This Day in Railroad History

Tokaido Shinkansen Test Runs Begin

Japanese National Railways

Tokyo

Japan Railways started high-speed test operations on the Tokaido line ahead of the 1964 Olympics.

German Railway Electrification Milestone

Deutsche Reichsbahn

Ruhr

Deutsche Reichsbahn completed major electrification of key lines in the Ruhr region.

Pike's Peak Cog Railway Opens

Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway

Manitou Springs

The Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway began operations, becoming the highest railroad in North America at the time.

Kurkse tragedy: Fourteen Estonian soldiers of the Baltic Battalion are drowne...

Kurkse tragedy: Fourteen Estonian soldiers of the Baltic Battalion are drowned or die of hypothermia during a training exercise in the Kurkse Strait.

A major Channel Tunnel fire breaks out on a freight train, resulting in the c...

A major Channel Tunnel fire breaks out on a freight train, resulting in the closure of part of the tunnel for six months.