Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
September 26, 1895 A complex of two railroad truss bridges in what was then the Kingdom of Romania was formally opened. (The Kingdom of Romania remained in existence until 1947, when it was replaced by the Romanian People’s Republic; that communist state – eventually renamed the Socialist Republic of Romania – stayed intact until 1989... Continue Reading →
September 3, 2006 A railway line in the southern area of Finland began regular train runs. This 47-mile (75.7-kilometer)-line serves as a link between the town of Kerava and the city of Lahti. The start of daily operations for the Kerava-Lahti railway line took place a couple of days after several events commemorating the new... Continue Reading →
April 30, 1978A special preview run took place for a passenger train that would serve a recently authorized commuter rail line between Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. This train was named the Chesapeake. It was one of three trains, each with four cars, leased by the Maryland Department of Transportation for Amtrak to operate on the... Continue Reading →
February 4, 1936 The British documentary film Night Mail, recounting a rail-based postal delivery service that spanned both England and Scotland, had its premiere. This screening took place at the newly opened Cambridge Arts Theatre in Cambridge, England. A little over 23 minutes in length, this GPO Film Unit documentary was directed and produced by both Harry... Continue Reading →
January 2, 1935 The Chicago and North Western (C&NW) Railway formally inaugurated its 400 passenger train service between Chicago, Illinois, and Saint Paul, Minnesota, with a final stop in Minneapolis. This train, which would later be renamed “The Twin Cities 400,” was called “400” in part as an homage to “The Four Hundred Club.” (This phrase... Continue Reading →
September 17, 1871 Within the Alps mountain range in Europe, a tunnel connecting the French commune of Modane with the Italian town and commune of Bardonecchia was officially opened to rail traffic. This transportation route runs through the region of the massif known as Mont Cenis and beneath both the Pointe du Fréjus (a mountain)... Continue Reading →
July 22, 1893 Here’s proof that transportation not only gets you from point A to point B but can also be inspirational. . . It was on this date that 33-year-old Katharine Lee Bates, an English professor at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, found herself taking in a majestic view from atop the Colorado-based mountain Pikes... Continue Reading →
Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery in Maryland in 1849. She subsequently risked her life to help others from that state likewise escape to freedom. As an Underground Railroad conductor in those years prior to the American Civil War, Tubman led about 70 enslaved people to the North. In addition, it has been estimated that Tubman... Continue Reading →
January 17, 2004 In Australia, the first freight train to travel on the Adelaide-Darwin railway line in its entirety reached the end of its long journey. This long-anticipated line serves as a major transportation link between the cities of Adelaide, the capital of the state of South Australia; and Darwin, the capital of Australia’s Northern... Continue Reading →
November 21, 1925 The deluxe passenger train “Orange Blossom Special” made its first regular run between New York and Florida. The Orange Blossom Special, which was characterized at that time by the North Carolina-based News and Observer as “one of the finest of trains,” came about thanks to Seaboard Air Line (SAL) Railroad President S.... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 