1961 in rail transport

This article lists events related to rail transport that occurred in 1961.

Events

January events

• January – The
  passenger car it will build, an R28 (New York City Subway car).^[1][2]
• January 4 –
  German Democratic Republic to Deutsche Reichsbahn
  .
• January 16 – Eastern Region of British Railways takes delivery of D9001, the first production "Deltic" class diesel locomotive.

February events

• February 4 –
  Black Diamond passenger train
  service.
• February 6 – The first automatic level crossing on British Railways is installed at Spath, Staffordshire.

March events

• March 27 – Black demonstrators stage a "ride-in" on
  streetcars
  .
• March 28 – Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line opened. The first railway line in the world without any lineside signals.

April events

• April – D5151, the first Sulzer Type 2 diesel locomotive, later British Rail Class 25, is completed at B.R. Darlington Works.
• April 9 – The
  Pacific Electric Railway, is replaced by buses.^[3]
• April 25 – Osaka Loop Line, circular line system start operation in Japan.^{[citation needed]}

May events

• May 24 – The Milwaukee Road's Olympian Hiawatha passenger train makes its final run between Chicago, Illinois, and Seattle, Washington.
• May 28 – The Orient Express makes its last run between Paris, France, and Bucharest, Romania.

June events

• June – The last of the Bradshaw railway timetables, first published by George Bradshaw in 1839, is published in Britain.
• June 1 – Dr Richard Beeching takes office as chairman of the British Transport Commission and British Railways Board.
• June 17 – A Paris–Strasbourg train derails near Vitry-le-François; 24 are killed, 109 injured.

August events

• August 31 – Portland, Maine's Union Station is demolished to make room for a shopping plaza.^[4]

September events

• September 23 – Maritime, Coal Railway and Power Company, in Nova Scotia, ceases operations.^[5]
• September 30 –
  Centerville (SP station)
  .

October events

• October 18 –
  General Motors Electro-Motive Division completes construction of the first GP30 diesel locomotive
  .
• October 26 – Two cars of a commuter train operated by Oita Traffic Company are involved in a mudslide during a massive rainstorm at
  Kyūshū
  , Japan, 31 killed, 36 injured. Most of the passengers are senior high school students.
• October 28 – Bangor and Aroostook Railroad ends passenger service.^[4]
• October – Work starts on demolition of Euston Arch in London.^[6]

November events

• November 20 – Union Pacific 844 makes its first excursion run following retirement from regular revenue service on the Union Pacific Railroad.

Unknown date events

• Atlantic Coast Line's headquarters are moved from Wilmington, North Carolina, to Jacksonville, Florida.
• Construction is completed on
  Chihuahua, Chihuahua, to the town of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, near the Pacific
  coast.
• Nationalization of rail transport in Paraguay.
• The first eight DC powered VL10 (i.e. Vladimir Lenin class) freight locomotives built at Tbilisi.
• The introduction in Sweden of the first SJ T43 locomotives opens the way for the phasing out of steam power on Swedish railways.
• The world's last
  Atjeh Tramway on Sumatra.^[7]

Accidents

Births

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Deaths

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References

• Rivanna Chapter, National Railway Historical Society (2005), This Month in Railroad History: October. Retrieved October 18, 2005.
• Rivanna Chapter, National Railway Historical Society (2005), This month in railroad history – November. Retrieved November 20, 2005.