1957 in rail transport explained

Events

January

• January 1  - The Chicago and North Western Railway leases the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway (the Omaha Road).
• January 12  - Operations of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway's Super Chief and El Capitan passenger trains are combined during off-peak seasons.
• January 22  - Last day of steam locomotive operations on the Southern Pacific.

February

• February 7  - Southern Pacific 4-6-2
  1. 2472
  (now preserved) is retired from revenue service.^[1]

March

• March 17  - The Milwaukee Road operates its last steam locomotive.
• March 21  - Deutsche Bundesbahn puts in operation its first E 40 locomotive.
• March 29  - The New York, Ontario & Western Railway is abandoned, the largest single railroad abandonment in the United States (541miles).^[2]
• March 29  - The Central Vermont Railway dieselizes.

April

• April 7  - New York City trolleys run for the last time.

May

• May 7  - The Flying Yankee trainset is retired from revenue service on the Boston & Maine and Maine Central railroads.
• May 17  - Canadian National opens a new track alignment between Toronto and Montreal to make way for construction of the St Lawrence Seaway.^[3]
• May 24  - The Pacific Electric Bellflower Line ceases operation.^[4]

June

• June 2  - First Trans Europ Express diesel trains run in Europe.
• June 6  - Pere Marquette Railroad steam locomotive 2-8-4 number 1225 is given to Michigan State University for display on campus.

July

• July 3  - The Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad abruptly ceases to carry passengers at 12:13pm.
• July 11  - Southern Pacific's Colton Cutoff around Los Angeles is opened to traffic.
• July 27  - The Musquodoboit Railway ends steam locomotive operations with a round trip between Dartmouth and Upper Upper Musquodoboit, Nova Scotia, behind Canadian National number 3409.

August

• August 27  - The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway retires its last steam locomotive.^[5]

September

• September 1  - 175 die in Jamaica's worst railway disaster.
• September 7  - The Pennsylvania Railroad discontinues the Morning Steeler passenger train between Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
• September 28  - Newtown Tram Depot in Sydney is closed.^{[6] [7]}

October

• October 6  - The Chicago "L" Stock Yards branch serving Union Stock Yards is closed.
• October 21  - Two trains collide in Turkey; 95 die.
• October 31  - Canadian National receives authorization to operate the former New York Central Railroad (NYC) lines in Ottawa to reach industries that were originally served by NYC.

November

• November 1  - Class I railroads report they roster 27,108 diesel and 2,697 steam locomotives. An additional 721 steam locomotives are in storage.
• November 15  - A first section of Nagoya Municipal Subway, Nagoya Station to Sakae Station route start operation in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

Unknown date

• William N. Deramus III becomes president of the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad.
• Estación Federico Lacroze in Buenos Aires, Argentina, opens.
• The California State Legislature establishes the five-county San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District.
• Pandrol clip patented by Norwegian railway engineer Per Pande Rolfsen.^[8]

Deaths

March deaths

• March 9  - Robert Whitelegg, locomotive superintendent for London, Tilbury and Southend Railway 1910-1912, and for Glasgow & South Western Railway 1918-1923, general manager of Beyer, Peacock & Company 1923-1929, dies (b. 1871).

July deaths

• July 13 - Sim Webb, Casey Jones' fireman on the famous run (born 1874).

References

• Colin Churcher's Railway Pages (September 7, 2005), Significant dates in Ottawa railway history. Retrieved October 31, 2005.
• Katy Railroad Historical Society, Katy Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved February 9, 2005.
• Smith, Ivan (1998), Significant Dates in Nova Scotia's Railway History (After 1950). Retrieved July 22, 2005.

Notes and References

1. Book: Diebert, Timothy S. . Strapac, Joseph A.. Southern Pacific Company Steam Locomotive Conpendium. Shade Tree Books. 1987. 0-930742-12-5. p 178.
2. Book: Balkwill, Richard. Marshall, John. John Marshall (railway historian). The Guinness Book of Railway Facts and Feats. 6th. Enfield. Guinness Publishing. 1993. 0-85112-707-X.
3. Web site: Significant dates in Canadian railway history . Colin Churcher's Railway Pages . 2006-03-17 . 2006-05-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060427113227/http://www.railways.incanada.net/candate/candate.htm . 27 April 2006 . dead .
4. Veysey . Laurence R. . A History Of The Rail Passenger Service Operated By The Pacific Electric Railway Company Since 1911 And By Its Successors Since 1953 . June 1958 . Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 19 September 2020.
5. Web site: Rivanna Chapter, National Railway Historical Society. This Month in Railroad History: August. 2005. 2006-08-25.
6. Book: Keenan, David. Tramways of Sydney. 1979. Transit Press. Sans Souci. 0-909338-02-7. 18.
7. Book: Keenan, David. The South-Western Lines of the Sydney Tramway System. 1992. Transit Press. Petersham. 0-909338-11-6. 55–56.
8. Web site: e-CLIP. Pandrol. 2007. 2011-11-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20070429042100/http://www.pandrol.com/html/products/eclip.htm. 2007-04-29. dead.