The first circus train left New Jersey in 1872. It was organized by showman William Cameron Coup, who had partnered with the Barnum circus and the Dan Castello circus for a show that would prove revolutionary. Travelling by train dramatically changed the circus, which had before then traveled overland, with hundreds of horses pulling […]
This historic railway built between 1910 and 1915 is still operating as a tourist train, and still uses a steam engine built in 1912. It offers regular rides and special rides like the Great Train Robbery. The Kettle Valley Railway was built to connect the Okanagan Valley to the ocean – a “Coast-to-Kootenay” railway, in […]
Amtrak came into existence on May 1st, 1971, through the Rail Passenger Service Act. The Act authorized the newly formed National Railroad Passenger Corporation to manage and operate an American national rail network. Amtrak was organized to revive dwindling rail travel, as cars and planes became more popular. It was the first unified, centrally-managed, nationwide […]
Toy trains and model railways were the specialty of the Lionel Corporation, which was founded in 1900 and continues in business. Its products introduced generations of children to an awareness of the importance of trains. At its peak in the 1950s, Lionel sold $25 million worth of trains yearly. Joshua Lionel Cowen and Harry Grant […]
Two lines – The Buffalo, Brantford and Goderich (later the Buffalo and Lake Huron) Railway and the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) – arrived in Stratford in 1856. This marked the beginning of its history as a railway hub. Following their arrival, engineers, brakemen and conductors began to relocate to Stratford. Thirteen years later the GTR […]
The Komoka Railway Museum was incorporated in 1980 to provide displays, restoration and storage of artifacts as they relate to the history and development of the area around Komoka, with particular emphasis on the influence of the railroads. To accomplish this, the museum acquired the former Canadian National rail station at Komoka in 1978 and […]
The Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico – also known as the Chihuahua-Pacific Railway, has operated over 418 miles (673 kilometers) of track since the railway’s final completion in 1961. The completion of the Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacifico achieved a longstanding objective of the Mexican people – linking the city of Chihuahua to the port of Topolobampo, […]
The Town of Halton Hills has a number railway related structures that date back to the mid 1850s and remarkably most of them are still in use. These structures were constructed under the direction of Colonel Sir Casimir Gzowski who was knighted by Queen Victoria and served briefly as the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. He […]
The Intercolonial was an historic Canadian railway that operated from 1872 to 1918. It predated the Canadian Pacific Railway by nine years and in a sense was Canada’s first national railway. It was the first significant Crown corporation, and served as one of the technological means of connecting Britain’s North American colonies of Nova Scotia […]
In 1892, industrialist John Pierce convinced several independent manufacturers to join his business, the Pierce Steam Heating Company, to form the American Radiator Company. Eager to prove its worth, the newly formed company worked hard to attract the attention of large and expanding corporations requiring new heating systems for their buildings. With its annual publication, […]