1836 in rail transport
Encyclopedia
January events
- January 16 - The Galena and Chicago Union RailroadGalena and Chicago Union RailroadThe Galena and Chicago Union Railroad was a railroad running west from Chicago to Clinton, Iowa and Freeport, Illinois, never reaching Galena, Illinois...
, the oldest portion of what is to become the Chicago and North Western RailwayChicago and North Western RailwayThe Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was a Class I railroad in the Midwest United States. It was also known as the North Western. The railroad operated more than of track as of the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s...
, is chartered.
February events
- February 5 - Henry R. Campbell of the Philadelphia, Germanstown & Norristown Railroad patents the first 4-4-04-4-0Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels...
, a steam locomotiveSteam locomotiveA steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
type that will soon become the most common on all railroads of the United States.
- February 8 - London and Greenwich RailwayLondon and Greenwich RailwayThe London and Greenwich Railway was opened in London between 1836 and 1838. It was the first steam railway to have a terminus in the capital, the first of any to be built specifically for passenger service, and the first example of an elevated railway....
opens its first section, the first railway in London, England.
March events
- March - The Syracuse and Utica RailroadSyracuse and Utica RailroadThe Syracuse and Utica Railroad was chartered May 1, 1836, and had to pay the state for any freight displaced from the Erie Canal. The full line opened July 3, 1839, extending the line further to Syracuse, New York to Rome, New York...
, a predecessor of the New York Central RailroadNew York Central RailroadThe New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
, is chartered to build a railroad between its namesake cities in New York.
April events
- April - The first railroad car ferryTrain ferryA train ferry is a ship designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train ferries are sometimes referred to as "car ferries", as...
in the U.S., the Susquehanna enters service on the Susquehanna RiverSusquehanna RiverThe Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
between Havre de GraceHavre de Grace, MarylandHavre de Grace is a city in Harford County, Maryland, United States. Located at the mouth of the Susquehanna River and the head of the Chesapeake Bay, Havre de Grace is named after the port city of Le Havre, France, which was first named Le Havre de Grâce, meaning in French "Harbor of Grace." As...
and Perryville, MarylandPerryville, MarylandPerryville is a town in Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 3,672 at the 2000 census. The town is located off Interstate 95, on the north side of the mouth of the Susquehanna River.-History:...
.
May events
- May 5 - The Albany and West Stockbridge Railroad is chartered as the successor to the Castleton and West Stockbridge Railroad in MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and eastern New York.
July events
- July 13 - John RugglesJohn RugglesJohn Ruggles was an American politician from the U.S. state of Maine. He served in several important state legislative and judicial positions before serving in the U.S. Senate....
is awarded for his improvements to railroad steam locomotiveSteam locomotiveA steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
tires.
August events
- August 1 - The Utica and Schenectady Railroad, a predecessor of the New York Central RailroadNew York Central RailroadThe New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
in New York, opens.
September events
- September 5 - The Lake Wimico and St. Joseph Canal and RailroadLake Wimico and St. Joseph Canal and RailroadThe Lake Wimico and St. Joseph Canal and Railroad was the first steam railroad in Florida and one of the first in the U.S., opening in 1836. It was soon abandoned, and is now mostly a state highway.-History:...
, the first steam railroad in Florida, opens.
Unknown date events
- The Bangor and Piscataquis Canal and Railroad Company operates the first steam railroad in MaineMaineMaine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
with two 2-2-02-2-0Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-2-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, two powered driving wheels on one axle, and no trailing wheels...
locomotives manufactured in England. - The Louisa Railroad of Louisa County, VirginiaLouisa County, VirginiaLouisa County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 33,153. The county seat is Louisa.- History :...
, an early predecessor of the Chesapeake and Ohio RailwayChesapeake and Ohio RailwayThe Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P...
begins construction. - The Champlain and St. Lawrence RailroadChamplain and St. Lawrence RailroadThe Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad was a historic railway in Lower Canada, the first Canadian public railway and one of the first railways built in British North America.-Origin:...
opens in QuebecQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada.
January births
- January 2 - Fred T. PerrisFred T. PerrisFred Thomas Perris was Chief Engineer of the California Southern Railroad, a company chartered to build a rail connection between the present day cities of San Diego and Barstow, California. Perris oversaw construction of the railroad through Cajon Pass, a route that is still in use by BNSF...
, Chief Engineer of the California Southern RailroadCalifornia Southern RailroadThe California Southern Railroad was a subsidiary railroad of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in Southern California. It was organized July 10, 1880, and chartered on October 23, 1880, to build a rail connection between what has become the city of Barstow and San Diego,...
(d. 1916).
February births
- February 9 - Franklin B. GowenFranklin B. GowenFranklin Benjamin Gowen served as president of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad in the 1870s and 1880s....
, president of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad 1866–1883 (d. 1889).
March births
- March 16 - Andrew Smith HallidieAndrew Smith HallidieAndrew Smith Hallidie was the promoter of the Clay Street Hill Railroad in San Francisco, USA. This was the world's first practical cable car system, and Hallidie is often therefore regarded as the inventor of the cable car and father of the present day San Francisco cable car system, although...
, who developed the first practical cable carCable car (railway)A cable car or cable railway is a mass transit system using rail cars that are hauled by a continuously moving cable running at a constant speed. Individual cars stop and start by releasing and gripping this cable as required...
system for San Francisco, California (d. 1900).
May births
- May 21 - Francis William Webb, Chief Mechanical EngineerChief Mechanical EngineerChief Mechanical Engineer and Locomotive Superintendent are titles applied by British, Australian, and New Zealand railway companies to the person ultimately responsible to the board of the company for the building and maintaining of the locomotives and rolling stock...
of the London and North Western RailwayLondon and North Western RailwayThe London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
(d. 1906). - May 27 - Jay GouldJay GouldJason "Jay" Gould was a leading American railroad developer and speculator. He has long been vilified as an archetypal robber baron, whose successes made him the ninth richest American in history. Condé Nast Portfolio ranked Gould as the 8th worst American CEO of all time...
, American financier who, with Jim Fisk, took control of the Erie RailroadErie RailroadThe Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, originally connecting New York City with Lake Erie...
(d. 1892).
September births
- September 17 - William Jackson PalmerWilliam Jackson PalmerWilliam Jackson Palmer was an American civil engineer, soldier, industrialist, and philanthropist.-Overview:...
, builder of the Denver and Rio Grande Western RailroadDenver and Rio Grande Western RailroadThe Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to Rio Grande or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, is a defunct U.S. railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado in 1870; however, served mainly as a transcontinental...
(d. 1909).
January deaths
- January 7 - John MolsonJohn MolsonJohn Molson was an English-speaking Quebecer who was a major brewer and entrepreneur in Canada, starting the Molson Brewing Company.-Birth and early life:...
, established the Champlain and Saint Lawrence Railroad, the first railway into Canada (b. 1763).