Forthcoming Anniversaries
This is a selected list of forthcoming transport anniversaries in the British Isles
2009
- 1959 28/02 Closure of most of former Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway
- 1909 Construction of first Garratt articulated locos, by Beyer, Peacock of Manchester
- 1909 01/12 Public inauguration of ’Elevated Electric’ service on L.B.& S.C.R. South London line (6.7 kV a.c. at 25 Hz)
- 1859 11/01 Birth of C.J. Bowen-Cooke, loco engineer (d. 1920) Orton Longueville
- 1859 03/05 Official opening of Royal Albert Bridge, Saltash (engineer: I.K. Brunel)
- 1859 15/09 Death of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, railway engineer (b. 1806) London
- 1859 12/10 Death of Robert Stephenson, railway engineer (b. 1803) London
- 1809 Opening of Poldice Railway, Cornwall
- 1809 Death of Thomas Dadford snr, canal engineer
- 1809 01/02 Birth of Peter William Barlow, railway engineer (d. 1885) Woolwich
- 1809 26/05 Birth of George Thomas Clark, railway engineer (d. 1898) London
- 1809 04/08 Birth of Samuel Morton Peto, railway contractor (d. 1889) Woking
- 1809 10/10 Birth of Nathaniel Worsdell, railway coachbuilder (d. 1886) London
- 1809 22/10 Opening of Croydon Canal (engineer: Dudley Clark)
- 1909 05/08 Birth of Charles Hadfield, canal historian (d. 1996) Pietersburg
2010
- 1960 05/01 Closure of Swansea & Mumbles Railway
- 1960 18/03 Completion of last steam locomotive for British Railways, Swindon
- 1960 18/06 Reopening as a preserved line of Middleton Railway, Leeds
- 1960 07/08 Reopening as a preserved steam line of Bluebell Railway, Sussex
- 1960 10/09 Last railway slip coach working, Bicester North
- 1960 12/09 Official inauguration of electric train service, Crewe–Manchester Piccadilly (25 kV a.c. at 50 cycles)
- 1910 11/02 Birth of L.T.C. Rolt, canal & railway writer (d. 1974) Chester
- 1910 07/03 Death of George Whale, loco engineer (b. 1842) Hove
- 1860 18/09 Death of Joseph Locke, railway engineer (b. 1805) Moffat
- 1860 /10 Introduction of railway water troughs, Mochdre
- 1810 Death of Thomas Cartwright, canal engineer
- 1810 28/12 Kennet & Avon Canal completed by opening of Caen Hill Locks, Devizes (engineer: John Rennie)
2011
- 1961 16/01 Delivery of first production Deltic diesel loco
- 1961 /06 Last publication of Bradshaw’s railway timetable
- 1961 01/06 Succession to chair of B.T.C. and B.R.B. of Dr Richard Beeching
- 1911 Founding of Institution of Locomotive Engineers (by G.F. Burtt)
- 1861 19/04 Death of General Sir Charles Pasley, railway inspector (b. 1780) London
- 1861 13/10 Death of Sir William Cubitt, canal & railway engineer (b. 1785) London
- 1861 02/11 Birth of Oliver Bury, railway manager (d. 1946) London
- 1811 c/01 Opening of Tardebigge Tunnel, Worcester & Birmingham Canal
- 1811 04/04 Official opening of Huddersfield Narrow Canal through Standedge Tunnel (engineer: Benjamin Outram, completed by John Rooth)
- 1761 07/06 Birth of John Rennie, canal & bridge engineer (d. 1821) East Linton
- 1861 10/09 Establishment of Southampton, Isle of Wight & South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. Ltd (’Red Funnel’)
2012
- 1962 10/06 Official reopening of Lower Avon Navigation, Tewkesbury–Evesham
- 1862 01/03 Death of Peter Barlow, railway engineer (b. 1776) Blackheath
- 1862 01/07 Establishment of Great Eastern Railway
- 1862 08/11 Death of James Walker, canal, railway & bridge engineer (b. 1781) Westminster
- 1812 10/05 Birth of William Henry Barlow, railway engineer (d. 1902) Woolwich
- 1812 29/06 Birth of John Viret Gooch, loco engineer (d. 1900) Bedlington
- 1812 06/07 Opening of Kilmarnock & Troon Railway (engineer: William Jessop)
- 1812 12/08 Introduction into regular service of steam locos on Middleton Railway, Leeds (engineers: John Blenkinsop and Matthew Murray) (first trial 24/06)
- 1812 01/10 Opening of Foxton Locks on the Leicester line
- 1812 23/12 Birth of Samuel Smiles, railway manager & engineering historian (d. 1904) Haddington
2013
- 1813 14/05 Birth of Charles Beyer, loco engineer (d. 1876) Plauen
- 1863 10/01 Opening of Metropolitan Railway, London (engineer: John Fowler) the world’s first metro
- 1863 23/10 Official inauguration of steam locos on Festiniog Railway (2 ft gauge) (engineers: Charles Easton Spooner and Charles Menzies Holland) (first trial 04/08) the first instance on a public railway of so narrow a gauge
2014
- 1964 11/07 Official reopening of Stratford upon Avon Canal, Southern Section (restoration manager: David Hutchings)
- 1914 04/06 Birth of Prof. Sir Alec W. Skempton, waterway engineer & historian (d. 2001) Northampton
- 1864 11/03 Death of Richard Roberts, loco engineer (b. 1789) London
- 1864 08/06 Birth of Herbert W. Garratt, loco engineer (d. 1913) London
- 1864 08/12 Official opening of I.K. Brunel’s Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol
- 1814 Birth of Edwin Clark, railway and canal engineer (d. 1894) Bucks
- 1814 25/07 Introduction of George Stephenson’s first loco Blücher at Killingworth Colliery
- 1814 09/08 Opening of ‘Old’ Grand Union Canal
- 1814 11/09 Birth of John Ramsbottom, loco engineer (d. 1897) Todmorden
- 1814 18/11 Death of William Jessop, canal engineer (b. 1745) Butterley
Acknowledgements for some of these entries to the Newcomen Society and other fellow members of the Inter-Societies Anniversaries Committee, and to Jim Shead's Waterways Chronology. Suggestions for additional entries may be made to secretary@rchs.org.uk.
