1859 in rail transport

Events

February events

* February 11 – The Atchison and Topeka Railroad Company, forerunner of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, is chartered in Kansas. [cite web|author=Baker Library Historical Collections|url=http://www.library.hbs.edu/hc/sfa/atchison,_topeka.htm|title=Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad Records, 1879-1896|accessdate=2005-05-10] [cite journal|journal=The Cosmopolitan|date=February 1893|url=http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/statsf.Html|title=The Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe|accessdate=2005-05-10] [cite book|author=Santa Fe Railroad|date=1945|title=Along Your Way|publisher=Rand McNally|location=Chicago, Illinois]
* February 13 – Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad completes construction of its line across Missouri to connect its namesake cities.

March events

* March 3 – Construction begins on the first railway in northern India as tracks are laid between the present day locations of Allahabad and Kanpur. [cite web|author=Northern Railway of India|url=http://www.northrail.org/scripts/static/history.aspx|title=History Of Northern Railway|accessdate=2006-03-03]

May events

* May 2 – Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash in Cornwall, England, opened by Prince Albert. [cite book|author=Binding, John|title=Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge|date=1997|publisher=Twelveheads Press|location=Truro|isbn=0-906294-39-8]
* May 4 – Cornwall Railway opened across the Royal Albert Bridge linking the counties of Devon and Cornwall in England. [cite book|author=Woodfin, R. J.|title=The Cornwall Railway|date=1972|publisher=Bradford Barton|location=Truro]

June events

* June 2 – The organization that is to become the Chicago and North Western Railway purchases the assets of the bankrupt Chicago, St. Paul and Fond du Lac Railroad.
* June 7 – The Chicago and North Western Railway is chartered.

August events

* August – Samuel Marsh succeeds Charles Moran as president of the Erie Railroad. [cite web|title=Erie Railroad presidents|url=http://erierr.railfan.net/eriepres.html|accessdate=2005-03-15]

eptember events

* September 1 – The first Pullman sleeping car leaves Bloomington, Illinois, on an overnight trip to Chicago; first Pullman conductor is Jonathan L. Barnes.

December events

* December 27 - Grand Trunk Railway completes construction of the rail line from Toronto to Sarnia, Ontario, and begins a train ferry connection across the St. Clair River at Fort Gratiot.Colin Churcher's Railway Pages (August 16 2005), [http://www.railways.incanada.net/candate/candate.htm Significant dates in Canadian railway history] . Retrieved December 27 2005]

Births

January births

* January 11 – Charles Bowen-Cooke, Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London and North Western Railway 1909-1920 (d. 1920).

April births

* April 11 – Stuart R. Knott, president of Kansas City Southern Railway 1900-1905 (d. 1943). [cite web| Kansas City Southern Historical Society| url=http://www.kcshs.org/schedule/subs/images/history/kcs_hist.htm| title=The Kansas City Southern Lines| accessdate=2005-08-15]

November births

* November 13 – George Knorr, inventor of the Knorr brake, is born (d. 1911).

Deaths

September deaths

* September 15 – Isambard Kingdom Brunel, civil engineer of the Great Western Railway, dies (b. 1806). [cite book| author=Rolt, L. T. C.| title=Isambard Kingdom Brunel: a biography| date=1957| publisher=Longmans| location=London]

October deaths

* October 12 – Robert Stephenson, English railway and steam locomotive engineer (b. 1803). [cite book| author=Rolt, L. T. C.| title=George and Robert Stephenson| date=1960| publisher=Longmans| location=London]

References