Portal:Trains/Anniversaries/August 20


 * August 20


 * 1854 – The first trains operate in what is now Romania between Oraviţa, Transylvania, and Baziaş, on the Danube.
 * 1868 – The Abergele train disaster, the first major railway disaster in Britain, occurs when a train uncouples and runs away down a steep incline; railroads install catchpoints to prevent such a disaster in the future.
 * 1963 – The one millionth railroad carload of lettuce is shipped from Salinas, California.
 * 1979 – San Diego's Metropolitan Transit Development Board (MTDB) purchases the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway Company in restored condition for $18.1 million, forming the basis for the San Diego Trolley (pictured).