1909 in rail transport - Definition

This article will list events related to rail transport that occurred in 1909.

Events

January events

• January 29 - The final spike is driven in the construction of the Virginian Railway at Glen Lyn, Virginia.

April events

• April 1 - Great Central Railway places turbine steamships on its Grimsby-Rotterdam service

June events

• June - George Whale retires as Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London and North Western Railway; he is succeeded by Charles Bowen-Cooke.

August events

• August 30 - Great Western Railway begins using its Fishguard terminus in Wales for boat trains in connection with the Cunard steamships on Atlantic routes as a first port of call

September events

• September - Robert Lovett succeeds E. H. Harriman as president of the Southern Pacific Company, parent company of the Southern Pacific Railroad. Lovett also assumes the position of Chairman of the Executive Committee for the railroad.

October events

• October 9 The Alaska Northern Railroad Company (a predecessor of the Alaska Railroad) purchases the assets of the bankrupt Alaska Central Railway and subsequently extends the line northward another 34 km (21 miles).

December events

• 1 December - the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway inauguated Britain's first rail electrification scheme in South London
• 20 December - Henry Fowler appointed Chief Mechanical Engineer, Midland Railway, succeeding Richard Deeley

Unknown date events

• The Nickel Plate Road begins a massive grade separation project in Cleveland, Ohio, to eliminate street grade crossings on the railroad's mainline in the city.
• Albert Hunt invents the wigwag grade crossing protection signal for the Pacific Electric in Los Angeles, California.

Births

Deaths

March deaths

• March 13 - William Jackson Palmer, builder of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (b. 1836).

May deaths

• May 19 - Henry H. Rogers, American financier who helped finance and build the Virginian Railway (b. 1840).

September deaths

• September 9 - E. H. Harriman, executive in charge of both the Union Pacific Railroad and the Southern Pacific Railroad (b. 1848).