Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
In Oregon, the Astoria and Columbia River Railroad (A&CR) was incorporated to build a long-deferred line connecting the port city of Astoria – located near where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean -- with the rest of the United States. The Salem-based Statesman Journal reported, “The capital stock is fixed at $2,000,000, with A.B.... Continue Reading →
A pioneering railway officially began operations in the city of Liverpool in northwestern England at seven o’clock in the morning. In reporting on the first runs of the railway’s trains that day, the Liverpool Echo noted that “the carriages appear to be fairly well filled with passengers.” The Liverpool Overhead Railway, which originally spanned five... Continue Reading →
Frederick Douglass, who became a leading statesman and abolitionist of unsurpassed eloquence, was born into slavery on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. (As was the case with many other slaves, Douglass grew up not knowing the exact date of his birth; ultimately, however, he chose February 14 as the date for celebrating his birthday each year.) By... Continue Reading →
Construction began on a tunnel for the Northern Pacific Railway in the Cascade Mountains of the Territory of Washington. (A little less than four years later, Washington became the 42nd state.) The site selected for the tunnel was just south of Stampede Pass. Work on the Stampede Tunnel commenced with the operation of hand drills... Continue Reading →
The Sand Springs Railway in northeastern Oklahoma was incorporated. By that May, the railway formally began operations on 8.6 miles (13.8 kilometers) of track between the community of Sand Springs and the city of Tulsa. The major force behind the new railway was a Wisconsin-born businessman and philanthropist named Charles Page. He and his family... Continue Reading →
Internationally renowned railroad executive Ralph Budd died in Santa Barbara, California, at the age of 82. His obituary in the New York Times noted, “Mr. Budd, a bulky, exuberant man who spent a half-century on railroading, approached the work with the drive of a locomotive churning through a tunnel.” Budd had been born on a... Continue Reading →
In southeastern Massachusetts, the first segment of the Cape Cod Branch Railroad was opened. This 14.7-mile (23.7-kilometer) section was built between the towns of Middleborough and Wareham in Plymouth County. By that May, an additional 12.9 miles (20.8 kilometers) of the railroad had been extended to the town of Sandwich on Cape Cod (conterminous with... Continue Reading →
Carl von Ghega, who established himself as one of the leading transportation engineers of the Austrian Empire, was born in Venice, Italy. (At the time of von Ghega’s birth, Venice was under Austrian rule.) His father was an Austrian Navy officer, but von Ghega pursued engineering as his life’s work instead. After studying mathematics in... Continue Reading →
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 →
After a couple of decades of planning and development, the first high-speed railway system in Taiwan made its public debut when two of the new line’s trains both departed from the Banqiao station in New Taipei City at 7:00 a.m. These trains, each traveling at 186 miles (300 kilometers) per hour, then made their way... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 