The Western Front was one of the main theatres of war during the First World War. Following the outbreak of war in August 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of impor ...
.
* April 15 – Musashino Railway Line,
Ikebukuro of Tokyo to
Hannō route officially completed in Japan.(as predecessor of
Seibu Ikebukuro Line
The is a railway line of the Japanese private railway operator Seibu Railway. It originates at Ikebukuro Station, a large railway junction in north-western Tokyo, extending to northwest suburbs as far as Tokorozawa, Saitama, and nominally term ...
).
* April 20 – The
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway enters receivership with
J. M. Dickinson and
H. U. Mudge appointed as receivers.
May events
* May 8 –
Schwyzer Strassenbahnen (SStB) opens connecting
Ibach,
Schwyz
The town of Schwyz (; french: Schwytz; it, Svitto) is the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland.
The Federal Charter of 1291 or ''Bundesbrief'', the charter that eventually led to the foundation of Switzerland, can be seen at the '' ...
, and
Brunnen Schifflände, Switzerland.
* May 22 – In the
Quintinshill rail crash
The Quintinshill rail disaster was a multi-train rail crash which occurred on 22 May 1915 outside the Quintinshill signal box near Gretna Green in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, United Kingdom. It resulted in the deaths of over 200 people, and remain ...
, four trains including a troop train collide, the accident and ensuing fire causing 226 fatalities and injuring 246 people at
Quintinshill,
Gretna Green
Gretna Green is a parish in the southern council area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on the Scottish side of the border between Scotland and England, defined by the small river Sark, which flows into the nearby Solway Firth. It was historica ...
, Scotland; the accident is blamed on negligence by the signalmen during a shift change at a busy junction.
June events
* June 22 –
BMT Sea Beach Line opens as a
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October 2 ...
line and
AB Standard cars enter service.
August events
* August 1 –
Estación Retiro in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
,
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, opens.
* August 14 – The
Weedon rail crash in England kills ten.
* August 28 – The first train operates over the regauged
Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway using
gauge
Gauge ( or ) may refer to:
Measurement
* Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments
* Gauge (firearms)
* Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire
** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, es ...
equipment.
September events
* September 11 – The
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...
begins electrified commuter rail service between
Paoli and
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, using overhead AC trolley wires for power.
* September 14 – The funeral train for
William Cornelius Van Horne
Sir William Cornelius Van Horne, (February 3, 1843September 11, 1915) is most famous for overseeing the construction of the first Canadian transcontinental railway, a project that was completed in 1885, in under half the projected time. He succe ...
departs
Windsor Station (Montreal)
Windsor Station (french: Gare Windsor) is a former railway station in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It used to be the city's Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) station, and served as the headquarters of CPR from 1889 to 1996. It is bordered by Avenue de ...
at 11:00
AM bound for
Joliet, Illinois
Joliet ( ) is a city in Will County, Illinois, Will and Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the cit ...
; the train is pulled by
CP 4-6-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and two trailing wheels on one axle. The locomotiv ...
no. 2213.
October events
* October 1 –
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison, Kansas, Atchison and Top ...
introduces the ''
Navajo
The Navajo (; British English: Navaho; nv, Diné or ') are a Native American people of the Southwestern United States.
With more than 399,494 enrolled tribal members , the Navajo Nation is the largest federally recognized tribe in the United ...
''
passenger train
A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self pr ...
in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
-
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
-
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
service as a replacement for the ''
Tourist Flyer
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...
''.
* October 27 –
Keihan Electric Railway,
Tenmabashi of Osaka via
Hirakata to
Sanjo of Kyoto route officially complete in Japan.
* c. October 30 –
Railway to Beersheba opens.
November events
* November 6 – The
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (also known as the DL&W or Lackawanna Railroad) was a U.S. Class 1 railroad that connected Buffalo, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey (and by ferry with New York City), a distance of . Incorporated in ...
's
Tunkhannock Viaduct, with 10 arches totalling 2,375 ft (724 m) in length and 240 ft (73.15 m) from creekbed forming the world's largest reinforced concrete structure at this date, is officially opened.
December events
* December 16 –
William Kissam Vanderbilt is found to be in violation of antitrust laws in the United States because the
New York Central
The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Midw ...
owns a controlling interest in the
Nickel Plate Road
The New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad , abbreviated NYC&St.L, was a railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. Commonly referred to as the "Nickel Plate Road", the railroad served parts of the states of New York (state), Ne ...
, both of which Vanderbilt owns.
* December 17 – The
St Bedes Junction rail crash
The accident at St Bedes Junction was one of several serious accidents in 1915. It featured a double collision and fire fuelled by gas, characteristics shared by a much worse accident that year at Quintinshill rail disaster, Quintinshill. Ther ...
in England kills nineteen people.
Unknown date events
* First
Russian locomotive class Ye 2-10-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-10-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, ten powered and coupled driving wheels on five axles, and no trailing wheels. This arrangement was of ...
s built in North America. By the end of World War II, more than three thousand will have been built to the same basic design.
Births
September births
* September 11 –
Carl Fallberg, cartoonist who created
Fiddletown & Copperopolis (died 1996).
December births
* December 10 –
William N. Deramus III
William Neal Deramus III (December 10, 1915 – November 15, 1989) was an American railroad executive; he led the Chicago Great Western Railway (CGW), the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, and the Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS) through perio ...
, president of
Chicago Great Western Railway 1949–1957,
Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad 1957–1961,
Kansas City Southern Railway
The Kansas City Southern Railway Company is an American Class I railroad. Founded in 1887, it operates in 10 midwestern and southeastern U.S. states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and ...
1961–1973, is born (died 1989).
Deaths
May deaths
* May 20 –
Charles Francis Adams Jr., president of the
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
1884–1890 (born 1835).
September deaths
* September 11 –
William Cornelius Van Horne
Sir William Cornelius Van Horne, (February 3, 1843September 11, 1915) is most famous for overseeing the construction of the first Canadian transcontinental railway, a project that was completed in 1885, in under half the projected time. He succe ...
, oversaw the major construction of the
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...
, youngest superintendent of
Illinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also co ...
(born 1843).
References
{{reflist
* Colin Churcher's Railway Pages (August 16, 2005),
Significant dates in Canadian railway history'. Retrieved September 13, 2005.