- August 31
- 1877 – The first 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge railroad in America, the Billerica and Bedford Railroad, begins operations.
- 1937 – The French government and the five most important French railway companies sign an agreement creating the SNCF, for Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français, from the merging of these five companies. The creation became effective on January 1, 1938.
- 1955 – The Hudson and Manhattan Railroad begins experiments with air conditioning on its subway cars, a technology that the New York City Subway system declared impractical before then.
- 2004 – The United States Surface Transportation Board renews the authority of TTX Corporation (pictured) to continue pooling and leasing railroad rolling stock for ten more years, over the protests of other rolling stock leasing companies.
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