| Category:Rail transport timelines |
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This article lists anniversary events related to rail transport that occurred on May 17.
Events edit
19th century edit
- 1853 – The New York Central Railroad is formed through the merger of ten smaller railroads in New York under the direction of Erastus Corning.
- 1879 – The Texas and St. Louis Railway, a predecessor of St. Louis Southwestern Railway, is organized as a way to ship cotton south to Texas.[1]
- 1885 – Gare d'Oyonnax in France is opened by the Minister of Public Works.
20th century edit
- 1906 – The Simplon Tunnel between Italy and Switzerland, the world’s longest tunnel until 1979, opens to rail traffic.[2]
- 1908 – Trains operating through the St. Clair Tunnel connecting Sarnia, Ontario, and Port Huron, Michigan, begin using electric locomotives instead of steam locomotives.[3]
- 1914 – Canadian Northern Railway acquires Canadian Northern Ontario Railway.[4]
- 1922 – The Arkansas Short Line Railroad, a predecessor of St. Louis Southwestern Railway, is incorporated.[1]
- 1939 – King George VI and Queen Elizabeth arrive at Wolfe's Cove, Quebec, to begin a tour of Canada; the tour train is pulled by Canadian Pacific Railway 4-6-4 locomotives 2850 and 2851, earning the class the name Royal Hudson.[3]
- 1957 – Canadian National Railway opens a new track alignment between Toronto and Montreal to make way for construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway.[3]
- 1996 – Canadian National Railway's Beachburg Subdivision between Pembroke and Nipissing, 126 miles (203 km) of track which traversed Algonquin Provincial Park, is officially abandoned.[4]
21st century edit
- 2005 – Canadian National Railway and the Teamsters reach an agreement just short of a deadline for a strike that would have shut down GO Transit.
Births edit
Deaths edit
- 1884 – George Muirson Totten, chief construction engineer for the Panama Railway, dies (b. 1808).
References edit
- ^ a b Beck, Wayne (1957). "The History of St. Louis Southwestern Railway". Retrieved May 16, 2006.
- ^ "May 17, 1906 in History". Brainy History. Retrieved May 17, 2006.
- ^ a b c "Significant dates in Canadian railway history". Colin Churcher's Railway Pages. 2006-03-17. Retrieved May 17, 2006.
- ^ a b "Significant dates in Ottawa railway history". Colin Churcher's Railway Pages. 2006-04-28. Retrieved May 17, 2006.