1846 in rail transport

This article lists events related to rail transport that occurred in 1846.

Events

Furness Railway No. 3, entered service February 1846 in the north of England

January 9 – Barentin Viaduct on the Paris–Le Havre railway collapses soon after its completion by English engineers.^[1]
January 13 – Opening of the Milan–Venice railway's 3.2 km (2.0 mi) bridge over the Venetian Lagoon between Mestre and Venice in Italy.^[2]^[3]

June 14 – The first Gare du Nord station in Paris, France, is opened.
June 20 – The Paris–Lille railway is opened in France.
June 22 – The North British Railway is opened to public traffic between Edinburgh and Berwick-upon-Tweed, the first line to cross the border between Scotland and England. Waverley Station is opened.^[5]
June 26 – The Great Northern Railway (Great Britain) is authorised by Act of Parliament with powers to construct a direct line from London to York with a loop via Boston, 233.5 mi (375.8 km) with a capital of £5,600,000, the largest single scheme ever approved by Parliament.^[6]^{[page needed]}

August 11 – First section of Furness Railway in England opens to mineral traffic; passengers are first carried on December 1.^[8]
August 18 – Gauge Act passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom^[9] rules that new railways in Great Britain should be built to standard gauge and 5 ft 3 inches in Ireland unless otherwise authorised.
August 28 – Railway Mania reaches its zenith as the Parliament of the United Kingdom closes its session having passed 272 Acts setting up new railway companies.^[10]

September 21 – The town of Kendal, England, declares a public holiday for the opening of the Kendal, Oxenholme and Lancaster section of the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway; the first revenue trains are operated on September 22.^[11]
September 28 – The East Lancashire Railway opens to the public from Clifton Junction to Rawtenstall in England.

December 17 – The Lancaster and Carlisle Railway is opened throughout to Carlisle.

April 13 – Lucius E. Johnson, president of the Norfolk and Western Railroad 1904–1921 (d. 1921).

October 6 – George Westinghouse, American inventor; developed the Westinghouse air brake (d. 1914).

^ Walker, Charles (1969). Thomas Brassey, Railway Builder. London: Muller. pp. 48–9. ISBN 0-584-10305-0.
^ "Venice Railroad Bridge". Structurae. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
^ Kalla-Bishop, P. M. (1971). Italian Railways. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. p. 20. ISBN 0-7153-5168-0.
^ "Timeline of Old Plank Road Trail history and development". Archived from the original on 2005-02-14. Retrieved 2005-03-01.
^ Thomas, John (1969). The North British Railway, vol. 1. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-4697-0.
^ Marshall, John (1989). The Guinness Railway Book. Enfield: Guinness Books. ISBN 0-8511-2359-7. OCLC 24175552.
^ Reed, M. C. (1996). The London & North Western Railway: a history. Penryn: Atlantic. ISBN 0-906899-66-4.
^ "Furness Railway". John Speller's Web Pages - Other Railways. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
^ "Railway Archive". Archived from the original on 20 August 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2007.
^ Lewin, Henry Grote (1936). The Railway Mania and its aftermath, 1845–1852. London: Railway Gazette.
^ Friends of Carnforth Station. "The History Of Carnforth Railway Station (and surrounding area)". Archived from the original on 2004-11-16. Retrieved 2005-09-21.
^ Holt, Jeff (1985). The Grand Trunk in New England. Railfare. p. 124. ISBN 0-919130-43-7.