Nickel Plate Road Historical Timeline

2/3/1881	-	The New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railway Company incorporated.
2/18/1881	-	Nickel Plate articles of incorporation filed.
3/10/1881	-	The term "Nickel Plate" used for the first time.
4/8/1881	-	The original five companies that formed the NKP are consolidated.
5/23/1881	-	Bellevue wins competition with Norwalk for NKP mainline and yards.
11/8/1881	-	The first passengers and shipments leave Ft. Wayne on the NKP.
1/3/1882	-	Nickel Plate rails reach Bellevue, OH.
1/31/1882	-	The first Nickel Plate stockholders meeting.
8/24/1882	-	The last Nickel Plate rails laid at Grand Crossing, Chicago.
9/1/1882	-	Construction completed on the Nickel Plate Road.
10/1/1882	-	The New York, Chicago, & St. Louis Railway placed into service.
10/23/1882	-	The Nickel Plate's first revenue passenger train operated.
10/26/1882	-	The Nickel Plate is sold to the New York Central.
5/14/1883	-	Regular service begins between Charleston and St. Louis.
10/23/1892	-	Nickel Plate through Buffalo & Chicago passenger service begins.
5/28/1893	-	Nickel Plate-West Shore, New York City to Chicago service begins.
3/10/1917	-	Maiden trip of NKP's first Mikado, the 500, Conneaut to Buffalo.
5/18/1917	-	The "Nickel Plate" logo designed for application to equipment.
3/1/1920	-	Nickel Plate returned to private ownership.
7/20/1920	-	The Nickel Plate places an order with Lima Locomotive for 5 H-6b's and 1 H-6c.
11/5/1920	-	Last of the original NKP 1882 Class "F" locomotives retired, the 251, 252, & 254.
4/26/1922	-	Nickel Plate formally acquires the LE&W.
4/11/1923	-	NKP-Clover Leaf-Lake Erie & Western consolidation.
1/1/1928	-	Nickel Plate moves General Offices into Cleveland Union Terminal.
6/29/1930	-	The NKP begins operating into Cleveland Union Terminal.
9/9/1934	-	First Berkshire trip by #700 Bellevue to Frankfort.
3/12/1937	-	The first NKP Berkshire visits the Frankfort Shops.
12/29/1937	-	The Chesapeake & Ohio assumes control of the Nickel Plate.
7/21/1947	-	Order placed with ALCO for 11 PA's, the Bluebirds.
11/10/1947	-	The C & O control of the NKP ends as C & O distributes NKP stock to stockholders.
5/13/1949	-	Lima Locomotive Works delivers its last steam engine, the Nickel Plate S-3 #779.
3/2/1950	-	Two Lima diesel switchers perform first road haul by NKP diesels on the IMC Division.
3/21/1954	-	Clover Leaf District dieselized.
7/12/1954	-	Nickel Plate piggyback service begins.
2/22/1955	-	NKP's last 2-6-6-2, the 941, retired.
8/29/1956	-	The last steam road haul for the LE&W District with the 717 & 724.
11/18/1957	-	The last active steam engine on the Wheeling District, #384, Zanesville to Brewster.
4/30/1958	-	The last trip for #662, the last active H-6, Cleveland to Bellevue.
6/1/1958	-	The last revenue run by an NKP Hudson, #173, from Calumet to Ft. Wayne.
6/14/1958	-	Last run of the 765, Calumet to Ft. Wayne.
6/21/1958	-	The last Ft. Wayne Division steam trip made by the #740, Ft. Wayne to Bellevue.
7/1/1958	-	Last steam trip, with the #719, on the Buffalo Division,Buffalo to Conneaut.
7/2/1958	-	Last steam road haul on the NKP with the #746 from Bellevue to Conneaut.
7/22/1958	-	Fires are dropped on the last 700's steam engines - 746, 747, 752, & 763 - in Conneaut.
3/21/1959	-	Trains 9 & 10 discontinued in Indiana.
7/18/1959	-	The last NKP steam engine in service, the 212, is laid up in Conneaut.
10/17/1959	-	Last runs in Ohio for Trains 9 & 10 known as the Blue Arrow and Blue Dart.
8/1/1960	-	The Nickel Plate retires its last 29 steam engines and is officially dieselized.
3/17/1961	-	NKP-N&W-Wabash merger submitted to ICC.
6/2/1963	-	Train 8, the New Yorker, is discontinued.
6/3/1963	-	Train 7, the Westerner, is discontinued.
6/24/1964	-	The ICC approves the NKP-N&W-Wabash merger.
8/23/1964	-	The last NKP passenger timetable issued.
10/9/1964	-	The "Mighty 90", NKP's smallest diesel, leaves the roster.
10/16/1964	-	The Nickel Plate's 82 years of service comes to an end as the merger with the N&W takes effect.
9/9/1965	-	The ex-NKP Trains, the City of Chicago, and the City of Cleveland, are discontinued.