1962 in rail transport

This article lists events related to rail transport that occurred in 1962.

Events

January events

• January 4 – New York City Subway introduces a driverless train.
• January 8 – The Harmelen train disaster, the worst railway accident in the history of the Netherlands, occurs when one passenger train driver misses a warning signal and passes a red signal to collide nearly head-on with another passenger train. 93 are killed.
• January 28 – The last lines of streetcars in Washington, D.C., end operations.

February events

Bodø railway station

• February 1 - Nordlandsbanen in Norway is completed and opened to Bodø.

March events

• March 15 - Canadian Pacific Railway receives authorization to discontinue passenger train service between Ottawa and Chalk River.

May events

• May 3 - Mikawashima train crash in Japan kills 160.
• May 23 - Drilling for the new Montreal Metro system commences.

July events

• July 17 - Canadian National Railway debuts a new paint scheme on its transcontinental passenger train, the Super Continental.

September events

• September 7 - The Buckfastleigh, Totnes and South Devon Railway, in England, is closed by the Western Region of British Railways.

October events

• October 11 - Colorado and Southern Railway 2-8-0 number 641 pulls the last steam locomotive-operated regular daily service revenue train on a standard gauge railroad in the United States when it pulls a train from Leadville to Climax, Colorado.
• October 28 - The Lake Street Elevation of the Chicago Transit Authority rail system is placed in operation, relocating 2.6 miles of the former at-grade portion of the route onto the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company's elevated right-of-way, with new above-ground stations at Central, Austin, Ridgeland, Oak Park and Harlem/Lake. The improvement eliminated a total of 22 grade crossings in Chicago, Oak Park and Forest Park.

Unknown date events

• New York Central purchases the first electric multiple unit passenger cars from Pullman-Standard for use on the Metro-North railroad.
• Union Pacific 3985, the largest operable steam locomotive in the world, is removed from revenue service on the Union Pacific Railroad.
• First Indian Railways Class WDM-2, from ALCO, introduced. The class will eventually exceed 2,800 units.
• ALCO closes the ALCO Thermal Products Division (formerly Brooks Locomotive Works) plant in Dunkirk, New York.
• Harry A. deButts is succeeded by D. William Brosnan as president of the Southern Railway.
• The Northern Refrigerator Car Line is combined with Merchants Despatch.

Deaths

• February 2 - Ralph Budd, president of the Great Northern Railway 1919–1932 and Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad 1932–1949 (b. 1879).

References

• (2000), American Experience / Streamliners / People & Events / Ralph Budd. Retrieved February 22, 2005.
• Norfolk Southern Railway. Retrieved February 22, 2005.
• President and Fellows of Harvard College (2004), 20th century great American business leaders - Ralph Budd. Retrieved February 22, 2005.
• Rivanna Chapter, National Railway Historical Society (2005), This Month in Railroad History - October. Retrieved October 11, 2005.
• (April 3, 2005), Significant dates in Canadian railway history. Retrieved July 12, 2005.
• White, John H., Jr. (Spring 1986). "America's most noteworthy railroaders". Railroad History 154: pp. 9–15. ISSN 0090-7847. OCLC 1785797.