1912 in rail transport
Events
January events
- January 1 - The classification and renumbering of all the rolling stock of the three constituent railways that formed South African Railways in 1910 is implemented.
- January 3 - Canadian Pacific Railway leases the Dominion Atlantic Railway in Nova Scotia.
- January 22 - Florida East Coast Railway opens the Key West Extension in Florida.
February events
- February 1 - Stamford Brook station opens in suburban London serving District Railway and London and South Western Railway trains.
- February 7 - Official opening ceremonies are held for the Usambara Railway in German East Africa.
- February 11 - Togura Station, in Chikuma, Nagano, Japan, opens.
- February 27 - Pacific Great Eastern Railway is incorporated to build a line from Vancouver north to a connection with the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway at Prince George, British Columbia.
March events
- March 17 - First section of Italian Libya Railways opens from Tripoli.
April events
- April 15 - Metre gauge electrified section of Tramways de Nice et du Littoral opens from Menton to Sospel in the Alpes-Maritimes of France.
June events
- June 1 - The first streetcars cross the new Lechmere Viaduct and run on the Causeway Street Elevated line in revenue service in Boston.
- June 2 - Chicago, Lake Shore and South Bend Railroad, predecessor of the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad, begins "one-car" passenger service directly to the Chicago Loop.
August events
- August 1 - Jungfraubahn mountain rack railway in Switzerland completed by inauguration of the subterranean Jungfraujoch railway station, Europe's highest at above sea level.
September events
- September 5 - The Ashio Railway in Gunma and Tochigi Prefectures in Japan is extended from Omama Station out to Kodo Station.
- September 17 - The Ditton Junction rail crash near Widnes in England kills 15.
November events
- November - The Royal Bavarian State Railways begins the process of standardising the railway electrification systems in German-speaking countries at 15 kV AC, 16.6 Hz.
- November 11 - The Ashio Railway in Gunma and Tochigi Prefectures in Japan is extended from Sori Station out to Kodo Station.
- November 24 - The Pennsylvania Railroad’s premier Chicago to New York train is christened the Broad Way Limited.
December events
- December 31 - The Ashio Railway in Gunma and Tochigi Prefectures in Japan is extended from Sori Station to Ashio Station.
Unknown date events
- First Э 0-10-0 steam locomotive introduced in Russia. This will become the world's largest class with around 14,000 built.
- The world’s first diesel locomotive designed for main line use, built by Gesellschaft für Thermolokomotiven Diesel-Klose-Sulzer GmbH for the Prussian state railways, Germany, receives trials on the Winterthur-Romanshorn line in Switzerland prior to delivery to Berlin for more trials in September. The unit has direct mechanical transmission with a weight of 95 tonnes, power of 883 kW and a theoretical maximum speed of 100 km/h but will not prove to be a commercial success.
- Berne gauge European standard loading gauge agreed at an international railway conference held and consequent convention signed in Bern, Switzerland.
- Portland Company completes the last freight car commercially manufactured for Maine narrow gauge railroads.
- Oliver Bury moves from the General Manager position at the Great Northern Railway in England to a directorship.
Births
March births
- March 14 - W. Graham Claytor, Jr., president of Amtrak 1982-1993.
Deaths
June deaths
- June 16 - Eli H. Janney, inventor of the knuckle coupler.
July deaths
- July 29 - William D. Washburn, first president of Soo Line Railroad 1883-1889, dies.