ON THIS DAY: RAILFREIGHT HISTORY

JUNE 30

1949 Last day archbar freight trucks can legally operate in US interchange service only on empty cars returning to their home roads.

JULY 6

1950 Canadian Pacific opens the first retarder hump yard in Canada at St. Luc, Montreal

2013 Shortly before 01:00 am, a 72 car Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway train of mostly oil tanks, which was parked unattended for the night at Nantes, Québec, started to roll. It runs away approximately 7.2 miles, (11.6km) reaching a speed of 65 mph (136 km/h) and derails at Lac Megantic, QC. About 1,320,000 gallons (6 million litres) of petroleum crude oil spilled. The resulting explosion kills 47 people. The runaway is carrying crude oil derails and explodes. Fifty people are missing and presumed dead. Thirty buildings were destroyed. The engineer had left the train to take a break, engaging the brakes before he left. There was environmental contamination of the downtown area and of the adjacent river and lake.

JULY 7

1838 An act of the United States Congress officially designates all railroads in the United States as postal routes.

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