November 2005

A Northern Pacific Railway freight train on Bozeman Pass, June 1939.

• ...that the first two steam locomotives used in present day Oregon for construction of the Northern Pacific Railway arrived there in 1870 by way of a ship that sailed around Cape Horn?
• ...that one of the most famous live steam miniature railroads was Walt Disney's Carolwood Pacific Railroad, which inspired Disney to surround his planned Disneyland amusement park with a working narrow gauge railroad?

Schafbergbahn near St. Wolfgang, Austria

• ...that the meter gauge Schafbergbahn in Austria began operations in 1893 and operates today using both steam and diesel locomotives?

The interlocking tower and tracks at Des Plaines, Illinois, in 1993

• ...that an interlocking makes it impossible to give a clear (proceed) signal to a train if the switches are not aligned properly so that the train movement can be completely accomplished?

A coach-baggage combine car

• ...that VIA Rail still operates a few combine cars in revenue service behind freight trains in far northern Manitoba which carry passengers, baggage and supplies for villages en route?
• ...that in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, large coal piers for transloading of coal from trains to ships were erected by railroad companies at ports on the Atlantic Coast and Great Lakes in the United States?

A PZB receiver

• ...that the Punktförmige Zugbeeinflussung (PZB) train safety system in use in Germany and Austria can automatically stop a train if certain conditions are not met?

A ferry approaching the dock in Detroit, Michigan, April 1943

• ...that examples of train ferries, watergoing ships designed to carry railway vehicles, can be found worldwide?
• ...that the collection of the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland, includes one mile (1.6 km) of track that is considered the most historic mile of railroad track in the United States?

Norwegian railway signal indicating proceed on diverging track

• ...that the first electrically-operated Norwegian railway signals using lights were manufactured by AEG in 1924?

Frankfurt S-Bahn at Hauptbahnhof

• ...that although several different companies comprise the Frankfurt Transit system, they all use the same fare schedule enabling passengers to purchase a single ticket for a journey that may include different modes of transport?

John Ruggles

• ...that U.S. Patent 1 (under the new numbering system adopted in 1836) was awarded to John Ruggles on July 13, 1836, for a type of driving wheel designed to reduce the adverse effects of the weather on the track?

Tram cars on the Seaton Tramway

• ...that the Seaton Tramway features reduced-scale (1:2) replicas of classic British tram cars from various cities?

A train is prepared to travel from Hronec to Čierny Balog

• ...that in the mid-20th century, the Čierny Hron Railway was the most extensive forest railway network in Czechoslovakia with over 130 km (81 miles) of track?
• ...that Melbourne's 4D was the only double decker train used in that city?

UTLX 204455, a modern tank car in a westbound Union Pacific Railroad train passing through Rochelle Railroad Park, Rochelle, Illinois, on May 29, 2005

• ...that in some countries, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, and New Zealand, tank cars are called cylinder wagons or tank wagons?

Class 120 locomotive in Dresden

• ...that the Class 120 electric locomotives operated by DB Fernverkehr were the first electric locomotives with three-phase motors?

George Pullman

• ...that before he began the Pullman Palace Car Company, George Pullman worked as a gold broker in Colorado?

A 2-6-4 built by Baldwin in 1900

• ...that because so many of the 2-6-4 type of steam locomotive were used in Austria in the 1900s and 1910s, the type is often called the Adriatic type in honor of the Adriatic Sea, which bordered Austria-Hungary until 1918?
• ...that when Union Pacific Railroad and Chicago and North Western Railway inaugurated the City of Denver in 1936, it was the fastest long distance passenger train in the world, traversing the 1,048 miles (1,687 km) between Chicago and Denver in as little as 16 hours, an average of about 65 mph (105 km/h)?

A busy train on the Seoul subway

• ...that announcements of upcoming stations on Seoul Metropolitan Subway trains are made in both English and Korean?

DeWitt Clinton and a train of passenger cars

• ...that the DeWitt Clinton was the first steam locomotive to operate in the U.S. state of New York?

British Rail Class 77, no. 27000 on display at Crewe Works open day on 11th September 2005.

• ...that when the electric locomotives of British Rail Class 77 were sold to Nederlandse Spoorwegen in 1969, they all retained their assigned names?

Brakeman's lantern from the Chicago and North Western Railway

• ...that railroadiana refers to artifacts of currently or formerly operating railways, including datenails, timetables, brakeman's lanterns, locomotive nameplates, dining car linens and china, or items as big as speeders or even complete passenger cars?

Drawing of a 6-2-0 on the Camden and Amboy Railroad

• ...that the first 6-2-0 steam locomotives in the United States in the 1840s were designed to burn coal instead of wood, necessitating a much larger firebox than was used on other contemporary locomotives?

2nd generation TGV train (Réseau class), Marseille St-Charles station

• ...that after passengers complained of uncomfortable pressure changes when entering tunnels at high speed on the LGV Atlantique, the TGV Réseau sets are now pressure sealed?
• ...that Fruit Growers Express was originally the produce-hauling subsidiary of Armour & Co. until 1919 the United States Federal Trade Commission ordered the company's sale for anti-trust reasons?
• ...that the report Richard Beeching issued in 1963 that has come to be known as the "Beeching Axe" recommended closing 6,000 miles (10,000 km) of Great Britain's nearly 18,000 miles (29,000 km) of track?