1916 in rail transport explained

Events

January events

January 15 - First through Berlin-Istanbul train.

February events

February 4 - The Manila Railway Company (1906), Limited of London and the Manila Railroad Company corporation of New Jersey are merged by the Insular Government of the Philippine Islands to become the state-owned Manila Railroad Company.^[1]

April events

April
- Murman Railway in Russia completed from Petrograd to the city that becomes Murmansk (central section not completed until November). The intermediate station at Kola lies at 68° 52′ 58″ N, the world's most northerly station at this date.
- Motor Rail deliver the first of over 900 petrol engined 60 cm narrow gauge railway locomotives for the British War Department Light Railways on the Western Front (World War I); substantially the same design is in production until the 1980s.^[2] ^[3]
April 13 - Oris Paxton Van Sweringen and his younger brother Mantis James Van Sweringen purchase a 75% controlling interest in the Nickel Plate Road from William Kissam Vanderbilt for $8.5 million.

May events

May 6 - Rome and Fiuggi Rail Road opens for service.

July events

July 16 - Much of the Southern Railway's mainline in North and South Carolina is damaged or destroyed by flooding.^[4]

August events

August 24 - After a bankruptcy, the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad is reorganized as the St. Louis - San Francisco Railway (often called the "Frisco").
August 24 - Due to several serious accidents caused by broken red lenses in its signals, the New York Central Railroad discontinues white lights as indications to proceed. The new color is green.

September events

September 11 - The almost-completed Quebec Bridge collapses for the second time.^[5]
September 30 - Construction is completed on the Hell Gate Bridge in New York City.

October events

October 5 - Opening of Amur River line completes through rail communication on Trans-Siberian Railway.

November events

November 16 - The two-storey station opened by the California Southern Railroad in San Bernardino, California, is destroyed by fire.^[6]
November 24 - German sleeping and dining car operator Mitropa is founded.

December events

December 1 - In the Herceghalom rail crash in Hungary, a side collision occurs between an express train and a shunting passenger train, killing 69.

Unknown date events

Early Summer - The Fairbourne Railway, in Wales, is converted from a horse-drawn tramway into a gauge steam railway.^[7]
The Pennsylvania Railroad adopts the motto "the Standard Railroad of the World".
The Pennsylvania Railroad's first I1s 2-10-0 "Decapod" locomotive is completed and first A5s 0-4-0 and B6sb switching locomotives enter service.
Joel Coffin purchases Lima Locomotive Corporation; the company is renamed Lima Locomotive Works.
The first all-steel fish car is built for use on American railroads.^[8]
Underground Electric Railways Company of London, operator of the London Underground, adopts Johnston (typeface) as part of its corporate identity.^[9] ^[10]
In the USA all-railroad mileage peaks at 254,251 miles (409,177 km) with the most of lines located in the east part of country.

Births

April births

April 15 - Benjamin Biaggini, president of the Southern Pacific Company (U.S.) 1964 - 1976 (died 2005).

September births

September 10 - Michael Cobb, British railway historian (died 2010).

Deaths

March deaths

March 18 - Karl Gölsdorf, Austrian steam locomotive designer (born 1861).^[11]

April deaths

April 19 - Ephraim Shay, American inventor of the Shay locomotive (born 1839).

May deaths

May 12 - Fred T. Perris, Chief Engineer of the California Southern Railroad (born 1836).^[12] ^[13]
May 29 - James J. Hill, American financier who gained control of the Great Northern Railway and the Northern Pacific Railway (born 1838).

Notes and References

AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL TO EXECUTE A CERTAIN MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT WITH THE MANILA RAILROAD COMPANY AND THE MANILA RAILWAY COMPANY (1906), LIMITED, MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE PURPOSE OF CARRYING OUT SAID MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.. No. 2574. Philippine Legislature Act. Philippine Legislature. February 4, 1916. July 23, 2022.
Book: Davies, W. J. K.. Light Railways of the First World War. David & Charles. Newton Abbot. 1967.
Web site: War Department Light Railways. 10 August 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070722080041/http://wdlr.org.uk/. 22 July 2007. live.
Web site: Southern Railway Historical Association. This Date in Southern Railway History. 2005-07-12.
Book: Middleton, William D.. The Bridge at Québec. 2001. Bloomington. Indiana University Press. 0-253-33761-5. 158. registration. 2011-08-16.
Web site: A Brief History of the Santa Fe Depot . San Bernardino Associated Governments . 2004 . 2006-07-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060923200554/http://www.sanbag.ca.gov/about/santa-fe_history.html . 2006-09-23 . dead .
Book: Milner, W. J.. Rails through the Sand: an illustrated history of the Fairbourne Miniature Railway 1916-1985. Chester. RailRomances. 1996. 1-900622-00-9.
Web site: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1979. The Fish Car Era of the National Fish Hatchery System. 2005-03-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20050407082631/http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/fishcar.Html. 7 April 2005. live.
Book: Green, Oliver. Rewse-Davies, Jeremy. Designed for London: 150 years of transport design. London. Laurence King. 1995. 1-85669-064-4. 81–2.
Book: Howes, Justin. Justin Howes. Johnston’s Underground Type. Harrow Weald. Capital Transport. 2000. 1-85414-231-3.
Book: John Marshall (railway historian)
. Marshall, John. Biographical Dictionary of Railway Engineers. 2nd. Oxford. Railway and Canal Historical Society. 2003. 0-901461-22-9. John Marshall (railway historian).
Book: Serpico, Philip C.. Santa Fé Route to the Pacific. 1988. Omni Publications. Palmdale, California. 0-88418-000-X. 18–24.
Web site: City of Perris, California . A Brief History of the Perris Valley . 2006-07-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060827004101/http://www.cityofperris.org/history.asp . 2006-08-27 . dead .