View source for 1950 in rail transport

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{{Year in rail transport|prev=1949|curr=1950|next=1951|decade=1950}}

==Events==

===January===
* January 26 &ndash; To provide an all-[[India]] rail route to [[Assam]] following the [[Partition of India]], the [[N F Railway|Northeast Frontier Railway]] opens to passengers a new line between [[Kishanganj]] and [[Fakiragram]] ({{convert|229|km|mi|abbr=on}}) on which construction commenced only on January 26, 1948; also, [[Chittaranjan Locomotive Works]], [[India]], commences steam locomotive production,<ref name="IRHTL">{{cite web|url=http://irse.bravehost.com/IRHTML.htm|author=Saxena, R. P.|title=Indian Railway History Time Line|year=2008|accessdate=2009-12-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120229092028/http://irse.bravehost.com/IRHTML.htm|archive-date=2012-02-29|url-status=dead}}</ref> the first locomotive ([[Indian locomotive class WG|class WG]] no. 8401) being rolled out on November 1.

===February===
* February 5 &ndash; The first [[diesel locomotive]] to pull a freight train on the [[San Diego and Arizona Railway]] begins its journey from [[El Centro, California]], on a trial run.<ref>Dodge, Richard V. (June 29, 1956), ''[http://www.sdrm.org/history/sda/history.html San Diego's "Impossible Railroad"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051231004836/http://sdrm.org/history/sda/history.html |date=2005-12-31 }}''. Retrieved February 5, 2006.</ref>
* February 6 &ndash; A [[labor strike]] by [[United Mine Workers]] causes shortages of [[bituminous coal]] encouraging [[New England]] railroads to accelerate replacement of steam locomotives with [[diesel locomotive#Diesel-electric|diesel-electric locomotives]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trumanlibrary.org/publicpapers/index.php?pid=669&st=&st1=|title=Special Message to the Congress on the Coal Strike|publisher=Truman Library|accessdate=2010-06-24}}</ref>
* February 10 &ndash; [[Canadian National Railway]] gains control of [[Temiscouata Railway]] in the provinces of [[Quebec]] and [[New Brunswick]].<ref>Colin Churcher's Railway Pages (August 16, 2005), ''[http://www.railways.incanada.net/candate/candate.htm Significant dates in Canadian railway history] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050623000123/http://www.railways.incanada.net/candate/candate.htm |date=2005-06-23 }}''. Retrieved February 10, 2006.</ref>
* February 17 &ndash; [[Rockville Centre train crash]]: A head-on collision between two [[Long Island Rail Road]] evening trains in [[Rockville Centre, New York]] kills 32 and injures 158, the worst in the road's history until November.

===March===
* March 2 &ndash; The [[Nickel Plate Road]] runs its first mainline [[freight train]] powered by [[diesel locomotives]], as two yard switchers are pressed into service to handle a train from [[Peru, Indiana]], to [[Michigan City, Indiana|Michigan City]].

===April===
* April – The [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] registers its first, unsuccessful application with Canada's [[Board of Transport Commissioners]] to abandon passenger service on its interurban subsidiary, the [[Canadian Pacific Electric Lines]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Traction on The Grand: The Story of Electric Railways along Ontario's Grand River Valley |first=John M. |last=Mills |publisher=Railfare Enterprises |date=1977 |isbn=0-919130-27-5 |page=24}}</ref>
* April 30 &ndash; The [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] replaces its ''[[Steeler (train)|Steeler]]'' with the ''[[Steeler (train)|Morning Steeler]]'' and ''[[Steeler (train)|Afternoon Steeler]]'' [[passenger train]]s between [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]] and [[Cleveland, Ohio]].

===May===
* May 6 &ndash; [[Pacific Electric]] quits the [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] to [[San Bernardino, California|San Bernardino]] [[railway post office]], the last [[interurban]] RPO in the [[United States]].<ref name=ERHA>{{cite web |title=San Bernardino Line |url=http://erha.org/pensb.htm |publisher=Electric Railway Historical Association |accessdate=11 September 2020}}</ref>
* May 7–8 [[Long Island Rail Road]]'s Jamaica Bay Trestle erupts in a major fire between [[The Raunt (LIRR station)|The Raunt]] and [[Broad Channel (LIRR station)|Broad Channel stations]], destroying the bridge over [[Jamaica Bay]], and leading to the eventual decline of the [[Rockaway Beach Branch]] five years later.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1950%20Dec%2004.pdf |title= PRR Chronology, 1950 |access-date= 2010-04-20 |archive-date= 2013-05-10 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130510133907/http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1950%20Dec%2004.pdf |url-status= dead }}&nbsp;{{small|(50.5&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]])}}, December 2004 Edition</ref>
* May &ndash; [[American Locomotive Company|ALCO]] introduces the [[ALCO RS-3]].

===June ===
* June 16 &ndash; [[Copper Range Railroad]]'s [[coal]] unloading dock at [[Houghton, Michigan]], is razed. [https://web.archive.org/web/20051104011655/http://www.michiganrailroads.com/RRHX/Timeline/1950s/TimeLine1950.htm]

===July===
* July 2 &ndash; [[Pacific Electric]] service along the [[West Santa Ana Branch]] is truncated to [[Bellflower, California]].<ref name=1958History>{{Veysey-PE-1958|page=77}}</ref>

===August===
* August 1 &ndash; [[Indian Railways]] takes over most remaining state railways.<ref name="IRHTL"/>
* August 8 &ndash; [[Illinois Central]] retires the [[Illinois Central 121]] passenger trainset from active service; the trainset will soon be scrapped.
* August 22 &ndash; [[Canada]]'s railroad workers go on [[strike action|strike]], crippling operations across the country.
* August 27 &ndash; [[United States]] [[President of the United States|President]] [[Harry Truman]] orders the Army to take control of U.S. railroads to prevent a [[strike action|strike]].

===September===
* September 15 &ndash; The first [[diesel locomotive]]s produced at [[General Motors Electro-Motive Division]]'s [[London, Ontario]], works are delivered to the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]].
*September 17 &ndash; The first of the [[6000 series (CTA)|6000-series]] [[rapid transit]] cars (6001&ndash;6720), are placed in service on the [[Chicago "L"]] system. built by the [[St. Louis Car Company]] of [[St. Louis]], [[Missouri]], the number of these cars would eventually reach 720, dominating the CTA's fleet for decades. The first batch is placed in service on the Logan Square route.
* September 30 &ndash; [[Tasmanian Government Railways]] introduces [[Tasmanian Government Railways X class|X class]] into service, the first mainline diesel-electric locomotives purchased by an [[Australia]]n government railway system.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.railtasmania.com/loco/loco.php?id=x|title=X & XA Class|work=RailTasmania.com|accessdate=2010-01-14| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20100211003709/http://www.railtasmania.com/loco/loco.php?id=x| archivedate= 11 February 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref>

===October===
* October 1 &ndash; First section of [[Stockholm Metro]] (''Stockholms T-bana'', [[Sweden]]) opened by conversion of the underground tram line from [[Slussen]] to [[Hökarängen]].
* October 15 &ndash; [[Pacific Electric]] ceases operations on the [[Upland–San Bernardino Line|El Monte–Baldwin Park Line]].<ref name=ERHA />
* October 16 &ndash; The [[East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad]] (ET&WNC) officially ceases operation on the {{Track gauge|3 ft}} narrow gauge.

===November===
* November 21 &ndash; [[Canoe River train crash]]: A [[Canadian National Railway]] train carrying [[Korea]]-bound [[troop]]s is given incorrect orders and collides with a passenger train at [[Canoe River (British Columbia)]], killing 21, including 17 soldiers.
* November 22 &ndash; [[Kew Gardens train crash]] A collision in rear between two [[Long Island Rail Road]] evening commuter trains between [[Kew Gardens station (LIRR)|Kew Gardens]] and [[Jamaica station]]s in the [[Kew Gardens, Queens|Kew Gardens]]/[[Richmond Hill, Queens|Richmond Hill]] neighborhood of [[Queens]], [[New York City]], kills 78 and injures 363, the worst in the road's history.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.oldkewgardens.com/ss-lirr-0650.html| title=The 1950 LIRR crash at Kew Gardens/Richmond Hill| date=2007-01-27| accessdate=2007-11-22| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20071109120354/http://www.oldkewgardens.com/ss-lirr-0650.html| archivedate= 9 November 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref>
* November 30 &ndash; [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]] becomes [[Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton Corporation]].

===Unknown date===
* [[Ferrovie dello Stato]], [[Italy]], opens new [[Roma Termini railway station]].
* Work on electrification of [[Saint Petersburg Railway Division]] of the [[Oktyabrskaya Railway]], [[Russia]] begins.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://perecheek.narod.ru/elektro.html|title=Sequence of electrification of sites of railways of Karelian isthmus (Последовательность электрификации участков железных дорог Карельского перешейка)|last=Penin|first=Alexander|publisher=www.perecheek.narod.ru|language=ru|accessdate=2009-02-14}}</ref>

==Accidents==
{{1950 railway accidents|state=uncollapsed}}

==Births==
* July 18 - [[Richard Branson]], founder of [[Virgin Rail Group]].

==Deaths==
* February 11 - [[Victor V. Boatner]], president of [[Peoria and Pekin Union Railway]] 1921-, [[Chicago Great Western Railway]] 1929–1931, dies (born 1884).

== References ==
* MichiganRailroads.com (2005), ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20051104011655/http://www.michiganrailroads.com/RRHX/Timeline/1950s/TimeLine1950.htm Railroad History Timeline - 1950]''. Retrieved June 13, 2005.
* (August 16, 2005), ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20050623000123/http://www.railways.incanada.net/candate/candate.htm Significant dates in Canadian railway history]''. Retrieved August 22, 2005.
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