1939 in rail transport: Encyclopedia II - 1939 in rail transport - Events

1939 in rail transport - Events

1939 in rail transport - January events

• January - General Motors Electro-Motive Division introduces the EMD SW1.

1939 in rail transport - February events

• February - General Motors Electro-Motive Division introduces the EMD NW2.

1939 in rail transport - March events

• March - General Motors Electro-Motive Division introduces the EMD E3.

1939 in rail transport - April events

• April 27 - Cecil B. DeMille’s movie “Union Pacific”, the story of the building of the transcontinental railroad, premieres in Union Pacific's home town of Omaha, Nebraska. During production of the movie, the studio used so many trains a railroad operating permit was required from the Interstate Commerce Commission. After the premiere, a 15-car train of period equipment will tour the country promoting the movie.
• April 30 - The first passenger train to be equipped with fluorescent lighting throughout, the "General Pershing" of the Chicago Burlington & Quincy, is placed in scheduled service between St. Louis and Kansas City.

1939 in rail transport - May events

• May - Union Pacific, Southern Pacific and Santa Fe passenger trains in Los Angeles, California, are united into a single terminal as Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal is opened.
• May 23 - Harvey C. Couch succeeds Charles E. Johnston as president of Kansas City Southern Railway.

1939 in rail transport - June events

• June 1 - Mount McKinley Hotel opens, bringing tourists via the Alaska Railroad to the Denali area.
• June - Union Pacific Railroad retires the M-10001 streamliner trainset from City of Portland service, replacing it with the M-10002 trainset from the City of Los Angeles service.

1939 in rail transport - July events

• July 16 - The world's first diesel-powered rack locomotive enters service on the Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway.

1939 in rail transport - August events

• August 11 - C. P. Couch succeeds his brother Harvey C. Couch as president of Kansas City Southern Railway.

1939 in rail transport - October events

• October - Charles E. Denny steps down from the presidency of the Erie Railroad.

1939 in rail transport - November events

• November 25 - General Motors Electro-Motive Division's EMD FT 103, “The Diesel That Did It” according to David P. Morgan, begins an 83,764 mile barnstorming tour.
• November - General Motors Electro-Motive Division introduces the EMD E6.
• November - General Motors Electro-Motive Division introduces the EMD NW3.

1939 in rail transport - December events

• December 1 - The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad inaugurates the Champion passenger train between New York, New York, and Miami, Florida.
• December 22 - Genthin, Germany: collision when train D180 drove into previous but delayed and overcrowded train D10 from Berlin to Cologne. 278 killed, 453 injured. Represents one of the largest train accidents in Germany.
• December 29 - The Pioneer Zephyr streamliner trainset crosses the one million mile (1.6 million km) mark in revenue service near Council Bluffs, Iowa.

1939 in rail transport - Unknown date events

• Hale Holden steps down as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Southern Pacific Company, the parent company of the Southern Pacific Railroad. After Holden's departure, the position is nonexistent until 1964
• Union Pacific Railroad's M-10003-6 streamliner power cars are upgraded from two-car, 2,400 hp sets to three three-car, 3,600 hp sets.
• The General Pershing Zephyr debuts on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad between Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri.
• American Car and Foundry's Berwick, Pennsylvania, plant switches to construction of military tanks.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Events", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki