1957 in rail transport

Events

January

• January 1 - The Chicago and North Western Railway leases the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway.
• January 12 - Operations of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway's Super Chief and El Capitan passenger trains are combined during off-peak seasons.
• January 22 - Last day of steam locomotive operations on the Southern Pacific Railroad.

  February

• February 7 - Southern Pacific 4-6-2 #2472 is retired from revenue service.

  March

• March 17 - The Milwaukee Road operates its last steam locomotive.
• March 21 - The Deutsche Bundesbahn puts in operation its first E 40 locomotive.
• March 29 - The New York, Ontario and Western Railway is abandoned, the largest single railroad abandonment in the United States.
• March 29 - The Central Vermont Railway dieselizes.

  April

• April 7 - New York City trolleys run for the last time.

  May

• May 7 - The Flying Yankee trainset is retired from revenue service on the Boston & Maine and Maine Central railroads.
• May 17 - Canadian National Railway opens a new track alignment between Toronto and Montreal to make way for construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway.

  June

• June 2 - First Trans Europ Express diesel trains run on the continent.
• June 6 - Pere Marquette Railroad steam locomotive 2-8-4 number 1225 is given to Michigan State University for display on campus.

  July

• July 3 - The Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad abruptly ceases to carry passengers at 12:13pm.
• July 11 - Southern Pacific Railroad's Colton Cutoff around Los Angeles is opened to traffic.
• July 27 - The Musquodoboit Railway ends steam locomotive operations with a round trip between Dartmouth and Upper Upper Musquodoboit, Nova Scotia, behind CN number 3409.

  August

• August 27 - The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway retires its last steam locomotive.

  September

• September 1 - 175 die in Jamaica's worst railway disaster.
• September 7 - The Pennsylvania Railroad discontinues the Morning Steeler passenger train between Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
• September 28 - Newtown Tram Depot in Sydney is closed.

  October

• October 6 - The Chicago "L" Stock Yards branch serving Union Stock Yards is closed.
• October 21 - Two trains collide in Turkey; 95 die.
• October 31 - Canadian National Railway receives authorization to operate the former New York Central Railroad lines in Ottawa to reach industries that were originally served by NYC.

  November

• November 1 - Class I railroads report they roster 27,108 diesel and 2,697 steam locomotives. An additional 721 steam locomotives are in storage.
• November 15 - A first section of Nagoya Municipal Subway, Nagoya Station to Sakae Station route start operation in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

  Unknown date

• William N. Deramus III becomes president of the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad.
• Estación Federico Lacroze in Buenos Aires, Argentina, opens.
• The California State Legislature establishes the five-county San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District.
• Pandrol clip patented by Norwegian railway engineer Per Pande Rolfsen.

  Births

Deaths

March deaths

• March 9 - Robert Whitelegg, locomotive superintendent for London, Tilbury and Southend Railway 1910-1912, and for Glasgow and South Western Railway 1918-1923, general manager of Beyer, Peacock and Company 1923-1929, dies.

  July deaths

• July 13 - Sim Webb, Casey Jones' fireman on the famous run.