Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
In Great Britain, a longtime transportation era came to an end when the mail trains known as Travelling Post Offices made their final runs. “Mail trains have reached the end of the line,” proclaimed BBC News. “After more than 160 years of service, the Travelling Post Office – where post is sorted en route on... Continue Reading →
French civil engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, who achieved international renown for creating the landmark tower bearing his name but also carved out a substantive legacy in transportation, died in Paris at the age of 91. He was listening to Beethoven’s 5th Symphony at the time. “Although Eiffel was known to America principally for the tower... Continue Reading →
In southeast France, Emil Jellinek took delivery of a pioneering type of automobile at a railway station in the city of Nice. The German-born Jellinek was a longtime Vienna native who first lived in Nice as an Austrian diplomat. After his diplomatic career came to an end, Jellinek continued to spend a great deal of... Continue Reading →
Swedish sailing pioneer Dagmar Mörner Salén died in Stockholm at the age of 79. She was born into Swedish nobility in 1901 in the city of Örebro. In 1931, she married Sven Salén (1890-1969). Along with being a highly regarded songwriter, he was a businessman who founded and operated the shipbuilding firm Salén Lines (part... Continue Reading →
The M6 motorway was fully opened in the Republic of Ireland. This road, combined with the M4 motorway, serves as a key connection between the cities of Dublin and Galway. (Motorways constitute the highest category of roads in Ireland; the designation for these routes begins with the letter M and may include up to three... Continue Reading →
A new pedestrian-and-bicycle bridge crossing the river Rhône and representing intercultural harmony was completed in Lyon, France. The Passerelle de la Paix (Peace Bridge) had been commissioned by the Urban Community of Lyon (also known as Grand Lyon) – a government subdivision within east-central France that was reorganized as the Metropolis of Lyon in 2015... Continue Reading →
In Ireland, a form of integrated ticketing for a cross-section of transit networks made its debut in the Dublin region. The Leap Card is a prepaid card that can be used for public transportation services such as Dublin Bus, the Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) system, Iranród Éireann (Irish Rail), and Luas tram/light rail network.... Continue Reading →
In Finland, a naming ceremony was held at Arctech Helsinki Shipyard for a pioneering icebreaker. The naming contest for the new vessel had been launched by the Finnish Transport Agency during the summer of 2014. The winning entry for this contest was Polaris, the name for the major navigational star commonly known as the North... Continue Reading →
Photo by Magnus Gertkemper: The Adler replica from 1935 on its first trip after the reconstruction in 2008. The Bavarian Ludwig Railway (Ludwigsbahn), the first steam-powered railway line in what is now Germany, began operations between the cities of Nuremberg and Fürth. (At the time, this region of present-day Germany was part of the Kingdom... Continue Reading →
More than a half-century after establishing a record for walking around the world, Dumitru Dan died in the city of Buzău in his native Romania at the age of 88. His path to international fame began in 1908 while he was a student in Paris. The Touring club de France initiated a contest for circumnavigating... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 