1878 in rail transport
Encyclopedia
January events
- January 18 - Construction on The Ghan route south of Port AugustaPort Augusta, South Australia-Electricity generation:Electricity is generated at the Playford B and Northern power stations from brown coal mined at Leigh Creek, 250 km to the north...
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, begins.
February events
- February 5 - The first train is operated on the Seattle and Walla Walla RailroadSeattle and Walla Walla RailroadThe Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad was the first railroad in Seattle, Washington...
from RentonRenton, WashingtonRenton is an Eastside edge city in King County, Washington, United States. Situated 11 miles southeast of Seattle, Washington, Renton straddles the southeast shore of Lake Washington. Founded in the 1860s, Renton became a supply town for the Newcastle coal fields...
to NewcastleNewcastle, WashingtonNewcastle is an Eastside city in King County, Washington, United States. Its population was 10,380 at the 2010 census.Although Newcastle was not incorporated until 1994, it has been an important settlement and town since the late 19th century and played a major role in the development of Seattle...
.
May events
- May 9 - The final segment of the RomaniaRomaniaRomania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n railway between Varciorova in the south and RomanRoman, RomaniaRoman is a mid-sized city, having the title of municipality, located in the central part of Moldavia, a traditional region of Romania. It is located 46 km east of Piatra Neamţ, in the Neamţ County at the confluence of Siret and Moldova rivers....
in the north opens.
June events
- June 1 - The North British RailwayNorth British RailwayThe North British Railway was a Scottish railway company that was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923.-History:...
's Tay BridgeTay Rail BridgeThe Tay Bridge is a railway bridge approximately two and a quarter miles long that spans the Firth of Tay in Scotland, between the city of Dundee and the suburb of Wormit in Fife ....
across the Firth of TayFirth of TayThe Firth of Tay is a firth in Scotland between the council areas of Fife, Perth and Kinross, the City of Dundee and Angus, into which Scotland's largest river in terms of flow, the River Tay, empties....
in ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, is opened to public traffic, making it the longest in the world at that date.
July events
- July 2 - The Brooklyn, Flatbush & Coney Island Railway, original predecessor of the BMT Brighton LineBMT Brighton LineThe BMT Brighton Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in Brooklyn, New York City, United States. Local service is provided at all times by the Q train. The Q is joined by the B express train on weekdays...
, in modern BrooklynBrooklynBrooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, opens to Brighton BeachBrighton BeachBrighton Beach is an oceanside neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. As of 2000, it has a population of 75,692 with a total of 31,228 households.-Location:...
on Coney IslandConey IslandConey Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
.
August events
- August 24 - The narrow gauge Ballymena and Larne RailwayBallymena and Larne RailwayThe Ballymena and Larne Railway was a narrow gauge railway in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The first part opened in July 1877 and regular passenger services began in August 1878, the first on the three foot Irish narrow gauge...
starts passenger operations in County AntrimCounty AntrimCounty Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
, the first on the Irish 3 ft narrow gauge.
December events
- December 4 - The first Shay locomotiveShay locomotiveThe Shay locomotive was the most widely used geared steam locomotive. The locomotives were built to the patents of Ephraim Shay, who has been credited with the popularization of the concept of a geared steam locomotive...
is completed for the 3-foot narrow gaugeNarrow gaugeA narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
Alleyton and Big Lake Railroad of Everett Township, MichiganEverett Township, MichiganEverett Township is a civil township of Newaygo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 1,985.-Geography:...
.
Unknown date events
- Fred Harvey enters a partnership with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe RailwayAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe RailwayThe Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
to build and operate the Harvey HouseHarvey HouseHarvey House may refer to:*One of many hotels of the Fred Harvey Company in the U.S. west, which include :*La Posada Hotel and Gardens, in Winslow, Arizona, a contributing property in NRHP-listed La Posada Historic District, in Navajo County...
chain of restaurants and hotels that will serve the railroad's passengers. - The Richmond and Danville RailroadRichmond and Danville RailroadThe Richmond and Danville Railroad was chartered in Virginia in the United States in 1847. The portion between Richmond and Danville, Virginia was completed in 1856...
acquires the Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta RailroadCharlotte, Columbia and Augusta RailroadThe Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta Railroad was formed in 1869 with the merger of the Charlotte and South Carolina Railroad and the Columbia and Augusta Railroad.The combined line stretched 191 miles between Augusta, Georgia, and Charlotte, North Carolina...
. - The Canadian Engine and Machinery Company is reorganized after a bankruptcy as the Canadian Locomotive and Engine Company.
- The Wilmington, Columbia and Augusta RailroadWilmington, Columbia and Augusta RailroadThe Wilmington, Columbia and Augusta Railroad was a Southeastern United States railroad that served South Carolina and North Carolina during the second half of the 19th century....
, lessee of the Wilmington and Weldon RailroadWilmington and Weldon RailroadOriginally chartered in 1835 as the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad, the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad name began use in 1855. At the time of its 1840 completion, the line was the longest railroad in the world with 161.5 miles of track...
, declares bankruptcy.
March births
- March 2 - William Kissam Vanderbilt IIWilliam Kissam Vanderbilt IIWilliam Kissam Vanderbilt II was a motor racing enthusiast and yachtsman and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family.-Biography:...
, heir to Cornelius VanderbiltCornelius VanderbiltCornelius Vanderbilt , also known by the sobriquet Commodore, was an American entrepreneur who built his wealth in shipping and railroads. He was also the patriarch of the Vanderbilt family and one of the richest Americans in history...
and president of the New York Central system (d. 1944).
Unknown date births
- Angus Daniel McDonaldAngus Daniel McDonaldAngus Daniel McDonald an American railroad executive. He was president of the Southern Pacific Company, the parent company of the Southern Pacific Railroad....
, president of the Southern Pacific Company, parent company of the Southern Pacific RailroadSouthern Pacific RailroadThe Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
, 1932–1941 (d. 1941).
March deaths
- March 29 - Mark Hopkins, a member of The Big Four group of financiers in CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(b. 1813).
October deaths
- October 19 - Benjamin Henry Latrobe, IIBenjamin Henry Latrobe, IIBenjamin Henry Latrobe, II was an American civil engineer, best known for his railway bridges.He was the son of Benjamin Latrobe, architect of the United States Capitol and the Basilica of the Assumption. The junior Latrobe was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was educated in Baltimore,...
, designer of Baltimore and Ohio RailroadBaltimore and Ohio RailroadThe Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
's Thomas ViaductThomas ViaductThe Thomas Viaduct spans the Patapsco River and Patapsco Valley between Relay and Elkridge, Maryland, USA. It is the first multi-span masonry railroad bridge in the United States to be built on a curve...
(still in use today), dies (d. 1806).
Unknown date deaths
- Daniel McCallumDaniel McCallumDaniel Craig McCallum was a railroad engineer and manager.McCallum was born in Scotland in 1815. In 1822 his family emigrated to New York when he was still a boy. In Rochester he spend a few years at elementary school, and didn't follow his fathers footsteps to become a tailor...
, General Superintendent of New York and Erie Railroad 1855-1858 (b. 1815).