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In rail transport, a train is a vehicle or (more frequently) a string of vehicles capable of being moved along a continuous line of rails or other guideway for the purpose of conveying freight or passengers between points on a predetermined route. The train may be hauled or propelled by one or more vehicles designed exclusively for that purpose (locomotives) or may be driven by a number of motors incorporated in all or several of the vehicles (multiple units). As of 2017[update], there are approximately 1,051,767.605 kilometres (653,538.091 mi) of railway track in use worldwide. (World Bank) |
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Pullman porters were men hired to work on the railroads as porters on sleeping cars. Starting shortly after the American Civil War, George Pullman sought out former slaves to work on his sleeper cars. Their job was to carry passenger's baggage, shine shoes, set up and maintain the sleeping berths, and serve passengers. Pullman porters served American railroads from the late 1860s until the Pullman Company ceased operations on December 31, 1968, though some sleeping-car porters continued working on cars operated by the railroads themselves and, beginning in 1971, Amtrak. Until the 1960s, Pullman porters were exclusively black, and have been widely credited with contributing to the development of the black middle class in America. Under the leadership of A. Philip Randolph, Pullman porters formed the first all-black union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in 1925. Formation of the union was instrumental in the advancement of the Civil Rights Movement.
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Restored Garratt steam locomotive no. 6029 hauls a load test train over the Queanbeyan River bridge in September 2014. The locomotive was originally built for the New South Wales Government Railways by Beyer, Peacock and Company in 1956.
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Did you know...
- ...that Brno hlavní nádraží is one of the oldest railway stations in the Czech Republic, having been in operation since 1839?
- ...that Brighton is the seventh-busiest station in England outside London, with over 17 million passenger entries and exits in 2018/19?
- ...that industries supplying materials to the railway, including John Browne's Brick and Tile Works, and George Hennet's iron works, were situated near Bridgwater railway station, which itself was the nearest station to the halfway point on the Bristol and Exeter Railway line?
- ...that the junction between the branch built in 1843 to Bricklayers Arms railway station and the main line was the first in the world to be controlled by a signal box?
Selected anniversaries
- March 3
- 1831 – George Pullman (pictured), American inventor and industrialist, and founder of the Pullman Company, is born (d. 1897).
- 1849 – The Pacific Railroad, a predecessor of the Missouri Pacific Railroad, is chartered in Missouri.
- 1859 – Construction begins on the first railway in northern India as tracks are laid between the present day locations of Allahabad and Kanpur.
- 1997 – Union Pacific Railroad reopens the former Western Pacific Railroad Feather River Canyon line in California after repairs are made from flooding that occurred in January.
Trains News
- December 31, 2020 – Following a complete restoration, Chesapeake and Ohio 1309, a 2-6-6-2 Mallet locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1949, the last steam locomotive built by Baldwin for the North American market, is operated under its own power for test runs. When returned to service on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, it will be the largest steam locomotive in regular scheduled service in the United States and take 2-8-0 No. 734’s place as the largest active steam locomotive in the state of Maryland. (Trains.com Newswire)
- September 28, 2020 – Amtrak operates a test run using one of the 28 new Avelia Liberty trains manufactured by Alstom along the full length of the Northeast Corridor to Boston South Station. Previous test runs had occurred from Washington, D.C., only as far north as New Jersey and Delaware. Barring any problems, the trains are expected to enter regular service on the route in 2021. (Universal Hub)
- June 13, 2020 – The Bay Area Rapid Transit Silicon Valley BART extension opened its stations in Milpitas and North San Jose. (San Jose Spotlight, SF Gate)
- March 29, 2020 – The Wuhan Metro and other railway services in Wuhan partially restart after a 65 day shutdown to combat the effects of Covid-19. Six of the nine lines on the Wuhan Metro restarted operation on March 29, while the other 3 lines restarted in April. (CGTN.com, Reuters, China.org.cn)
- March 22, 2020 – Indian Railways announces that it will suspend passenger service as part of the 2020 India coronavirus lockdown. (Metrosaga.com, Business Traveller.com)
- December 19, 2019 – Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and rail company CSX Transportation announced a deal to expand rail service in Virginia including Amtrak Virginia service and the Virginia Railway Express, and doubling the Long Bridge across the Potomac River. (Richmond Times-Dispatch, Washington Post)
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WikiProjects
WikiProject Trains (Shortcut: WP:TWP)
- WikiProject Stations (WP:STA)
- WikiProject Streetcars (WP:TRAM)
- WikiProject Rapid transit (WP:RTPJ) inactive
- By region:
- WikiProject Metros of the former Soviet Union (WP:SOVMETRO) inactive
- WikiProject Indian railways (WP:INRW)
- WikiProject Trains in Japan (WP:TJ)
- WikiProject New Zealand Railways (WP:NZR)
- WikiProject Pakistan Railways (WP:PKR)
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Fictional rail transport topics:
- WikiProject Thomas & Friends (WP:THOMAS) inactive
Note: WikiProjects marked as inactive are retained pending future editing activity
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See also Wikipedia:WikiProject Trains/Todo and Wikipedia:Pages needing attention/Railroads
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