1899 in rail transport
Encyclopedia
February events
- February 9 – Minneapolis and St. Louis RailwayMinneapolis and St. Louis RailwayThe Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway was an American Class I railroad that built and operated lines radiating south and west from Minneapolis, Minnesota which existed for 90 years from 1870 to 1960....
purchases the Minneapolis, New Ulm and Southern.
March events
- March 12 – Southern Railway in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
inaugurates the Piedmont LimitedPiedmont LimitedThe Piedmont Limited was a named passenger train operated by the Southern Railway in the southern United States. For most of its life it was a New York—New Orleans, Louisiana train, operating over the same route as the more famous Crescent Limited...
passenger train service. - March 15 – Marylebone StationMarylebone stationMarylebone station , also known as London Marylebone, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. It stands midway between the mainline stations at Euston and Paddington, about 1 mile from each...
, the new LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
terminusTerminal StationTerminal Station is a 1953 film by Italian director Vittorio De Sica. It tells the story of the love affair between an Italian man and an American woman. The film was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival.-Production:...
of the Great Central RailwayGreat Central RailwayThe Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
, is opened. - March – The first of Victora's 2'6" Narrow-gauge railwaysNarrow gauge lines of the Victorian RailwaysThe former Victorian Railways, the state railway authority in Victoria, Australia built a number of experimental narrow gauge railway lines around the beginning of the 20th century. Although all were closed by the early 1960s, parts of two have been reopened as heritage railways.- Background :A...
opens between WangarattaWangaratta railway station, VictoriaWangaratta is a railway station on the North East railway in the city of Wangaratta, Victoria, Australia. Passenger services are provided by V/Line trains Albury-Wodonga service, as well as CountryLink XPT services between Melbourne and Sydney.-Facilities:...
and WhitfieldWhitfield, VictoriaWhitfield is an agricultural township in the King Valley in north-eastern Victoria.- Overview :The township is immediately west of the flood-prone King River and has State Forest to its west and east. Agriculture extends along several stream valleys which are tributaries of the King River...
.
April events
- April 15 – Chicago's Lake StreetLake Street Elevated RailroadThe Lake Street Elevated Railroad was the second permanent elevated rapid transit line to be constructed in Chicago, Illinois. The first section of the line opened on November 6, 1893, and its route is still used today as part of the Green Line route of the Chicago 'L' system.-Beginnings:The Lake...
'L' is extended at grade level beyond the City Limits at 52nd AvenueLaramie (CTA)Laramie is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, serving the Green Line. It opened on April 29, 1894 as a terminus of the Lake Street Elevated Railroad. It is the first station above Lake Street as the line follows an elevated embankment to Harlem/Lake.- Bus connections :CTA* ...
and reaches AustinAustin, ChicagoAustin, located on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois, is the largest of the city's 77 officially defined community areas, followed by Lake View. Its eastern boundary is the Belt Railway located just east of Cicero Avenue. Its northernmost border is the Milwaukee District/West Line...
. On May 15, it is extended into suburban Oak ParkOak Park, IllinoisOak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...
.
June events
- June 18 – Canadian Pacific RailwayCanadian Pacific RailwayThe Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
inaugurates the Imperial LimitedImperial LimitedThe Imperial Limited was the Canadian Pacific Railway's premier passenger train across Canada between Montreal, Quebec and Vancouver, British Columbia. It began operation June 18, 1899, seven days a week as a seasonal service supplementing the six days per week eastward Atlantic Express and its...
passenger train between Montreal, Quebec, and Vancouver, British Columbia.
July events
- July 21 – The Burgdorf-Thun Railway in SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
becomes the first to operate with an alternating currentAlternating currentIn alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current , the flow of electric charge is only in one direction....
electrification systemRailway electrification systemA railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
, using a three-phaseThree-phaseIn electrical engineering, three-phase electric power systems have at least three conductors carrying voltage waveforms that are radians offset in time...
overhead at 750 V 40 Hz. - July 23 – After successfully lobbying for a change in CanadianCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Federal regulations and a new city by-law to allow the service, the Ottawa Electric RailwayOttawa Electric RailwayOttawa Electric Railway Company was a streetcar public transit system in the city of Ottawa, Canada, part of the electric railway streetcars which operated between 1891 and 1959...
begins Sunday operations. - July 30 – The Terminal Railroad Association of St. LouisTerminal Railroad Association of St. LouisThe Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis is a terminal railroad owned by railroads in St. Louis, Missouri which handles traffic through its metropolitan area.-Components:It was founded in 1889 in a deal orchestrated by Jay Gould by:...
is formed to handle switching and transfer chores in St. LouisSt. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. The sponsoring railroads are the Missouri Pacific RailroadMissouri Pacific RailroadThe Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers, including the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway , Texas and Pacific...
, Iron Mountain and Southern, Wabash RailroadWabash RailroadThe Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including trackage in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri and Ontario. Its primary connections included Chicago, Illinois, Kansas City, Missouri, Detroit,...
, Ohio and Mississippi RailroadOhio and Mississippi RailroadThe Ohio and Mississippi Railway was a railroad operating between Cincinnati, Ohio, and East St. Louis, Illinois, from 1857 to 1893.General Ormsby M. Mitchel was a civil engineer on this project....
, Louisville and Nashville RailroadLouisville and Nashville RailroadThe Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business...
and the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad.
August events
- August 8 – Atlantic Coast Line RailroadAtlantic Coast Line RailroadThe Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was an American railroad that existed between 1900 and 1967, when it merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, its long-time rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad...
predecessor Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company of South Carolina acquired from the Central of Georgia its half-interest in the lease of the Georgia Railroad; the ACL now had direct access to Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
.
September events
- September 18 – The Gyeongin LineGyeongin LineThe Gyeongin Line is a railway mainline in South Korea, currently connecting Guro Station in Seoul and Incheon. Passenger transport along the line is integrated into Seoul Subway Line 1.-History:...
, predecessor Noryangjin to Jemulpo, and the first railway line built on the Korean peninsulaKorean PeninsulaThe Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.Until the end of...
, opens.
November events
- November 8 – Jōbu Railway is founded in JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. - November 15 – The New York Central railroad leases the Boston and Albany RailroadBoston and Albany RailroadThe Boston and Albany Railroad was a railroad connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Albany, New York, later becoming part of the New York Central Railroad system, Conrail and CSX. The line is used by CSX for freight...
.
Unknown date events
- Maine Central RailroadMaine Central RailroadThe Maine Central Railroad Company was a railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. It operated a mainline between South Portland, Maine, east to the Canada-U.S...
Calais Branch was completed connecting Washington County, MaineWashington County, MaineWashington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. In 2010, its population was 32,856. Its county seat is Machias.Sometimes referred to as "Sunrise County" because it is the easternmost county in the United States, and it is often where the rising sun first shines on the 48...
to the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rail network. - William Cornelius Van HorneWilliam Cornelius Van HorneSir William Cornelius Van Horne, KCMG was a pioneering Canadian railway executive.-Life and career:Born in 1843 in rural Illinois, he moved with his family to Joliet, Illinois when he was eight years old...
retires as president of Canadian Pacific RailwayCanadian Pacific RailwayThe Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
; he is succeeded by Thomas George Shaughnessy. - Alexander J. Cassatt becomes president of the Pennsylvania RailroadPennsylvania RailroadThe Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
. - American Car and Foundry is formed from the merger of 13 smaller rolling stock manufacturers across the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. - Southern Car and Foundry, later to become part of American Car and Foundry, is founded in Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, TennesseeMemphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. - Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto RailwayNiagara, St. Catharines and Toronto RailwayThe Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Railway is a historic Canadian railway that operated in southern Ontario from 1899 to 1959.The NS&T was an interurban electric railway located in the Niagara Peninsula. It was based in St...
began operations in Ontario, Canada. - Establishment in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, of The Railway ClubThe Railway ClubThe Railway Club is the oldest society for railway enthusiasts in the world. It was formed in 1899. The club provides regular meetings of general railway interest, and members have access to a club room and library located in London, UK.-External links:*...
, the oldest society in the world for railway enthusiastRailfanA railfan or rail buff , railway enthusiast or railway buff , or trainspotter , is a person interested in a recreational capacity in rail transport...
s.
- William TruesdaleWilliam TruesdaleWilliam H. Truesdale was an American railroad executive, primarily known for his service as President of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad at the turn of the 20th century....
becomes President of the Lackawanna Railroad, and initiates a bold plan to upgrade the road's facilities.
January births
- January 15 – Robert Stetson MacfarlaneRobert Stetson MacfarlaneRobert Stetson Macfarlane was president of Northern Pacific Railway 1951-1966.He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 15, 1899, the son of Walker K. and Blanche Macfarlane. He married Vivian Clemans on February 21, 1925; together they had Anne , Mary , Robert, Jr., and Vivian Robert...
, president of Northern Pacific RailwayNorthern Pacific RailwayThe Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the west along the Canadian border of the United States. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in...
1951-1966, is born.
Unknown date births
- John W. Barriger IIIJohn W. Barriger IIIJohn Walker Barriger III was an American railroad executive; he successively led the Monon Railroad, Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad and the Boston and Maine Railroad...
, president of the Monon RailroadMonon RailroadThe Monon Railroad , also known as the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway from 1897–1956, operated almost entirely within the state of Indiana...
1946–1953, Pittsburgh and Lake Erie RailroadPittsburgh and Lake Erie RailroadThe Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad , also known as the "Little Giant", was formed on May 11, 1875. Company headquarters were located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The line connected Pittsburgh in the east with Youngstown, Ohio at nearby Haselton, Ohio in the west and Connellsville, ...
1954–1964, Missouri-Kansas-Texas RailroadMissouri-Kansas-Texas RailroadThe Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad was incorporated May 23, 1870. In its earliest days the MKT was commonly referred to as "the K-T", which was its stock exchange symbol; this common designation soon evolved into "the Katy"....
1965–1970 and the Boston and Maine RailroadBoston and Maine RailroadThe Boston and Maine Corporation , known as the Boston and Maine Railroad until 1964, was the dominant railroad of the northern New England region of the United States for a century...
1973–1974 (d. 1976).
September deaths
- September 12 – Cornelius Vanderbilt IICornelius Vanderbilt IICornelius Vanderbilt II was an American socialite, heir, businessman, and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family....
, president of the New York Central system (b. 1843).