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INDUSTRIES: Business History of Transport
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March 18, 1662 - First public bus service began operating, in Paris.

July 15, 1783 - First successful steamboat, Pyroscaphe, made trial run on River Saone in France.

August 22, 1787 - Inventor John Fitch demonstrated  steamboat (top speed was 3 mph) on Delaware River to delegates of Continental Congress.

February 1, 1788 - Isaac Briggs, William Longstreet received a patent for the steamboat.

January 30, 1790 - Henry Greathead, of South Shields, UK, tested first lifeboat- built specially to rescue people from stormy seas; The "Original" was 30ft long, twelve oars, self-righting, and had seven hundredweight of cork for buoyancy; went out to wrecks for forty years, saved hundreds of lives.

August 26, 1791 - Englehart Cruse, of Baltimore, MD, received a patent for an "Improvement on Savary's Steam Engine for Raising Water"; John Fitch, of Philadelphia, PA, received a patent for a "Steam Engine Applied to Navigation"; Nathan Read, of Massachusetts, received a patent for a"Steam Engine Boiler"; James Rumsey, of Berkeley County, VA, received a patent for the "Application of Steam To Propel Boats and Vessels" and for a "Boiler of Steam Engine"; John Stevens, Jr., of Bergen County, NJ, received a patent for a "Boiler for Generating Steam" and for "Applying the Force of Steam".

1803 - First public railway opened in London (Wandsworth to Croydon).

April 11, 1803 - John Stevens, of New York, NY, received a patent for "Producing Steam"; twin-screw propeller steamboat; 1804 - successfully navigated in New York Harbor; initiated regular ferry service from New Jersey to New York.

March 25, 1807 - First railway passenger service began in England.

August 7, 1807 - First serviceable steamboat, Cleremont, began first voyage from New York City to Albany (nearly 150 miles) in 32 hours; engineer Robert Fulton first to successfully apply steam to inland navigation; first to demonstrate that steam-propelled ships were financially practical.

June 10, 1809 - John Stevens's first commercial steamboat, 100-ft long Phoenix paddle wheel, took 13 days to sail from New York City to Philadelphia; first steamboat to navigate open seas; began to run to Bordentown, became link in fast stage-coach and boat service connecting New York, Philadelphia.

October 1, 1811 - The New Orleans, first steamboat to sail down Mississippi (cost about $40,000 including engines); left Pittsburgh, PA, reached Louisville in 70 hours at about 10 mph, arrived in New Orleans, LA, after 14 days;  propelled by stern-wheel, assisted, at times, by sails on two masts; hull was 138 feet long, 30 feet beam.

October 11, 1811 - John Stevens, inventor of first steam-powered ferryboat, Juliana, put it into operation between New York City, Hoboken, NJ; had previously purchased  commercial ferry license in NY state , operated horse powered ferry.

October 7, 1816 - The Washington, steamboat with design that proved ideal for western rivers, docked in New Orleans; built by shipbuilder Henry M. Shreve, had two-story deck, stern-mounted paddle wheel powered by high-pressure steam engine, shallow, flat-bottomed hull, pilothouse framed by two tall chimneys; 1850 - peak of era of paddle wheelers: 740 steamboats regularly moved up, down Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, carried three million passengers annually; eventually cheap rail transport,  diesel-powered towboats and barges replaced western steamboats.

May 22, 1819 - U.S. steamboat Savannah made first transatlantic crossing.

October 23, 1819 - First boat passed through Erie Canal, from Utica to Rome and return; carried Governor DeWitt Clinton, sate officials, about seventy persons.

October 26, 1825 - Erie Canal opened, connected Lake Erie,  Hudson River in upstate New York.

November 14, 1832 - The John Mason, first horse-drawn street car used in U.S. (designed, built by John Stephenson in Philadelphia; named for its owner, prominent New York banker), took initial trip with municipal officials in New York City on track along Fourth Avenue from Prince Street to 14th Street; November 26, 1832 - public transportation began in New York City; fare of 12-1/2 cents; three non-connecting compartments, each able to carry ten passengers, rode on iron wheels along iron rails laid in middle of road.

December 23, 1834 - Joseph Hansom received British design patent for Patent Safety Cab; sold patent to company for £10,000 (never paid).

1837 - Thomas Cornell acquired sloop to carry passengers, ship goods from Rondout, NY, on Hudson River, to New York City (100 miles south); 1847 - founded Cornell Steamship Company; 1890 - died, Samuel D. Coykendall took over; converted fleet to propeller-driven tugboats; 1900 - largest fleet of paddle-wheelers in U.S.; 1913 - Coykendall, died, six sons assumed control; 1954 - C. W. Spangenberger took over as president (joined company in 1933); 1958 - acquired by New York Trap Rock Corporation (largest customer); largest tugboat company in U.S., maybe world. for many years (60); 1963 - sold barges, exited business.

April 22, 1838 - True transatlantic steamship travel began as  British ship, Sirius, arrived at New York; made crossing in 18 days.

1839 - Samuel Cunard established British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company with Robert Napier,  engineering genius, James Donaldson, George Burns (of Glasgow ), David MacIver (of Liverpool), proprietors of rival lines of coasting steamers between Glasgow and Liverpool; May 4, 1839 - contract signed by British government to undertake  regular mail service across Atlantic from Liverpool to Halifax, Quebec, Boston; July 4 to 19, 1840 - first voyage of Cunard steamship successfully made by "Britannia" (paddle steamer) from Liverpool to Boston, MA; 1855 - first iron ship, Persia; 1862 - first screw-propelled ship, China; 1878 - name changed to Cunard Steamship Limited, company went public; eventually absorbed Canadian Northern Steamships Limited and its principal competition, White Star Line.

December 1, 1841 - First steamboat engine built in America for screw-propelled vessel, installed on Vandalia (first screw-propelled vessel on Great Lakes built to carry passengers,  freight through canals); designed by John Ericsson, built by Captain Sylvester Doolittle; demonstrated that propellers could pass easily through narrow locks where side-wheelers could not.

July 19, 1843 - First all-metal liner, S.S. Great Britain, launched from Bristol, England.

March 26, 1845 - Joseph Francis, New York City, received a patent for a "Ship's Implement" ("Making Boats and Other Vessels of Sheet-Iron or Other Metal"); corrugated sheet-iron lifeboat.

March 19, 1850 - Phineas P. Quimby, of Belfast, ME. received a patent for a "Steering Apparatus" ("for Steering Ships and Steamboats").

October 10, 1850 - Chesapeake & Ohio Canal completed,  opened for business along entire 184.5 mile length from Washington, DC to Cumberland, MD.

September 20, 1853 - Elisha Graves Otis sold first safety elevator equipment to Benjamin Newhouse in New York City (used for moving freight); opened factory in Yonkers, NY. May 1854 - public relations stunt at Crystal Palace in New York City: Otis hoisted high in air on platform fitted with his safety device, stopped his fall when rope was cut; March 22, 1857 - installed first practical (steam driven) department store passenger elevator in  five-story Haughwout Emporium at 490 Broadway in New York City (opened by Eder V. Haughwout on March 23, 1857); January 15, 1861 - Otis of Yonkers, NY, received a patent for a "Hoisting Apparatus"; safety elevator; designed to arrest a fall in case of the lifting rope breaking; 1867 - Otis Brothers & Co. incorporated; 1889 - applied electric motor to power elevators; 1898 - Otis Elevator Co. formed from $11 million merger of Otis Brothers & Co., 14 other elevator companies; 1976 - acquired by United Technologies Corporation.

March 23, 1858 - Eleazer S. Gardner, of Philadelphia, received a patent for a "Railroad Track" ("Improvement in Tracks for City Railways"); cable street car which ran on overhead cables.

August 9, 1859 - Nathan Ames, of Saugus, MA, received first U. S. patent for "Revolving Stairs" ("...an endless inclined flight of stairs or steps stairs or steps which are placed on, over, or around rollers, so that the stairs or steps will serve as elevators, when motion is transmitted to the rollers"); an escalator-type design.

September 30, 1860 - American George Francis Train inaugurated first British tramway.

March 23, 1862 - London's first tramcars, designed by a Mr, Train of New York, began operating from Bayswater.

January 10, 1863 - London's Metropolitan, world's first underground passenger railway, opened to fare-paying passengers; four mile, 33-min route had seven stations between Farringdon St. and Paddington; six engines, each drawing four carriages, left at 15-min intervals, made a total of 120 journeys in both directions, carried over 30,000 passengers; 1853 - North Metropolitan Railway Co. founded; 1860 - first shaft sunk at Euston Square; line constructed by "cut-and-cover" method (first road surface removed, trench dug to rail level).

December 8, 1866 - Celestial Empire (later named China), first transpacific side-wheeler steamship launched in U.S. for  Pacific Mail SS Co.; capacity for 1,300 passengers; July 1, 1867 - steamer set off for Panama, picked up passengers, arrived in San Francisco on September 20, 1867; 1883 - sold to Henry Villard, became receiving ship for smallpox patients (1884), scrapped in 1886.

July 2, 1867 - First elevated railroad in U.S. opened for traffic in New York City; ran along curb line of Greenwich Street, between Battery Place and Dey Street; cars traveled at speeds up to 15 mph; February 14, 1870 - reorganized, placed in operation with steam power; new service extended north to New York Central Railroad Passenger station at 29th Street and Ninth Avenue.

February 26, 1870 - New York City's first pneumatic-powered subway line ( 312 feet long, nine foot diameter, cylindrical tube built by Alfred Ely Beach) opened to public; included waiting room 120 feet long embellished with grand piano, fountain, ornate paintings, candelabra so customers would not feel they were entering dank, dreary tunnel; twenty-two-seat subway car propelled by giant fan that workers nicknamed "the Western Tornado"; operated by steam engine, drew air in through valve, blew it forcefully into tunnel.

January 17, 1871 - Andrew S. Hallidie received a patent for an "Endless Wire Ropeway", (an "improved method of obtaining power from weights carried in buckets, sacks or cars attached to an endless wire-rope moving over or around sheaves or pulleys"); June 2, 1873 - ground  broken on San Francisco's Clay Street for world's first cable-powered railroad moved by motor-driven cables under city street; constructed from intersection of Clay and Kearny Streets to crest of hill, distance of 2,800-ft, a rise of 307-ft.; August 1, 1873 - first cable car for public transport began service as solution to problem of providing mass transit up San Francisco's steep hills.

Andrew S. Hallidie - cable cars (http://www.onlinenevada.org/media/image/VB8_00182_H_273_Hallidie.jpg)

February 20, 1872 - Cyrus W. Baldwin, of Boston, MA, received a U.S. patent for an "Improvement in Elevators"; installed vertical geared hydraulic electric elevator in Stephens Hotel in New York City; described "suspending and operating the elevator carriage from the bottom or platform thereof"; safety devices were included to prevent a fall if the suspending devices should fail.

May 2, 1880 - Columbia, first U.S. steamboat (between San Francisco and Portland, OR) to successfully employ electric lights to illuminate passenger rooms, main salons; operated for 15 years until replaced with larger dynamo.

July 13, 1880 - Stephen D. Field of New York City received a U.S. patent for "Propelling Cars by Electricity" ("certain new useful Improvements in Propelling Railway-Cars by Electro-Magnetism"), system for supplying electric power through the rails and to the motor; 1874 - first used on a street car in an electric street car, first electric streetcar to run successfully with current generated by a stationary dynamo; current conveyed by one of the rails, via a metal wheel to the onboard motor, and returned through a second metal wheel to the other rail.

August 10, 1885 - Leo Daft began operation of America's  first commercially operated electric streetcar in Baltimore.

November 30, 1886 - Belgian inventor, Charles Van Depoele, designed first commercial electric railway in US (maybe the world) for Scranton Suburban Electric Railway (ran continuously between downtown Scranton, Pa. and Green Ridge, except for repairs and strikes, until 1954); February 25, 1890 - Van Depoele, of Lynn, MA, received a patent for an "Electric-Railway Motor-Car";  electric trolley car; April 1, 1890 - received a patent for a "Suspended Switch and Traveling Contact for Electric Railways".

October 11, 1887 - Alexander Miles, African American inventor from Duluth, MN, received a patent for an "Elevator" ("a mechanism for closing the openings to the shafts of freight and passenger elevators"; permitted elevator doors to open and close safely.

June 18, 1889 - William H. Richardson, of Baltimore, MD, received two patents for a "Child's Carriage" ("body is reversible in position with reference to the running-gear").

November 4, 1890 - City & South London Railway: London's first deep-level tube railway opened between King William Street and Stockwell.

1891 - Martin and John Bekins began Bekins Moving and Storage company in Sioux City, IA, with three horse drawn vans, twelve employees; 1903 - introduced first motor trucks; 1928 - completed first transcontinental motor van move; 1940 - name changed to Bekins Van Lines Company; June 1945 - 37 warehouses throughout west, 430 vans, 1,270 employees; December 20, 1955 - registered "Bekins" trademark first used 1891 (transportation and storage of household goods); 1960 - established Bekins Wide World, later known as Bekins International; 1983 - acquired by by Minstar, Inc. (Irwin L. Jacobs); 1987 - reacquired by Bekins family; 2,000 employees, 470 independent agents, more than 50 wholly owned moving, storage companies.

1891 - German inventor Wilhelm Bruhn invented taxi meter, electronic device that indicated to driver, passenger distance traveled to avoid arguments about payment due; word derives from French (taxe = price) and Greek (metron = measure); late 1940s - two-way radios first appeared in taxicabs; 1980s - computer assisted dispatching first introduced.

1892 - Thomas Crowley (17) purchased 18-foot Whitehall boat for $80 on San Francisco's waterfront to provide transportation of personnel, supplies to ships anchored on San Francisco Bay; mid-1890s - incorporated under name Thomas Crowley and Brothers; 1906 - Crowley Launch and Tugboat Company incorporated; 1992 - created Crowley Maritime Corporation as holding company for business lines; current Chairman, President and CEO Thomas B. Crowley, Jr. (grandson); September 1995 - sold passenger division, Red and White Fleet (nine boats that carried 2.5 million passengers in 2004) for $25 million; largest tug and barge outfit in the world, with 91 tugs, nearly 150 barges, 24 ships in fleet.

Thomas Crowley - Crowley Maritime (http://www.crowley.com/extension/crowley/design/crowley/images/1890/left.png)

March 15, 1892 - Jesse Wilford Reno, of New York, NY, received a patent for an "Endless Conveyor or Elevator" ("mechanical incline or slide-conveyor to be used in place of elevators or stairways where large numbers of persons are to be transferred from one floor, or level, to another, either upward or downward"); escalator.

May 24, 1892 - Thomas Edison received four patents for an "Electric Locomotive" ("to furnish an economical system of electro-magnetic railways or tramways which, while useful in any locality, shall be particularly adapted to regions where the traffic is too light for ordinary steam-railways, or the main bulk of the traffic is limited to certain seasons, or where the difficulties or expense of grading render ordinary steam-roads impracticable").

June 14, 1892 - Thomas A. Edison received a patent for a "Trolley for Electric Railways" ("Improvement in Current-Collecting Devices for Electric Railways"); received a patent for a "Means of Propelling Electric Cars"; received a patent for an "Electric Locomotive" ("manner in which the propelling-motor of an electric car is mounted on the truck and to the means by which motion is transferred from the motor to the car-axles"); received a patent for a "Conductor for Electric Railways" ("placed along a railway-track...to provide an arrangement by which a conductor may be readily and satisfactorily placed along an ordinary steam or other railroad when it is desired to use an electrically-propelled vehicle thereon").

August 2, 1892 - George A Wheeler, of New York City, received a patent for an "Elevator", related to "improvements in passenger-elevators preferably employed for stations on elevated railways but also applicable to other locations...to provide a safe, capacious and convenient device which will afford a stairway for travel as well as a continuously-movable elevator"; prototype of escalator.

May 21, 1895 - William B. Purvis, of Philadelphia, PA, received a patent for a "Magnetic Car Balancing Device" ("means for causing the wheels of trolley or other cars to adhere closely to their tracks when desired, the device being at all times under the control of the motor-man, and comprising bars supporting a system of coils on either side of the car, which are capable of being magnetized at will, either separately or simultaneously, whereby they will attract the rails, and the care wheels will be caused to adhere more closely thereto, thereby reducing to a minimum the liability of jumping the track, and the wheels will be prevented from slipping in icy or wet weather, or when going around curves").

August 1895 - Los Angeles Railway Company organized  to provide streetcar service (City Council passed first franchise ordinance for "...laying down and maintaining two iron railroad tracks and to run cars thereon, to be propelled by horses or mules, and to carry passengers thereon" on July 3, 1873); October 1, 1898 - acquired by Henry E. Huntington; 1944 - acquired by National City Lines; renamed Los Angeles Transit Lines. 

June 16, 1897 - Gottlieb Daimler delivered world's first dedicated taxi, Daimler Victoria taxi, to Friedrich Greiner,  Stuttgart entrepreneur who started world's first motorized taxi company; 1897 Bersey - first motorized London taxi (electrically powered); 1903 - gasoline-powered taxis introduced; March 22, 1907 - First internal combustion-powered cabs with taximeters began operating in London.

August 3, 1897 - Walter H. Knight, of Newton, MA and William B. Potter, of Lynn, MA, received a patent for a "Method of Regulating Electrically Driven Mechanism"; a street car controller.

November 23, 1897 - Elbert R. Robinson, of Chicago, IL, received a patent for a "Casting Composite or Other Car Wheels"; method for casting wheels in which outer sides are of one metal and the interior portions are of another metal; enabled casting a metal of high electrical conductivity, such as brass, in a groove of an iron trolley wheel; permitted an entirely new construction consisting of two outer disks, or flanges, and an intermediate, uniting portion, which extends from the contact portion of the wheel with a web extending to the centre and an integral bushing.

January 17, 1899 - Charles D. Seeberger, of Chicago, IL, received a patent for an "Elevator" ("...series of interconnected trucls or steps are moved over tracks through part of their extent horizontal and through part inclined, the said trucks nor steps remaining individually horizontal throughout such movement"); built first commercially produced escalator based on his design in Otis factory in 1899.

November 21, 1899 - Jesse Wilford Reno, of New York, NY, received a patent for an "Inclined Elevator" ("by means of which passengers are carried on a continuously-moving tread or belt adapted to travel along an inclined track from one level to another, as from one floor in a building to another above or below it, the object being to provide an elevator of this character that shall be reliable and effective in its construction and operation, and one especially adapted for the safety and convenience of passengers...and one that is particularly adapted for use where the space is limited"); May 14, 1901 - received a patent for an "Inclined Elevator" ("relates more particularly to the case where two such elevators, one ascending and one descending, are situated adjacent to each other..."duplex"); 1902 - founded Reno Electric Stairways and Conveyors, Ltd.; September 9, 1902 - received a patent for an "Inclined Elevator" ("especially adapted to be applied to stairways of factories for the use of employees and others"); November 14, 1905 - received a patent for an "Inclined Elevator"; 1906 - his design for spiral escalator installed in London Underground system; 1912 - patents acquired by Otis Elevators.

 

 

 

Jesse Wilford Reno - elevator patents (http://www.theelevatormuseum.org/e/reno.jpg)

1899 - Otis Elevator Company built prototype of escalator, moving staircase ; incorporated some of features of George A Wheeler's patent.

April 25, 1899 - James H. Robinson, of Minneapolis, MN, received a patent for a "Life-Saving Guard for Street-Cars" ("fender or guard particularly adapted for use on street-cars...whereby a motorneer by a single movement of a lever can simultaneously set the brakes and throw the fender forward upon the track; further, to provide means whereby the brake mechanisms can be operated independently of the mechanism for operating the fender").

1900 - Charles D. Seeberger, of Elevator Company, installed first step-type escalator made for public use at the Paris Exhibition of 1900; Seeberger coined the brand name Escalator (from scala, Latin for steps, with elevator); 1901 - installed it at the Gimbel Brothers store in Philadelphia, PA; 1910 - Seeberger sold his patent rights to Otis.

July 19, 1900 - First line of Paris Metro completed; eight stations; ran east-west through center of city from Porte de Vincennes to Porte Maillot; engineer Fulgence Bienvenüe in charge of construction, architect Hector Guimard credited for Art Nouveau entrances.

October 27, 1904 - World's first subway, IRT (Interborough Rapid Transit), opened in New York City, subway/bus fare set at one nickel (Brooklyn bridge-145 and Broadway).

August 15, 1906 - Illinois Tunnel Company began operation of first U.S. freight delivery tunnel system underneath Chicago, IL; September 1, 1907 - whole underground system finished; January 2, 1908 - put into operation.

October 1, 1907 - Taxicabs introduced in New York, imported from France by Harry N. Allen; adapted French word taxi-metre,  coined the word "taxicab" to describe the 65 imported vehicles;  1909 - W. C. P. Taxicab Company (Wyckoff, Church & Partridge) introduced yellow cab in New York .

1908 - Philadelphia Subway opened, also known as Tube Transportation.

February 25, 1908 - Hudson & Manhattan Railroad (PATH) opened; President Theodore Roosevelt pressed button in White House, turned on electric current; 1927 - busiest year, carried more than 113 million riders (same year Holland Tunnel opened).

February 16, 1909 - Interborough Rapid Transit Company (opened October 27, 1904) put first subway car with side doors in U.S. into service in New York City; positioned four feet from each end of car, opened and closed by pneumatic-lever system invented of James McElroy of Consolidated Car Heating Company.

1910 - Robert Palmer bought horse and wagon; delivered milk to homes of Detroiters; supplemented milk delivery business with “Palmer Cartage”, offered to move large pieces of furniture; operated from basement of his home; became Palmer Moving and Storage; early 1950 - became agent for North American Van Lines; 2010 - manage more than 10,000 relocations annually, operate over million square feet of warehouse facilities with fleet of over 200 tractors, trailers, smaller vans.

1911 - Dan (Donald) MacLure, his brother started MacLure's Cabs in Vancouver, BC (first vehicle - Cadillac); 1940s - Packard became vehicle of choice;; 2011 - fleet of 65 taxis (fuel efficient, greenhouse gas-friendly Toyota Prius), oldest in city.

August 14, 1912 - First double-decker bus appeared on  streets of New York; traveled up, down Broadway; originated in London as two-story horse-drawn omnibus for rush hour traffic (eventually added roof seating).

October 10, 1913 - The U.S.-built Panama Canal was completed with the explosion of the Gamboa Dike; concluded one of the largest construction projects in history.

November 7, 1913 - Nagareyama Light Railway incorporated as commuter rail line in Chiba Prefecture operated between Mabashi Station in Matsudo and Nagareyama Station in Nagareyama; March 14, 1916 - opened 762-mm gauge railway; November 1922 - renamed Nagareyama Railway; 1924 - railway track rebuilt to 1067-mm gauge; 1949 - name changed to Nagareyama Electric Railway; 1967 - name changed to Nagareyama Electric Railway; 1971 - name changed to Sbu Nagareyama Electric Railway; August 1, 2008 - name changed to Rytetsu; independent railway operator with just 5.7 km line, without major subsidiary business; link between centre of city of Nagareyama and East Japan Railway Company (JR East) Jban Line.

March 17, 1914 - Fifth Avenue Coach Company of New York introduced the first bus with cross-wise seats (vs. longitudinal seating), allowed passengers to face forward.

May 19, 1914 - Carl Eric Wickman, laid-off miner, opened Hupmobile dealership in Hibbing, MN; couldn't sell them; converted one to 7-passeneger vehicle, began to  transport miners from Hibbing, MN to Alice, MN (2 miles), for $.15 per ride one-way, $.25 round-trip; December 17, 1915 - joined with Ralph Bogan, incorporated Mesaba Transportation Company in Hibbing, MN; precursor to The Greyhound Bus Company; first year profit of $8,000; 1918 - 18 buses, $40,000 in profit; 1922 - renamed Motor Transit Corporation;  1924 - Wickman joined Orville Caesar, formed Northland Transportation Company in Duluth, MN (Wickman as president); 1925 - 80% interest acquired by Great Northern Railroad (GNR) for $240,000; 1926 - Wickman formed Motor Transit Corporation; 1929 - acquired 90% of GNR's interest; 1930 - name changed to Northland Greyhound Lines; 30% interest acquired by GNR; name changed to Greyhound Corporation; 1936 - introduced "Super Coach" (all metal body, rear-mounted engine, 37 passenger capacity); 10,000 employees; 1946 - Orville Caesar succeeded as president; 1948 - sales of $190 million; April 17, 1951 - registered "Greyhound" trademark first used in 1926 (transportation by motor bus of passengers, mail express and newspapers); 1954 - introduced "Scenicruiser" (43 passengers, 2 levels); 1959 - sales of $300 million; 1972 - introduced "Ameripass", extended travel fare; 1980 - sales reached $1.045 billion; 1981 - bus industry deregulated by ICC; 1987 - bus operations divested; July 14, 1987 - Greyhound Bus acquired Trailways® Bus System, Inc. (Dallas), Trailways's largest member company, for $80 million; largest nationwide intercity bus transportation company; 1990 - unionized workforce began 3-year strike; June 4, 1990 - filed for bankruptcy; April 19, 1991 -  posted $195 million loss for 1990; August 12, 1991 - Creditors voted to support Greyhound Bus reorganization plan; 1993 - strike ended; 1998 - introduced 55-seat bus (largest in its history); sales of $800 million, first profit since 1993; 1999 - merged with Laidlaw, Inc.; 2001 - operating revenue of $1 billion (first time 1981); 2002 - opened 100th intermodal transportation center.

Carl Eric Wickman - founder Greyhound Lines  (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Eric_Wickman.jpg)

November 1, 1918 - Worst rapid transit accident in US history occurred under intersection of Malbone Street and Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY; at least 93 dead.

May 19, 1919 - Ward B. Hiner formed "Red Ball Transit Company", opened office at No. 18 South Capitol Avenue in Indianapolis, IN (115 signed truck operators carried tin sign on their stock racks, "Red Ball Service"); considered first interstate mover.

January 4, 1921 - International Motor Company registered MACK trademark first used October 13, 911 (motortrucks).

March 30, 1923 - Cunard liner Laconia arrived in New York City, became first passenger ship to circumnavigate world,  cruise of 130 days.

1924 - A.J. Harrell founded Yellow Cab and Transit Co. in Oklahoma City (Yellow Freight).

1926 - Matthew Ferguson established Ferguson Transport as one-man business in Blyth, Northumberland, UK; sold his house, invested in first commercial vehicle, a bean, to commence trading as general carrier of goods between Blyth and Newcastle, UK; developed relationship with Port of Blyth, shipped paper products; largest privately owned hauler in North East of England, operates from several locations throughout UK.

1929 - Leland James founded small regional trucking company in Portland, OR; 1939 - name changed to Consolidated Freightways; September 3, 2002 - filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection

February 22, 1930 - R&M Transportation Company, freight-moving business set up by Carroll Roush, partner Charles Morrison to move tires between Akron, OH, St. Louis, MO, made first shipment; December 1920 - Roush brothers (Carroll, Galen) founded Roadway Express, Inc.; July 1931 - terninal established in Gadsden, AL, keystone of Roadway's southern operation; operating revenues of $200,000; 1932 - R&M  merged with Roadway; 1956 - went public; operating revenues of $42.7 million, earnings of $1.1 million, 985 trucks and tractors, 1,894 trailers; terminals in 65 cities; 1961 - over 5,900 employees nationwide; 1977 - fleet of 21,121 vehicles, 13,993 used for linehaul operations, 7,128 for local pickup and delivery; 1978 - 424 terminals; 1996 - Roadway Express spun off from Roadway Services, Inc. (publicly traded company with no long-term debt); 2001 - formed holding company (Roadway Corporation) to build portfolio of strategically linked companies.

Galen Roush - Roadway Express (http://www.yrc.com/images/about/galen.gif)

May 16, 1931 - London United Tramways (LUT) started London's first trolleybus service; replaced trams service on  Twickenham Junction to Teddington route; ran on electricity drawn from"trolley" running along overhead lines; had pneumatic tires to run on same road surface with other traffic. London trams.

September 10, 1932 - Independent City Owned Rapid Transit Railroad (IND) opened in New York City.

1934 - Earl and Lillian Congdon founded Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. with single truck running between Richmond and Norfolk, VA; 2010 - family operated, global, publicly-traded company with 210 service centers, serve more than 48,000 points.

December 7, 1932 - The Conte di Savoia of Italian Line, first gyro-stabilized vessel to cross the Atlantic, arrived in New York City; rolling  limited to maximum of three degrees; 1915 - Sperry Company (Elmer A. Sperry) installed first Sperry gyro-stabilizer to stop roll on ships.

September 26, 1934 - Her Majesty Queen Mary, accompanied by His Majesty King George V, launched Queen Mary from John Brown Shipyard; May 12, 1936 - Ship officially handed over to Cunard White Star Line.

August 9, 1935 - Congress passed Motor Carrier Act of 1935; overseen by Interstate Commerce Commission, applied to all common, contract carriers engaged in interstate transportation of passengers, property; required common carriers: 1) to secure certificates of public convenience, necessity before they operated; 2) to establish just, reasonable rates, forbidden to discriminate in rates, service; 3) to disclose consolidation, merger of properties, issuance of securities, financial responsibility of operators; 4) to verify qualifications, maximum hours of service of their employees, safety of their operations, equipment.

February 5, 1936 - Five privately owned motorcoach companies (Burlington Transportation Company, Santa Fe Trails Transportation Company, Missouri-Pacific Stages, Safeway Lines, Inc., Frank Martz Coach Company) met in office of H. W. Stewart, General Manager of Burlington Transportation Company, to found umbrella association of privately-owned, independent carriers to increase passenger traffic between, within members' respective territories; newly-organized association operated under name Trailways; served 24,023 miles of routes, principally in Midwest; February 19, 1952 - Continental Bus System, Inc. registered "Trailways" trademark first used November 15, 1945 (transportation of passengers, baggage, express mail, and newspaper publications, by motor buses); September 8, 1953 - offered first transcontinental express bus service in U.S.; 3,154-mile ride from New York City to San Francisco, lasted 88 hours, 50 minutes, cost $56.70 ($183 today on Greyhound).

June 28, 1938 - State of New Hampshire dedicated aerial tramway, first in North America, in Franconia, NH; built to lift skiers from Franconia Notch to 4,200-foot summit of Cannon Mountain on north face; site chosen, in part, because sufficient electric power already in place in Franconia Notch; wooden cabins held 28 skiers; 1982 - present tram constructed, carried 70 skiers.

September 27, 1938 - Cunard launched ocean liner "Queen Elizabeth," then largest passenger liner ever built,  at Clydebank in Scotland.

February 15, 1942 - Operation ceased at the landmark eastern terminus of the original San Francisco street cars, first in the world to be propelled by cable; August 1, 1873 - installed by its English inventor, Andrew Smith Halladie, a pioneer manufacturer of wire cables.

October 16, 1943 - Chicago Mayor Edward J. Kelly officially opened city's new subway system.

1945 - L.S. "Sam" Shoen (29) and his wife, Anna Mary Carty Shoen,  launched U-Haul; had tried to rent utility trailer to move their possessions from Los Angeles to Portland, OR - couldn't be done; reasoned that many other families had a need similar to theirs: short-term availability of trailer that could be rented "here", left "there"; first U-Haul trailer offered for rent within two weeks of leaving LA; end of 1945 - 30 4' x 7' open trailers were on service station lots in Portland, Vancouver,  Seattle, WA (bought from welding shops, second hand from private owners); 2005 - over 13, 700 independent dealers, over 1,300 company-owned U-Haul centers, one of industry's largest operators of self-storage facilities, world's largest installer of permanent trailer hitches, world's largest single-brand Yellow Pages advertiser.

July 5, 1952 - London's last tram ran from Woolwich to New Cross; 1931 - Royal Commission recommended that trolleybuses replace trams; 1940 - more than half of London's trams scrapped.

December 12, 1955 - Christopher Cockerell, father of  hovercraft air-cushion vehicle, filed his first patent for the hovercraft; 1956 - formed company known as Hovercraft Ltd. to apply new approach of reducing problem of hydrodynamic drag on hull of boat by using air as lubrication.

April 6, 1957 - Trolley cars in New York City completed final runs; April 7, 1957 - New York City's last electric trolley completed final run from Queens to Manhattan.

January 30, 1958 - First two-way, moving sidewalk (passenger conveyor), 1,425 feet long, put in service at Love Field Air Terminal in Dallas, TX; consisted of three loops (continuous rubber carpet attached to continuous train of wheeled pallets, flexibly interconnected so they could follow vertical, horizontal curves as required).

May 30, 1959 - First experimental hovercraft, SR.N1 designed by Sir Christopher Cockerell, built by Saunders-Roe, made first trip at Cowes on Isle of Wight; considered initially only for military use, released for civilian use; July 25, 1959 - prototype crossed English Channel.

September 27, 1960 - Europe's first "moving pavement",  travelator, opened at Bank Underground station; just over 300 feet long, gradient of 8 degrees.

1961 - Johnnie B. Hunt founded cargo hauling business, after driving his own truck for nine years; 1969 - formed J. B. Hunt Transport Services, acquired fleet of five trucks, seven trailers; 2006 - 11,0000 trucks, 47,000 trailers; standardized fleet, services, uniforms.

May 8, 1962 - Diesel-fuelled buses replaced trolleybus as economical alternatives in London.

March 31, 1963 - Los Angeles ended streetcar service after 90 years.

September 20, 1967 - Queen Elizabeth the Second (QE II) launched; 1,000 ft long, speed nearly 40 mph, more than 1,000 tons of water/day, 3,000 eggs, 2,500 tea bags, 200 bottles of Champagne, 40 gallons of spirits, more than 135,000 bottles of wine/year, 150 miles of clingfilm/year; has sailed 5.5 million miles, more than 800 Atlantic crossings, uses litre of fuel to push herself 11 feet, houses largest floating library in world; 1975 - largest ship ever to pass through Panama Canal on her first world cruise (less than foot to spare on each side of ship); Cunard's longest-serving ship.

March 27, 1976 - Washington DC underground Metro opened; 51,260 people took free ride; March 29, 1976 - Metrorail first revenue day, 19,913 people paid 55 cents each to ride.

July 1, 1980 - President Jimmy Carter signed Motor Carrier Act of 1980 into law; envisioned to be a sweeping de-regulation of the trucking industry. Act prohibited rate bureaus from interfering with any carrier's rights to publish its own rates, eliminated most restrictions on commodities that could be carried, and de-regulated the routes that motor carriers could use and the geographic regions they could serve. The law authorized truckers to price freely within a "zone of reasonableness," meaning that truckers could increase or decrease rates from current levels by 15 percent without challenge, and encouraged them to make independent rate filings with even larger price changes. Before this law was passed, the industry had simply passed along higher wages and operating costs to shippers. The law would have far-reaching consequences, causing price competition and lower profit margins. Number of new firms increased dramatically, especially low-cost, non-union carriers. 1990 - number of licensed carriers exceeded forty thousand (double the number in 1980). Combined with the Staggers Act (1980), intermodal carriage surged, expanding 70 percent between 1981 and 1986. Deregulation allowed manufacturers to reduce inventories, move their products more quickly, and be more responsive to customers. Consumers indirectly benefited from the more efficient, lower-cost transport of goods.

December 19, 1983 - Striking Amalgamated Transit Union Greyhound workers agreed to sign off on a new contract and head back to work after grueling and sometimes bloody six weeks on the picket line; new contract carried severe cuts, including a 14.8% annual reduction in wages and benefits (in aftermath of disastrous 1981 air traffic controllers strike).

May 10, 2008 - Transit ridership, in general, has risen steadily for years; accelerated sharply in first months of 2008 for many city transit systems:

(Source: American Public Transportation Association; http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/05/10/business/0510-nat-web-sub-TRANSIT.gif)

(Anchor Line), Roderick Scott McLellan (1956). Anchor Line, 1856-1956. (Glasgow, Scotland: Anchor Line, 184 p.). Anchor Line.

(A-P-A Transport Corp.), David Rounds (1993). Perfecting a Piece of the World: Arthur Imperatore and the Blue-Collar Aristocrats of A-P-A. (Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 292 p.). Imperatore, Arthur; A-P-A Transport Corp.; Trucking--United States. A-P-A is nation's 2nd largest trucking company behind St. Johnsbury.

(Associated Equipment Company Ltd.), Alan Townsin and Brian Goulding (1992). 80 Years of AEC. (London, UK: Senior, 80 p.). AEC (Firm); Buses.

(Birmingham & Midland Motor Omnibus Co.), Paul Gray, Malcolm Keeley, John Seale (1979). Midland Red: A History of the Company and Its Vehicles from 1940 to 1970. (Glossop, UK: Transport Publishing Company, 221 p.). Midland Red -- History; England Midlands Bus services Birmingham & Midland Motor Omnibus Co. history.

(Birmingham & Midland Motor Omnibus Co.), R.C. Anderson (1984). A History of Midland Red. (Newton Abbot, UK: David & Charles, 192 p.). Midland Red -- History; England Midlands Bus services Birmingham & Midland Motor Omnibus Co. to 1981.

(Birmingham & Midland Motor Omnibus Co.), Mike Greenwood and Malcolm Keeley (2005). The Heyday of Midland Red. (Hersham, UK: Ian Allan, 80 p.). Birmingham & Midland Motor Omnibus Trust. -- History; Bus lines -- Great Britain -- History.

(Brewster Transport Company), E.J. Hart (1981). The Brewster Story: From Pack Train to Tour Bus. (Banff, AB: Brewster Transport Company, Ltd, 163 p.). Brewster family; Brewster Transport Company; Bus lines -- Alberta -- Banff; Sightseeing business -- Alberta -- Banff.

(B & I Line), Hazel P. Smyth (1984). The B & I Line: A History of the British and Irish Steam Packet Company. (Dublin, IR: Gill and Macmillan, 246 p.). British and Irish Steam Packet Company -- History; Steamboat lines -- Great Britain -- History; Inland water transportation -- Great Britain -- History.

(Chicago L), Greg Borzo (2007). The Chicago L. (Chicago, IL: Arcadia Pub., 128 p.). Elevated trains--Chicago; public transport--history. 1892 - Chicago's elevated train system opened; rail line expansions, demolitions over last 115 years; helped to build Chicago, helps to revitalize neighborhoods, tie city together; carries half a million people a day over 222 miles of track.

(Cobb and Company), Kenneth A. Austin (1967). The Lights of Cobb and Co.; The Story of the Frontier Coaches, 1854-1924. (Adelaide, AU: Rigby, 228 p.). Cobb and Company; Coaching (Transportation) -- Australia.

(Compañía de Tranvías de La Coruña), Alberte Martínez, Carlos Piñeiro and Carlos Velasco (2006). La Compañía de Tranvías de La Coruña, 1901-2005: Redes de Transporte Local. (Madrid, Spain: LID, 370 p.). Lecturer in Economic History (University of La Coruña, Spain); Permanent Lecturer in Financial Economics (University of La Coruña); Lecturer in Contemporary History (University of La Coruña). Compañía de Tranvías de La Coruña; public transport; urban transportation policy--Spain. Evolution of Tram Company of Spanish city, La Coruña, with evolution of the city. 

(Consolidated Freightways), Kenneth D. Durr and Philip L. Cantelon (1999). Never Stand Still: The History of Consolidated Freightways, Inc. And CNF Transportation Inc., 1999-2000. (Rockville, MD: Montrose Press, 562 p.). Consolidated Freightways, Inc.--History; CNF Transportation, Inc.--History; Trucking--United States--History. September 3, 2002 - Consolidated Freightways Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Leland James - Consolidated Freightways (http://www.daimler-trucksnorthamerica.com/images/news/mediaroom-images/history/thumbnail/FL001141_t.jpg)

(Cornell Steamboat Company), Stuart Murray; introduction by Roger W. Mabie; essays by William duBarry Thomas (2001). Thomas Cornell and the Cornell Steamboat Company. (Fleischmanns, NY: Purple Mountain Press, 223 p.). Cornell, Thomas, 1814-1890; Cornell Steamboat Company; Tugboats; Steamboats.; Shipyards; Shipbuilding industry; Hudson River Valley (N.Y. and N.J.). Once leading tugboat company in nation; virtual monopoly of Hudson River towing; man of many interests: railroad, hotel builder, two-term congressman, founder and president of two banks; Steamboat Company the jewel of business empire.

Thomas Cornell - Cornell Steamboat Company (http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/4255184/2/istockphoto_4255184-thomas-cornell.jpg)

(Cunard), Kay Grant (1967). Samuel Cunard, Pioneer of the Atlantic Steamship. (New York, NY: Abelard-Schulman, 192 p.). Cunard, Samuel, Sir, 1787-1865; Cunard Steamship Company, Ltd.

Sir Samuel Cunard Sir Samuel Cunard (of  Halifax, NS)  (http://www.chriscunard.com/images/cunard/samuelcunard.jpg)

(Cunard), Francis E. Hyde. (1975). Cunard and the North Atlantic, 1840-1973: A History of Shipping and Financial Management. (London, UK: Macmillan, 382 p.). Cunard Steamship Company, Ltd.--History; Steam-navigation--Atlantic Ocean--History.

(Cunard), Howard Johnson (1987). The Cunard Story. (London, UK: Whittet, 204 p.). Cunard, Samuel, Sir, 1787-1865; Cunard Steamship Company, Ltd.--History.

(Cunard), John Maxtone-Graham (1989). Cunard: 150 Glorious Years. (Newton Abbot, UK: David & Charles, 128 p.). Cunard Steamship Company, ltd.--History.

(Cunard), Frank O. Braynard and William H. Miller, Jr. (1991). Picture History of the Cunard Line, 1840-1990. (New York, NY: Dover Publications, 134 p.). Cunard Steamship Company, ltd.--History--Pictorial works.

(Cunard), Stephen Fox (2003). Transatlantic: Samuel Cunard, Isambard Brunel, and the Great Atlantic Steamships. (New York, NY: HarperCollins, 493 p.). Steamboat lines--North Atlantic Ocean--History; Ocean liners--North Atlantic Ocean--History; North Atlantic Ocean.

(DEKA Research & Development Corporation), Steve Kemper (2003). Code Name Ginger: The Story Behind Dean Kamen's Quest To Invent a New World. (Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 336 p.). Freelance Journalist. Scooters.  

(Delta Steamship Lines), .J. W. Clark (2004). Corporate Odyssey. (Philadelphia, PA: Xlibris, 352 p.). Former President, Delta Steamship Lines. Clark, J. W.; Delta Steamship Lines; Maritime industries.

(ERF), Dai Davies OBE (2009). ERF - The Inside Story. (Wellington, Somerset, UK: Nynehead Books, 160 p.). Former Managing Director of South Africa, Australia and New Zealand operations. Transport--history--Great Britain. 1933 - founded by former Foden company managing director Edwin Richard Foden (ERF); 2007 - final trucks rolled off line; ERF story from 1933 to 1997; vehicles built for UK market, those spent on roads, highways in South Africa, Australia & New Zealand.

(Goodrich Steamboat Company), James L. Elliott (1967). Red Stacks over the Horizon; The Story of the Goodrich Steamboat Line. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 314 p.). Goodrich Transit Company; Steamboat lines -- Great Lakes (North America).

(Grand River Navigation Company), Bruce Emerson Hill (1994). The Grand River Navigation Company. (Brantford, ON: Brant Historical Society, Brant Historical Publications, 134 p.). Grand River Navigation Company -- History; Grand River and Valley (Ont.) -- History; Canals -- Grand River (Ont.) -- History; Grand River (Ont.) -- Navigation -- History; Brant (Ont. : County) -- History; Haldimand (Ont. : County) -- History.

(Greyhound), Carlton Jackson (1984). Hounds of the Road: A History of the Greyhound Bus Company. (Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green University Popular Press, 214 p.). Greyhound Corporation--History.

 

 

 

 

Eric Wickman - Greyhound (http://www.alsing.com/greyhound/bilder/ew_02.jpg)

(Greyhound), Oscar Schisgall (1985). The Greyhound Story: From Hibbing to Everywhere. (New York, NY: J.G. Ferguson Pub. Co., 309 p.). Greyhound Corporation--History.

(Holland America Line), Michiel George de Boer (1923). The Holland-America Line, 1873-1923. (Rotterdam, Netherlands: Printed by L. van Leer & Co., 102 p.). Holland Amerika Lijn.

(Holland America Line), Dick Schaap and Dick Schaap (1973). A Bridge to the Seven Seas: A Hundred Years of the Holland America Line. (London, UK: Stephens, 120 p.). Holland Amerika Lijn.

(Hudson River Day Line), Donald C. Ringwald (1965). Hudson River Day Line; The Story of a Great American Steamboat Company. (Berkeley, CA: Howell-North Books, 228 p.). Hudson River Day Line.

(J. B. Hunt), Marvin Schwartz (1992). J. B. Hunt: The Long Haul to Success. (Fayetteville, AR: University of Arkansas Press, 162 p.). Hunt, Johnnie Bryan, 1927- ; J. B. Hunt Transport Services--History; Businessmen--United States--Biography; Trucking--United States--History.

 J. B Hunt - J. B. Hunt Transport Services (http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f150/journeyman54302/JBHunt.jpg)

(Interstate Public Service Company), Jerry Marlette (1990). Interstate: A History of Interstate Public Service Rail Operations. (Polo, IL: Transportation Trails, 272 p.). Interstate Public Service Company --History; Street-railroads --Indiana --History.

(Joy Line), Edwin L. Dunbaugh (1981). The Era of the Joy Line: A Saga of Steamboating on Long Island Sound. (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 363 p.). Joy Line (Firm) -- History; Steamboat lines -- Northeastern States -- History. Series Contributions in economics and economic history.

(Kenworth Truck Company), Doug Siefkes (1998). Kenworth: The First 75 Years. (Seattle, WA: Documentary Media, 160 p.). Kenworth Truck Company --History; Kenworth trucks --History. From founding in 1914 as Gersix, small operation in Pacific Northwest, to prominence as global leader.

(Keshin Transport System), John Lewis Keeshin (1983). No Fears, Hidden Tears: A Memoir of Four Score Years: The Autobiography of John Lewis Keeshin. (Chicago, IL: J.L. Keeshin, 240 p.). Keeshin, John Lewis, 1902-1983; Keshin Transport System, Inc.--History; Trucking--United States; Businesspeople--United States--Biography.

(Lehigh Valley Transit Co.), Benson W Rohrbeck (2001). Lehigh Valley Transit Co.: 1934-1953. (West Chester, PA: Traction Publications, 144 p.). Lehigh Valley Transit Company; Street-railroads --Pennsylvania.

(London General Omnibus Company), Ken Glazier (1995). The Last Years of the General. (Harrow Weald, UK: Capital Transport, 128 p.). -- History; Buses -- England -- London -- History -- 20th century; Buses History London (England).

(London Underground Limited), Christian Wolmar (2002). Down the Tube: The Battle for London’s Underground. (London, UK: Aurum, 246 p.). London Underground Limited--Management; Subways--England--London--Finance; Urban transportation policy--Great Britain; Subways--Government policy--England--London; Public-private sector cooperation--Great Britain.

(Los Angeles Pacific Railway), William A. Myers and Ira L. Swett (1976). Trolleys to the Surf: The Story of the Los Angeles Pacific Railway. (Glendale, CA: Interurbans, 208 p.). Los Angeles Pacific Railway.

(Los Angeles Steamship Company), Gordon Ghareeb and Martin Cox (2009). Hollywood to Honolulu: the Story of the Los Angeles Steamship Company. (Providence, RI: Steamship Historical Society of America, 264 p.). Contributing Editor for Nautical World and Ship Aficionado magazines, Vice President of the Long Beach Port Ambassadors Association; President of Los Angeles Maritime Museum Research Society. Los Angeles Steamship Company --History; Steamboat lines --California --Los Angeles --History. LASSCO transported passengers from berth 156 in Los Angeles Harbor to Honolulu during 1920s and 1930s; regular connection between mainland, islands; high-profile means of proclaiming that Los Angeles was becoming world class harbor, financial center, artistic metropolis.

(Lynden Incorporated), Ramon Heller, part II by Shirley Ashenbrenner (1993). Everyday Heroes: The Story of Lynden and Its People. (Seattle, WA: Lynden, 148 p.). Lynden Incorporated--History; Trucking--United States--History; Lynden (Wash.)--History.

(Wm. Mackinnon Co.), J. Forbes Munro (2003). Maritime Enterprise and Empire: Sir William Mackinnon and His Business Network, 1823-93. (Rochester, NY: Boydell Press, 525 p.). Mackinnon, William, 1823-1893; Wm. Mackinnon Co.--History--19th century; Steamboat lines--Scotland--History--19th century; Shipping--Scotland--History--19th century.

(Market Harborough and District Motor Traction Company), Peter J. Blakeman (1982). The Rise and Fall of the Harborough Bus: The History of the Market Harborough (and District) Motor Traction Company. (Bedford, UK: P.J. Blakeman, 88 p.). Market Harborough and District Motor Traction Company -- History; Leicestershire Market Harborough Bus services.

(Metal Box), W.J. Reader (1976). Metal Box: A History. (London, UK: Heinemann, 256 p.). Metal Box Company; ltd.; Container industry--Great Britain.

(Metrobus Ltd.), Andrew Boag (1994). Metrobus: The Company's First Ten Years. (Harrow Weald, UK: Capital Transport, 96 p.). Metrobus Ltd -- History; Bus lines -- England -- London; Bus lines -- England -- Kent; Road transport Buses Routes London (England).

(Metropolitan Line), Clive Foxell (2010). The Metropolitan Line: London's First Underground Railway. (Stroud, UK: History Press, 160 p.). Subways -- England -- London -- History; Subways -- England -- London -- Pictorial works.

(Metropolitan District Railway), Alexander Edmonds (1973). History of the Metropolitan District Railway Company to June 1908; Prepared for Publication, with Preface, Notes and an Epilogue by Charles E. Lee. (London, UK: London Transport Executive, 250 p.). Metropolitan District Railway (Great Britain).

(Mitsubishi), William D. Wray (1984). Mitsubishi and the N.Y.K., 1870-1914: Business Strategy in the Japanese Shipping Industry. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press,, 672 p.). Nihon Y¯usen Kabushiki Kaisha--History; Mitsubishi Zaibatsu--History.

(National Freight Consortium), Sandy McLachlan; foreword by Peter Thompson (1983). The National Freight Buy-Out: : The Inside Story. (London, UK: Macmillan, 208 p.). National Freight Consortium; Employee ownership--Great Britain--Case studies.

(National Freight Consortium), Keith Bradley and Aaron Nejad (1989). Managing Owners: The National Freight Consortium in Perspective. (New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. National Freight Consortium; Employee ownership--Great Britain--Case studies.

(National Freight Consortium), Peter Thompson. (1991). Sharing the Success: The Story of NFC. (London, UK: HarperCollins, 224 p.). Thompson, Peter, 1928- ; National Freight Consortium; Employee ownership--Great Britain; Management buyouts--Great Britain; Privatization--Great Britain.

(Neath & Cardiff Luxury Coaches Ltd.), Gerald Truran (1998). 40 Years of Brown Bombers: A History of Neath & Cardiff Luxury Coaches Ltd. (Glastonbury, UK: Avonlea, 79 p.). Neath & Cardiff luxury Coaches Ltd.; Buses -- Cardiff & Neath -- History -- 20th century.

(Newbury & District Motor Services Limited), Paul Lacey (1987). A History of Newbury & District Motor Services Limited : 1932 to 1952. (Wokingham, UK: P. Lacey, 309 p.). Newbury & District Motor Services Limited; Road transport Motor coaches History; Berkshire (England).

(New England Steamship Company), Edwin L. Dunbaugh (2005). The New England Steamship Company: Long Island Sound Night Boats in the Twentieth Century. (Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, 406 p.). Retired Professor of History (Hofstra University). New England Steamship Company--History; Steamboat lines--New England--History--20th century; Steamboat lines--New York (State)--History--20th century. First reliable, consistent form of transportation in area for commuters, tourists, business travelers (1000 passengers); essential to manufacturers in industrial communities of central New England.

(North Chicago Street Railroad Company), John Franch (2006). Robber Baron: The Life of Charles Tyson Yerkes. (Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 384 p.). Yerkes, Charles Tyson, 1837-1905; Capitalists and financiers--United States--Biography; Street-railroads--Illinois--Chicago--Finance. Magnate behind Chicago Loop Elevated, investor in London Underground, namesake of University of Chicago's observatory, vilified as Frank Cowperwood in Theodore Dreiser's trilogy, The Financier, The Titan, and The Stoic.

Charles Tyson Yerkes - North Chicago Street Railroad Company (http://astro.uchicago.edu/vtour/history/yerkes-sm.gif)

(Norwalk Truck Line), Wayne G. Broehl, Jr. (1976). Trucks, ... Trouble, ... And Triumph: The Norwalk Truck Line Company. (New York, NY: Arno Press, 256 p. [Reprint of 1954 ed.]). Norwalk Truck Line Company.

(Otis Elevator), Jason Goodwin (2001). Otis: Giving Rise to the Modern City (Chicago, IL: Ivan R. Dee, 286 p.). Travel Writer. Otis Elevator Company--History; Elevator industry--United States--History; International business enterprises--United States--History.  

Photograph:Elisha Otis, American inventor of the safety elevator, shown in an engraving. Elisha Graves Otis (http://cache.eb.com/eb/thumb?id=3274)

(Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company), Boyd Cable (1937). A Hundred Year History of the P. & O., Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, 1837-1937. (London, UK: I. Nicholson and Watson limited, 289 p.). Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company.

(Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company), Boyd Cable (1951). Business in Great Waters; The War History of the P. & O., 1939-1945. (London, UK: Faber and Faber, 196 p.). Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company; World War, 1939-1945--Transportation.

(Thomas A. Perley Car Works), Cliff Johnson (1996). From Rails to Roads: The History of Perley A. Thomas Car Works and Thomas Built Buses. (Raleigh, NC: Lifescapes Corp., 114 p.). Thomas, Perley A.; A. Thomas A. Perley Car Works; Buses -- manufacturing. 1916 - Canadian-born car designer Perley A. Thomas, formerly chief engineer for Southern Car Works, major streetcar manufacturer based in High Point, NC, renovated several streetcars for Southern Public Utilities Company; opened Perley A. Thomas Car Works; within few years, Thomas-built streetcars carryied passengers in many of North America's largest cities; 1936 - ceased production of streetcars, launched into school buses; 1978 - introduced first bus chassis, began producing popular Saf-T-Liner® transit-style bus; expanded to manufacture Minotaur, smaller conventional school bus; later entered commercial transit market in 1980s; 1998 - acquired by Freightliner LLC (Daimler company now known as Daimler Trucks North America LLC); leading North American manufacturer of school buses.

(Pickfords Ltd.), Gerard L. Turnbull (1979). Traffic and Transport: An Economic History of Pickfords. (Boston, MA: G. Allen & Unwin, 196 p.). Pickfords Ltd.--History; Transportation--Great Britain--History.

(Roadway), Kenneth D. Durr and Philip L. Cantelon (1996). The Roadway Story. (Rockville, MD: Montrose Press, 377 p.). Roadway Express, Inc.--History; Truck industry--United States--History.

(Rollins Leasing), Drury Pifer (2001). Hanging the Moon: The Rollins Rise to Riches. (Newark, DE: University of Delaware Press, 267 p.). Rollins, John W.; Businessmen--United States--Biography; Entrepreneurship--Biography.

(Ruan Companies), William B. Friedricks (2003). In for the Long Haul: The Life of John Ruan. (Ames, IA: Iowa State Press, 293 p.). Professor of History (Simpson College, Indianola, Iowa). Ruan, John, 1914- ; Businessmen Iowa Biography; Philanthropists Iowa Biography. 

(S. P. D.), W.J Reader and research by Elizabeth McClure Thomson (1969). Hard Roads and Highways: S.P.D. Limited, 1918-1968: A Study in Distribution. (London, UK: Batsford, 152 p.). SPD Limited.

(Smith's Transfer Corporation), Charles D. Brown (1981). Fifty Years Down the Road: The Story of Smith's Transfer, 1930-1980. (Verona, VA: McClure Press, 128 p.). Smith's Transfer Corporation--History.

(St. Louis Car Company), Alan R. Lind (1978). From Horsecars to Streamliners: An Illustrated History of the St. Louis Car Company. (Park Forest, IL: Transport History Press, 400 p.). St. Louis Car Company.

(Eddie Stobart Ltd ), Noel Davidson (1998). Only the Best Will Do: Eddie Stobart Story. (Belfast, IR: Ambassador Productions Ltd., 200 p.). Stobart, Eddie; Trucking--Britain--History. Company is Britain's largest independent haulage and distribution organisation with over 2,000 employees and an annual turnover in excess of £150 million.

(Thames Valley Traction Company), Paul Lacey (1995). A History of the Thames Valley Traction Company Limited, 1920 to 1930. (Wokingham, UK: P. Lacey, 144 p.). Thames Valley Traction Company -- History; Buses -- England -- Thames Valley -- History -- 20th century; Road transport Buses History England.

(Thames Valley Traction Company), Paul Lacey (1995). A History of the Thames Valley Traction Company Limited, 1931 to 1945. (Wokingham, UK: P. Lacey, 208 p.). Thames Valley Traction Company -- History; Buses -- England -- Thames Valley -- History -- 20th century; Road transport Buses History England.

(U-Haul ), Ronald J. Watkins (1993). Birthright: Murder, Greed, and Power in the U-Haul Family Dynasty. (New York, NY: Morrow, 425 p.). Shoen, Leonard Samuel, 1916- ; Shoen family; U-Haul International -- Officials and employees -- Biography; Murder -- United States -- Case studies; Businessmen -- United States -- Biography.

(U-Haul), Luke Krueger (2007). A Noble Function: How U-Haul Moved America. (Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade Books, 224 p.). U-Haul International--History; Storage and moving trade--United States--History--20th century; Moving, Household--United States--History--20th century. Meager beginnings of Sam and Anna Mary Shoen, U-Haul's founders; from mom and pop store start to household name.

(United Counties Omnibus Company Limited), Roger M. Warwick (1977-2001). An Illustrated History of United Counties Omnibus Company Limited. (Northampton, UK: R.M. Warwick). United Counties Omnibus Company Limited -- History; England East Midlands Bus services & coach services. 1913-1921: The Wellingborough Motor Omnibus Co. Ltd.; 1921-1933: United Counties Omnibus and Road Transport Co. Ltd.; 1933-1937; 1938-1946; 1947-1952; 1952: Acquisition of Midland Section of Eastern National Omnibus Co. Ltd.; 1952-1961; 1962-1969; 1970-1973; 1974-1976; 1977-1979.

(Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority), Zachary M. Schrag (2006). The Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro. (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 355 p.). Assistant Professor of History (George Mason University). Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority; Subways--Washington Metropolitan Area'; Local transit--Social aspects--Washington Metropolitan Area. Development of metropolitan Washington, postwar urban policy, promises, limits of rail transit in American cities.

(White Star Line), Wilton J. Oldham (1961). The Ismay Line; The White Star Line, and the Ismay Family Story. (Liverpool, UK: Journal of Commerce, 283 p.). Ismay, Thomas Henry, 1837-1899; Ismay, Joseph Bruce, 1862-1937; Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, ltd.; White Star Line.

(David Wood Transportation Lines), Frances and Dorothy Wood (1977). I Hauled These Mountains in Here. (Caldwell, ID: Caxton Printers, 337 p.). Wood, David, 1851-1944; David Wood Transportation Lines; Freight forwarders--Colorado--Biography.

(Woodstock and Sycamore Traction Company), William E. Robertson (1985). The Woodstock and Sycamore Traction Company. (Delavan, WI: National Bus Trader, 56 p.). Woodstock and Sycamore Traction Company --History; Street-railroads --Illinois --History.

(Robert Wynn & Sons Ltd.), John Wynn (1995). Wynns: The First 100 Years. (Abergavenny, Wales: P. M. Heaton, 128 p.). Robert Wynn & Sons Ltd.; Carriers -- Wales -- History; Freight and freightage -- Wales; Commercial vehicles -- Wales; Road transport History Wales.

(Yellow Freight), James F. Filgas, L.L. Waters (1987). Yellow in Motion: A History of Yellow Freight System, Incorporated. (Overland Park, KS: Yellow Freight System, 296 p.). Yellow Freight System, Inc. of Delaware--History.

(Yellow Freight), Kent Politsch (1999). Legends and Legacy: 75th Anniversary. (Overland Park, KS: Yellow Corp., 208 p.). Yellow Freight System, Inc.--History; Freight and freightage--United States--History; Trucking--United States--History.

Harold Barger (1951). The Transportation Industries, 1889-1946; A Study of Output, Employment, and Productivity. (New York, NY: National Bureau of Economic Research, 288 p.). Transportation -- United States -- History.

James P. Baughman (1968). Charles Morgan and the Development of Southern Transportation. (Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University Press, 302 p.). Morgan, Charles, 1795-1878; Transportation--Southern States--History.

Dale L. Belman, Kristen A. Monaco, Taggert J. Brooks (2005). Sailors of the Concrete Sea: A Portrait of Truck Drivers' Work and Lives. (East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press, 207 p.). Associate Professor of Industrial Relations (Michigan State); Assistant Professor of Economics (California State University at Long Beach); Assistant Professor of Economics (University of Wisconsin, La Crosse). Truck drivers--United States; Social surveys--United States; Truck driving--United States. Picture of work and work life of over-the-road truck drivers in United States.

Brian J. Cudahy (1998). Twilight on the Bay: The Excursion Boat Empire of B.B. Wills. (Centreville, MD: Tidewater Publishers, 242 p.). Wills, B. B. (Benjamin Bowling), 1897-1986; Excursion boats--United States--History; Businessmen--United States--Biography. 

Jan de Vries (1981). Barges and Capitalism: Passenger Transportation in the Dutch Economy, 1632-1839. (Utrecht, Netherlands: HES Publishers, 368 p.). Inland navigation--Netherlands--History; Inland water transportation--Netherlands--History; Barges--Netherlands--History.

Richard V. Dodge (1960). Rails of the Silver Gate: The Spreckels San Diego Empire. (San Marino, CA: Golden West Books, 143 p.). Street-railroads --California --San Diego --History; San Diego (Calif.) --History.

Lee Edward Gray (2002). From Ascending Rooms to Express Elevators: A History of the Passenger Elevator in the 19th Century. (Mobile, AL: Elevator World, Inc., 316 p.). Elevators --History.

Shane Hamilton (2008). Trucking Country: The Road to America’s Wal-Mart Economy. (Princeton, NJ,: Princeton University Press, 344 p.). Assistant Professor of History (University of Georgia). Truck drivers --United States --History; United States --Rural conditions; United States --Economic conditions --20th century. U.S. trucking industry's history, role in rolling back New Deal policies and regulations, in shifting distribution of agricultural products from railroads, revolutionizing food distribution; brought low-priced consumer goods to greater number of Americans; linked America's factory farms, agribusiness food processors to suburban supermarkets across country.

Robert West Howard (1964). The Wagonmen. (New York, NY: Putnam, 220 p.). Wagons; Transportation -- United States -- History.

P. S. Johnson (1975). The Economics of Invention and Innovation: With a Case Study of the Development of the Hovercraft. (London, UK: M. Robertson, 329 p.). Technological innovations; Ground-effect machines.

William E. Lass (1972). From the Missouri to the Great Salt Lake: An Account of Overland Freighting. ( (Lincoln, NE: The Society, 312 p.). Coaching (Transportation) --West (U.S.); West (U.S.) --History.

Axel Madsen (1982). Open Road: Truckin' on the Biting Edge. (San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace, 220 p.). Trucking--United States.

Biju Mathew (2005). Taxi!: Cabs and Capitalism in New York City. (New York, NY: New Press, 228 p.). Professor of Business (Rider University). Taxicabs--New York (State)--New York; Taxicab drivers--Labor unions--New York (State)--New York; Strikes and lockouts--Transport workers--New York (State)--New York. History of New York's taxicab industry.

Clay McShane (1975). Technology and Reform: Street Railways and the Growth of Milwaukee, 1887-1900. (Madison, WI: State Historical Society of Wisconsin for the Dept. of History, University of Wisconsin, 187 p.). Street-railroads --Milwaukee --History; Urbanization --Milwaukee --History; Milwaukee (Wis.) --Economic conditions.

Prepared under the direction of Balthasar Henry Meyer, by Caroline E. MacGill and a staff of collaborators (1917). History of Transportation in the United States Before 1860. (Washington, DC: Carnegie Institution of Washington, 678 p.). Transportation -- United States -- History. 

Paul F. Paskoff (2007). Troubled Waters: Steamboat Disasters, River Improvements, and American Public Policy, 1821-1860. (Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press, 324 p.). ssociate Professor of History (Louisiana State University). Inland navigation--Middle West--Safety measures--History--19th century; River engineering--Government policy--United States--History--19th century; River engineering--United States--Finance--History--19th century; Steamboat disasters--United States--Prevention--History--19th century; Mississippi River--Navigation--History--19th century; United States--Politics and government--1815-1861; Mississippi River Valley--History--19th century. Federal government's river improvements program from its beginnings during early republic to 1844 (careful attention to policies of Andrew Jackson's administration), through the administration of James K. Polk forward to secession; aimed to reduce hazards to navigation on great rivers of America's interior (more than 1,200 steamboat wrecks on American rivers, lakes, coastal waters) during early and mid-nineteenth century; succeeded in reducing rate of steamboat loss, even as steamboat traffic dramatically increased; federal government far more active than generally thought in promoting economic growth, development in years leading up to Civil War.

Eric Richards; Foreword by S. G. Checkland (1973). The Leviathan of Wealth: The Sutherland Fortune in the Industrial Revolution. (London, UK: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 316 p.). Sutherland family; Transportation--Great Britain--History; Great Britain--Commerce--History.

George Shumway and Howard C. Frey (1968). Conestoga Wagon, 1750-1850; Freight Carrier for 100 Years of America's Westward Expansion. (York, PA: G. Shumway, 281 p. [3rd ed.]). Wagons; Transportation -- United States -- History.

Clara Ann Simmons (2009). Chesapeake Ferries: A Waterborne Tradition, 1636--2000. (Baltimore, MD: Maryland Historical Society, 144 p.). Ferries --Virginia; Ferries --Maryland. From earliest days of colonial travel, via waterways, to age of bridge building that forever changed mode of travel; lone ferry men, women of 18th century; steam ferry of later years that connected with networks of rail lines; present—day ferry operators who maintain rich tradition of water travel.

George R. Taylor (1989). The Transportation Revolution 1815-1860. (Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe, 490 p. [orig. pub. 1951]). Transportation--United States--History--19th century; United States--Economic conditions--To 1865.

James H. Thomas (1979). The Long Haul: Truckers, Truck Stops & Trucking. (Memphis, TN: Memphis State University Press, Memphis State University, 172 p.). Truck drivers --United States --History; Trucks --United States --History; Transportation, Automotive --United States --History.

Simon P. Ville (1990). Transport and the Development of the European Economy, 1750-1918. (Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK: Macmillan, 252 p.). Transportation--Europe--History; Europe--Economic conditions--1789-1900.

Henry P. Walker (1966). The Wagonmasters; High Plains Freighting from the Earliest Days of the Santa Fe Trail to 1880. (Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 347 p.). Transportation -- United States -- History; Wagons -- West (U.S.).

Margaret Walsh (2000). Making Connections: The Long-Distance Bus Industry in the United States. (Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 245 p.). Bus lines--United States--History; Transportation, Automotive--United States--History.

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Business History Links

American Truck Historical Society                                                  http://www.aths.org/                                                          

ATHS, incorporated in 1971 to preserve the history of trucks, the trucking industry, and its pioneers, is an international organization, with over 24,000 members in the United States, Australia, Canada, and 20 other countries worldwide; located in Kansas City, MO in 30,700-square-foot building which houses Society's headquarters, Zoe James Memorial Library and White Archives.

Chicago "L"                                                                                     http://www.chicago-l.org/                                                 

Chicago "L" site, created by transportation history guru and expert Graham Garfield. Provides videos, historical and contemporary photographs, essays, and other items related to Chicago's elevated transit system. Under the "What's New" banner, visitors can check latest station photographs and profiles and then move to the ""L" News Headlines", which cover the latest and greatest news regarding the Chicago Transit Authority. Visitors can look more closely into "L" routes, track maps, articles, chronologies, and past, present, and future transit plans in the Windy City. Those persons planning a visit to Chicago will want to read up on Garfield's historic station tours and also learn more about the specialized argot that describes and defines the "L" (at bottom of the homepage).

Cunard Steamship Society                                                              http://cunardsteamshipsociety.com/                                                      Incorporated as a nonprofit, membership based association under the provisions of the Societies Act for the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1998. It was conceived by John G. Langley, Q.C. of Halifax, Nova Scotia, birthplace of Sir Samuel Cunard. The primary aim of the Society is to bring together those who share a common interest in the rich history and proud tradition of the Cunard Steamship Company, its predecessor, the British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, as well as the significant contributions by Samuel Cunard to the early development of his native Nova Scotia, and his conquest of the North Atlantic by steam. One of the specific objects reproduced from the Society's Memorandum of Association is to educate the public on the history of Samuel Cunard and the Cunard Steamship Company (Cunard Line) through the collection, presentation and exchange of historical information and memorabilia.

Greyhound Bus Museum                                                             http://greyhoundbusmuseum.org/

Haags Openbaar Vervoer Museum (The Hague Public Transport Museum)
http://www.hovm.nl/
History of the public transport in the Hague and its surroundings.

The International Association for the History of Transport, Traffic and Mobility
Launched in Eindhoven in November 2003 (located at the Technical University of Eindhoven in The Netherlands); mission is the establishment of a collegial association of scholars, practitioners and concerned citizens to encourage and promote an understanding of the historical interaction between transport, traffic and the mobility of people, material objects and ideas

Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester
http://www.gmts.co.uk/
Based in Manchester's first motor bus garage, core collection represents the wide variety of fleets absorbed into the Passenger Transport Executive from 1969 onwards; .one of Britain’s biggest collection of restored trams, buses and coaches.

National Canal Museum
http://www.canals.org/
Only museum in the country dedicated to telling the story of America’s historic towpath canals.

Pacific Bus Museum                                                                           http://www.pacbus.org/

Comprises over 20 coaches, both transit (city) and intercity (over-the-road) types encompassing eras from the 1930s on up to modern times and is focused on, but not limited to, California and the western United States. (See our Equipment Roster) Many come from bus systems that no longer exist. Our collection also includes bus artifacts and memorabilia.  

Palm Springs Aerial Tram: History & Technical                                    http://www.pstramway.com/history-tech.asp                  

Background about the construction and operation of this tram completed in 1963 "in rugged Chino Canyon on the north edge of Palm Springs [California]." Features a history of the project dating back to its conception in the 1930s and technical facts and details on topics such as cables, cabin hanger, and docking brake hydraulics. Includes photos and video clips.

Trailways Museum                                                                         http://www.trailways.com/museum.asp

Transportation Research; Information Services (TRIS)                             Http://Tris.Amti.Com/Search.Cfm                              

Database is the world's largest and most comprehensive bibliographic resource on transportation information." (400,000 bibliographic records).

 

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