May 17 in rail transport

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Category:Rail transport timelines

May 16 in rail transport May 17 in rail transport May 18 in rail transport

This article lists anniversary events related to rail transport that occurred on May 17.

Contents 1 Events 1.1 19th century 1.2 20th century 1.3 21st century 2 Births 3 Deaths 4 References

[edit] Events

[edit] 19th century

• 1853 – The New York Central Railroad is formed through the merger of ten smaller railroads in New York under the direction of Erastus Corning.
• 1879 – The Texas and St. Louis Railway, a predecessor of St. Louis Southwestern Railway, is organized as a way to ship cotton south to Texas.^[1]

[edit] 20th century

• 1906 – The Simplon Tunnel between Italy and Switzerland, the world’s longest tunnel until 1979, opens to rail traffic.^[2]
• 1908 – Trains operating through the St. Clair Tunnel connecting Sarnia, Ontario, and Port Huron, Michigan, begin using electric locomotives instead of steam locomotives.^[3]
• 1914 – Canadian Northern Railway acquires Canadian Northern Ontario Railway.^[4]
• 1922 – The Arkansas Short Line Railroad, a predecessor of St. Louis Southwestern Railway, is incorporated.^[1]
• 1939 – King George VI and Queen Elizabeth arrive at Wolfe's Cove, Quebec, to begin a tour of Canada; the tour train is pulled by Canadian Pacific Railway 4-6-4 locomotives 2850 and 2851, earning the class the name Royal Hudson.^[3]
• 1957 – Canadian National Railway opens a new track alignment between Toronto and Montreal to make way for construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway.^[3]
• 1996 – Canadian National Railway's Beachburg Subdivision between Pembroke and Nipissing, 126 miles (203 km) of track which traversed Algonquin Provincial Park, is officially abandoned.^[4]

[edit] 21st century

• 2005 – Canadian National Railway and the Teamsters reach an agreement just short of a deadline for a strike that would have shut down GO Transit.

[edit] Births

[edit] Deaths

• 1884 – George Muirson Totten, chief construction engineer for the Panama Railway, dies (b. 1808).

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} Beck, Wayne (1957). The History of St. Louis Southwestern Railway. Retrieved on May 17, 2006.
2. ^ May 17, 1906 in History. Brainy History. Retrieved on May 17, 2006.
3. ^ ^{a b c} Significant dates in Canadian railway history. Colin Churcher's Railway Pages (2006-03-17). Retrieved on May 17, 2006.
4. ^ ^{a b} Significant dates in Ottawa railway history. Colin Churcher's Railway Pages (2006-04-28). Retrieved on May 17, 2006.