1902 in rail transport explained

Events

January events

• January 1  - The Swiss Federal Railways is formed through the merger and nationalization of several smaller railroads.
• January 8  - A train collision occurs in the New York Central Railroad's Park Avenue Tunnel in New York City killing 17 people, injuring 38 and leading to increased demand for electric trains.
• January 24  - The Thompson Tramway, a predecessor of the Connecticut Company, is renamed Worcester and Connecticut Eastern Railway.

February events

• February 13  - The Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York Railroad, a predecessor of the Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal Railroad, is incorporated.
• February 15  - The Berlin U-Bahn Underground is opened in Germany.
• February  - Great Western Railway of England turns out the prototype 'Saint' Class 4-6-0 locomotive from its Swindon Works, beginning a series of successful 2-cylinder designs.^[1]
• February  - Edwin Winter becomes president of Brooklyn Rapid Transit in New York City.^[2]

March events

• March 10  - An antitrust suit is filed against Northern Securities Company, a holding company controlling Northern Pacific Railway, Great Northern Railway, Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad and others.^[3]

April events

• April 9  - Underground Electric Railways Company of London formed to consolidate the group of Underground lines controlled by American financier Charles Yerkes.
• April 21  - The Pennsylvania, New York and Long Island Railroad, a predecessor of the Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal Railroad, is incorporated.

May events

• May 1  - Ahead of merger documentation and filing, Canadian Pacific Railway takes control of the Ottawa, Northern and Western Railway.^[4]
• May 10  - Construction begins on the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway.
• May 23  - Ottawa, Northern and Western Railway passenger trains are shifted to Ottawa's Broad Street Union Station.

June events

• June 11  - Chūō Main Line, Ochanomizu of Tokyo to Shiojiri route official complete in Japan, as same time, Shinjuku of Tokyo to Matsumoto route direct passenger train service start.
• June 15
  • The New York Central railroad debuts the 20th Century Limited passenger train between Chicago and New York.
  • Canadian Pacific Railway reroutes its transcontinental passenger trains in Ottawa to use the Vaudreuil line and the Interprovincial Bridge.

July events

• July 1  - Oliver Robert Hawke Bury becomes General Manager of the Great Northern Railway in England.^[5]
• July 4  - Pacific Electric Railway opens its first interurban line to connect Los Angeles and Long Beach, California.^[6]
• July 12  - First of the Neuquén-Cipolletti bridges opened for Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway traffic in Argentina.
• July 17  - The Texas Mexican Railway converts to standard gauge.

September events

• September 1  - Damascus–Daraa railway line completed.
• September 22  - Ottawa, Northern and Western Railway acquires the Pontiac and Pacific Junction Railway.

October events

• October 9  - The Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway, predecessor of the Burlington-Rock Island Railroad, is chartered in Texas.
• October 13  - Professor Ernest Rutherford of McGill University demonstrates the first wireless communication system between a station and a moving train using a Grand Trunk Railway passenger special operating between Toronto and Montreal.^[7]
• October 15  - The Ferrovia della Valtellina in Italy begins operating the world's first three-phase AC railway electrification system on a public standard gauge line, designed by MÁV chief engineer Kálmán Kandó with equipment by the Ganz Works.^{[8] [9]}

November

• November 2  - Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Railroad jointly inaugurate the Golden State Limited passenger train between Chicago, Illinois, and Los Angeles, California.^[10]
• November 26  - Skreiabanen in Toten, Norway, is opened.

Unknown date events

• The Alaska Central Railroad (an early predecessor of the Alaska Railroad) begins construction northward from Seward, Alaska.
• The Atlantic Coast Line acquires the Plant System Railroads and gains control of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad.
• Serious buffer stop accident at Frankfurt-am-Main inspires development of Rawie range of energy-absorbing buffer stops.
• Narrow gauge Ferrocarril de Córdoba a Huatusco is completed to Coscomatepec, Veracruz.^[11]
• Percy French writes the song Are Ye Right There Michael? ridiculing the West Clare Railway in Ireland.

Deaths

May deaths

• May 20  - H. H. Hunnewell, director for Illinois Central Railroad 1862-1871, president of Kansas City, Fort Scott and Gulf Railroad, president of Kansas City, Lawrence and Southern Railroad, dies (b. 1810).

November deaths

• November 12 - William Henry Barlow, English railway civil engineer (born 1812).

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2900 'Saint' Class. Great Western Archive. 2010-06-16.
2. Book: Busbey, T. Addison. The Biographical Directory of the Railway Officials of America. Chicago. Railway Age. 1906. 666.
3. Web site: Rivanna Chapter, National Railway Historical Society. This Month in Railroad History - March. March 10, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060417075629/http://avenue.org/nrhs/histmar.htm. 17 April 2006 . live.
4. Web site: Colin Churcher's Railway Pages . November 4, 2008 . Significant dates in Ottawa railway history . November 20, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060427061656/http://www.railways.incanada.net/candate/ottawa.htm . April 27, 2006 .
5. Web site: September 30, 2008. Biographies of chairmen, managers & other senior railway officers. November 20, 2008 . steamindex.com . Bury, Oliver Robert Hawke .
6. Book: Images of Rail: Pacific Electric Red Cars. Walker, Jim. 2006. Arcadia Publishing. 0-7385-4688-7. 7.
7. Web site: Significant dates in Canadian railway history. Colin Churcher's Railway Pages. 2008-11-04. 2008-11-20. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20060427113227/http://www.railways.incanada.net/candate/candate.htm. 2006-04-27.
8. Web site: Kálmán Kandó. 2019-08-17. 2008. Budapesti Műszaki és Gazdaságtudományi Egyetem. English. 2018-02-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20180215084337/https://www.gpk.bme.hu/MSc/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&catid=41:angol-kiemelkedk&id=88:kalman-kando. dead.
9. Book: Duffy, Michael C.. Electric Railways: 1880-1990. registration. Valtellina railway.. 2003. 2019-08-17. IET. 117. Internet Archive.
10. Famous trains of North America. Railway World. 5 January 1906. 50. 1. 15–21. .
11. Book: Mexican Narrow Gauge. Best, Gerald M.. Howell-North. 1968.