1962 in rail transport

This article lists events related to rail transport that occurred in 1962.

Events

January events

• January 4 – New York City Subway introduces a driverless train.
• January 8 – The Harmelen train disaster, the worst railway accident in the history of the Netherlands, occurs when one passenger train driver misses a warning signal and passes a red signal to collide nearly head-on with another passenger train. 93 are killed.
• January 28 – The last lines of streetcars in Washington, D.C., end operations.^[1][2]

February events

Bodø railway station

• February 1 – Nordlandsbanen in Norway is completed and opened to Bodø.

March events

• March 15 – Canadian Pacific Railway receives authorization to discontinue passenger train service between Ottawa and Chalk River.^[3]

May events

• May 3 – Mikawashima train crash in Japan kills 160.
• May 22 – SNCF in France completes electrification from Strasbourg through to Paris.
• May 23 – Drilling for the new Montreal Metro system commences.

July events

• July 17 – Canadian National Railway debuts a new paint scheme on its transcontinental passenger train, the Super Continental.

September events

• September 7 – The Buckfastleigh, Totnes and South Devon Railway, in England, is closed by the Western Region of British Railways.

October events

• October 11 – Colorado and Southern Railway 2-8-0 number 641 pulls the last steam locomotive-operated regular daily service revenue train on a standard gauge railroad in the United States when it pulls a train from Leadville to Climax, Colorado.
• October 28 – The Lake Street Elevation of the Chicago Transit Authority rail system is placed in operation, relocating 2.6 miles of the former at-grade portion of the route onto the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company's elevated right-of-way, with new above-ground stations at Central, Austin, Ridgeland, Oak Park and Harlem/Lake. The improvement eliminated a total of 22 grade crossings in Chicago, Oak Park and Forest Park.

Unknown date events

• New York Central purchases the first electric multiple unit passenger cars from Pullman-Standard for use on the Metro-North railroad.
• Union Pacific 3985, the largest operable steam locomotive in the world, is removed from revenue service on the Union Pacific Railroad.
• First Indian Railways Class WDM-2, from ALCO, introduced. The class will eventually exceed 2,800 units.^[4]
• ALCO closes the ALCO Thermal Products Division (formerly Brooks Locomotive Works) plant in Dunkirk, New York.
• Harry A. deButts is succeeded by D. William Brosnan as president of the Southern Railway.
• The Northern Refrigerator Car Line is combined with Merchants Despatch.

Accidents

Railway accidents in 1962 (1962) Location and date Harmelen, Netherlands (8 January) Arakawa, Japan (3 May) Voghera, Italy (31 May) Lincoln, United Kingdom (3 June) Villa Soldati, Argentina (11 June) Winsford, United Kingdom (26 December) 1961 1963

Deaths

• February 2 – Ralph Budd, president of the Great Northern Railway 1919–1932 and Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad 1932–1949 (b. 1879).

References

• "American Experience / Streamliners / People & Events / Ralph Budd". 2000. Retrieved February 22, 2005. 
• "Norfolk Southern Railway". Retrieved February 22, 2005. 
• President and Fellows of Harvard College (2004). "20th century great American business leaders – Ralph Budd". Retrieved February 22, 2005. 
• Rivanna Chapter, National Railway Historical Society (2005). "This Month in Railroad History – October". Retrieved October 11, 2005. 
• "Significant dates in Canadian railway history". April 3, 2005. Retrieved July 12, 2005. 
• White, John H., Jr. (Spring 1986). "America's most noteworthy railroaders". Railroad History 154: pp. 9–15. ISSN 0090-7847. OCLC 1785797.