1856 in rail transport

Events

January events

* January – Opening throughout of first railroad in Africa and the Middle East, from Alexandria to Cairo, Egypt (convert|208|km|disp=slash|abbr=on).cite book| author=Marshall, John| title=The Guinness Railway Book| date=1989| publisher=Guinness| location=Enfield| isbn=0-85112-359-7] [cite news| last=Raafat| first=Jordan| publisher=Jordan Star| date=1998-03-05| url=http://www.egy.com/community/98-03-05.shtml| accessdate=2007-03-18| title=Desert Train Heralds Train Tourism In Egypt]

April events

* April 21 - The first railroad bridge across the Mississippi River opens between Rock Island, Illinois, and Davenport, Iowa.Willard, John; Quad City Times (January 31 2006), " [http://www.qctimes.net/articles/2006/01/31/features/celebrate/doc43dee8a37fa3d711745830.txt Dinner marks 150th birthday of the first railroad crossing on the Mississippi] ". Retrieved January 31 2006.]

May events

* May - Saltaire station opens on the Midland Railway (formerly the Leeds and Bradford Extension Railway) north of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.
* May 6 - The newly constructed sidewheeler "Effie Afton" runs into one of the supports for the first railroad bridge across the Mississippi River, causing a fire that destroys the bridge just two weeks after it had opened.

July events

* July 14 - The Rome and Frascati Rail Road opens for service.

September events

aeptember, 16 The Tarragona-Reus is opening
* September 21 - Illinois Central Railroad connects Chicago to Cairo, Illinois, completing 700 miles (1,126 km) of track to become the longest railway in the United States.

October events

* October 28 – Opening of first railway in Portugal, from Lisbon to Carregado (convert|37|km|disp=slash|abbr=on).

December events

* December 1 – Opening of first steam-operated passenger railways in Sweden, from Gothenburg to Jonsered (convert|15|km|disp=slash|abbr=on) and Malmö to Lund (convert|17|km|disp=slash|abbr=on).

Unknown date events

* After April 19 - Following Thomas Rogers's death, his son, Jacob S. Rogers, reorganizes Rogers, Ketchum and Grosvenor as Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works.

Births

February births

* February 2 – Frederick William Vanderbilt, director of the New York Central system (d. 1938).

December births

* December 30 – Sam Fay, General manager of the Great Central Railway of England, 1902-1922 (d. 1953). [cite book|author=Dow, George|title=Great Central, Vol. 3: Fay sets the pace 1900-1922|publisher=Locomotive Publishing Co|location=London|year=1965]

Deaths

March deaths

* March 11 – James Beatty, Irish engineer who was involved in building the European and North American Railway and the Grand Crimean Central Railway (b. 1820).

April deaths

* April 19 – Thomas Rogers, American steam locomotive builder, dies in New York (b. 1792). [cite book|author=Marshall, John|title=Biographical Dictionary of Railway Engineers|publisher=Railway & Canal Historical Society|location=Oxford|year=2003|isbn=0-901461-22-9]
* April 20 – Robert L. Stevens, president of Camden and Amboy Railroad (b. 1787).

November deaths

* November 1 – John Urpeth Rastrick, English steam locomotive builder and partner in Foster, Rastrick and Company (b. 1780).

References

* " [http://www.steamindex.com/people/engrs.htm Brief biographies of major mechanical engineers] ". Retrieved February 9 2005.
* Rivanna Chapter National Railway Historical Society (2005), " [http://avenue.org/nrhs/histsep.htm This month in railroad history: September] ". Retrieved September 21 2005.
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