1929 in rail transport
Encyclopedia
Events
January events
- First of an eventual 863 Great Western RailwayGreat Western RailwayThe Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
5700 ClassGWR 5700 ClassThe Great Western Railway 5700 Class is a class of 0-6-0 pannier tank steam locomotive, built between 1929 and 1950. 863 were built, making them the second most-produced British class of steam locomotive.- Overview :...
0-6-00-6-0Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
pannier tank steam locomotiveSteam locomotiveA steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s to C. B. CollettCharles CollettCharles Benjamin Collett was chief mechanical engineer of the Great Western Railway from 1922 to 1941. He designed the GWR's 4-6-0 Castle and King Class express passenger locomotives.-Career:...
's design completed at its Swindon WorksSwindon WorksSwindon railway works were built by the Great Western Railway in 1841 in Swindon in the English county of Wiltshire.-History:In 1835 Parliament approved the construction of a railway between London and Bristol. Its Chief Engineer was Isambard Kingdom Brunel.From 1836, Brunel had been buying...
, England. - January 1 – Paul ShoupPaul ShoupPaul Shoup was an American businessman, president and later vice-chairman of the Southern Pacific Railroad in the 1920s and 1930s, a founding board member of the Stanford University School of Business, and founder of the community of Los Altos, California.-Family:He was the third of five children...
takes over the presidency of the Southern Pacific Company, parent company of the Southern Pacific RailroadSouthern Pacific RailroadThe Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
. - January 12 – Great Northern Railway (U.S.) opens replacement Cascade TunnelCascade TunnelThe Cascade Tunnel refers to two tunnels at Stevens Pass through the Cascade Mountains, approximately to the east of Everett, Washington. The first Cascade Tunnel was a 2.63-mile long single track railroad, built by the Great Northern Railway in 1900 to avoid problems caused by heavy winter...
, at 7.8 mi (12.6 km) the longest through tunnel in North America.
March events
- March 1 – Sixty-nine railroads buy the American Railway Express Company and rename it Railway Express AgencyRailway Express AgencyThe Railway Express Agency was a the national monopoly set up by the Untied States federal government in 1917. Rail express services provided small package and parcel transportation using the extant railroad infrastructure much as UPS functions today using the road system...
. - March 20 – Yaga StationYaga Station (Hiroshima)is a JR West Geibi Line station located in 5-chōme, Yaga, Higashi-ku, Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.-History:*1929-03-20: Yaga Station opens*1937-07-01: Switching equipment at Yaga station is expanded...
in 5-chōme, Yaga, Higashi-kuHigashi-ku, Hiroshimais one of the eight wards located in Hiroshima, Japan. It is located on the uppermost delta of the Ōta River.Within Higashi-ku is the Fudoin Temple in Ushita-shinmachi. Fudoin dates back to the 14th century and was built by Shogun Takauji Ashikaga as one of 60 Ankoku-ji temples which were...
, Hiroshima, Hiroshima PrefectureHiroshima Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Hiroshima.- History :The area around Hiroshima was formerly divided into Bingo Province and Aki Province. This location has been a center of trade and culture since the beginning of Japan's recorded...
, 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...
, opens.
April events
- April 10 – The Randsfjord Line and Sørland Line in Norway take electric traction into use between DrammenDrammenDrammen is a city in Buskerud County, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the eastern and most populated part of Norway.-Location:...
and KongsbergKongsbergis a town and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is located at the southern end of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsberg....
.
May events
- May – Charles E. Denney succeeds John J. BernetJohn J. BernetJohn Joseph Bernet was president of the Nickel Plate Road, Erie Railroad, Chesapeake and Ohio Railway and Pere Marquette Railroad in the United States...
as president of the Erie RailroadErie RailroadThe Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, originally connecting New York City with Lake Erie...
.
June events
- June 29 – The last scheduled train runs on the MaineMaineMaine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
narrow gaugeNarrow gaugeA narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
Kennebec Central Railroad.
July events
- July 7 – The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe RailwayAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe RailwayThe Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
and 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....
begin air/rail service between New York and Los Angeles. Trip time is cut from 100 to 80 hours.
August events
- August 6 – The Ghan begins operation in AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
under its current name. - August 26 – For the first time, Canadian National RailwayCanadian National RailwayThe Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
uses diesel locomotiveDiesel locomotiveA diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
s to power a passenger train, with unit number 9000 on the second section of the International LimitedInternational (passenger train)The International was a named passenger train originally operated by the Great Northern Railway between Seattle, Washington, and Vancouver, British Columbia...
between MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
November events
- November 1 – The Southern RailwaySouthern Railway (Great Britain)The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
celebrates the 21st "birthday" of the Southern Belle passenger train with ceremonies at each end of the train's route between 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...
and BrightonBrightonBrighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
.
December events
- The last Willamette locomotiveWillamette locomotiveThe Willamette locomotive was a geared locomotive of the Shay locomotive type, built by the Willamette Iron and Steel Works of Portland, Oregon...
is built for Neils Lumber Company of Klickitat, WashingtonKlickitat, WashingtonKlickitat is a census-designated place in Klickitat County, Washington, United States. The population was 417 at the 2000 census.Klickitat is an unincorporated town located along the Klickitat River. Once the site of a lumber mill it is now primarily a bedroom community. The closest major town in...
. - December 1 – Underground Electric Railways Company of LondonUnderground Electric Railways Company of LondonThe Underground Electric Railways Company of London Limited , known operationally as The Underground for much of its existence, was established in 1902. It was the holding company for the three deep-level "tube"A "tube" railway is an underground railway constructed in a circular tunnel by the use...
officially opens its notable new headquarters building at 55 Broadway55 Broadway55 Broadway is a notable building overlooking St. James's Park in London. It was designed by Charles Holden and built between 1927 and 1929, and in 1931 the building earned him the RIBA London Architecture Medal...
, above St. James's Park tube stationSt. James's Park tube stationSt James's Park is a London Underground station near St James's Park in the City of Westminster. It is served by the District and Circle Lines and is between Victoria and Westminster stations. It is in Travelcard Zone 1....
, designed by Charles HoldenCharles HoldenCharles Henry Holden, Litt. D., FRIBA, MRTPI, RDI was a Bolton-born English architect best known for designing many London Underground stations during the 1920s and 1930s, for Bristol Central Library, the Underground Electric Railways Company of London's headquarters at 55 Broadway and for the...
. - December 10 – 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...
discontinues streetcar service between Carling Avenue and the Experimental Farm.
Unknown date events
- Henry deForestHenry deForestHenry Wheeler De Forest was an American railroad executive.He was chair of the executive committee of the Southern Pacific Railroad from 1925 to 1928, and chair of its board of directors from 1929 to 1932....
assumes the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Southern Pacific Company. - ALCOAmerican Locomotive CompanyThe American Locomotive Company, often shortened to ALCO or Alco , was a builder of railroad locomotives in the United States.-Early history:...
purchases McIntosh and Seymour Diesel Engine Company for further manufacturing of diesel engineDiesel engineA diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
s that will be installed in subsequent ALCO locomotiveLocomotiveA locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s. - Buenos Aires Great Southern RailwayBuenos Aires Great Southern RailwayThe Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway was one of the Big Four broad gauge, , British-owned companies that built and operated railway networks in Argentina...
in ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
takes delivery for suburban service of three diesel locomotiveDiesel locomotiveA diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
s built by Armstrong WhitworthArmstrong WhitworthSir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. Headquartered in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth engaged in the construction of armaments, ships, locomotives, automobiles, and aircraft.-History:In 1847,...
in conjunction with Sulzer BrothersSulzer (manufacturer)Sulzer Ltd. is a Swiss industrial engineering and manufacturing firm, founded by Salomon Sulzer-Bernet in 1775 and established as Sulzer Brothers Ltd. in 1834 in Winterthur, Switzerland. Today it is a publicly owned company with international subsidiaries...
, the first passenger diesels built in the U.K.United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... - The Lake Superior and Ishpeming RailroadLake Superior and Ishpeming RailroadThe Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad , a U.S. railroad offering service from Marquette, Michigan, to nearby locations in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, began operations in 1896...
ends passenger train operations. - London & North Eastern Railway adopts Eric GillEric GillArthur Eric Rowton Gill was a British sculptor, typeface designer, stonecutter and printmaker, who was associated with the Arts and Crafts movement...
's Gill SansGill SansGill Sans is a sans-serif typeface designed by Eric Gill.The original design appeared in 1926 when Douglas Cleverdon opened a bookshop in his home town of Bristol, where Eric Gill painted the fascia over the window in sans-serif capitals that would later be known as Gill Sans...
typefaceTypefaceIn typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
for its publicity material.
Births
- March 9 – Roger TallonRoger Tallon- Biography :After studying as an engineer , Tallon was employed by Caterpillar France and DuPont. In 1953, he joined Technès, the technical and aesthetic studies office founded in 1949 by the father of industrial aesthetics Jacques Viénot, and Jean Parthenay...
, FrenchFrench peopleThe French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
industrial designer (d. 20112011 in rail transport- January events :* 10 January – Regular through passenger service from Wuhan to Wanzhou over the complete new Yiwan Railway in China starts...
)