Postcard photo of the Southern Pacific’s “Sunset Limited” train as it traveled between Los Angeles and San Francisco, c. 1910s.

The Southern Pacific Railroad completed its transcontinental “Sunset Route”
from New Orleans to California, consolidating its dominance over rail traffic
to the Pacific.

One of the most powerful railroad companies of the 19th century, the “Espee”
(as the railroad was often called) originated in an ambitious plan conceived in
1870 by the “Big Four” western railroad barons: Collis P. Huntington, Charles Crocker, Leland Stanford and Mark Hopkins. A year earlier, the Big Four’s
western-based Central Pacific had linked up with the eastern-based Union
Pacific in Utah, creating the first transcontinental American railway. With
that finished, the “Big Four” began to look for ways to increase their control
over West Coast shipping, and decided to focus their efforts on extending
the California-based Southern Pacific southward.

Early 20th-century postcard of the “Sunset Express” train passing
through Yuma, Arizona.

Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856 – February 3, 1924)

Eight months after the United States enters World War I on behalf of the Allies, President Woodrow Wilson (above) announced the nationalization of a large majority of the country’s railroads under the Federal Possession and Control
Act.

The U.S. entry into the war in April 1917 coincided with a downturn in the
fortunes of the nation’s railroads: rising taxes and operations costs,
combined with prices that were fixed by law, had pushed many railroad
companies into receivership as early as late 1915. A year later, in a last-
minute bill passed through Congress, Wilson had forced the railroad
management to accept union demands for an eight-hour work day. Still,
many skilled workers were leaving the cash-poor railroads to work in the
booming armaments industry or to enlist in the war effort.

By the end of 1917, it seemed that the existing railroad system was not up
to the task of supporting the war effort and Wilson decided on nationalization.

Two days after his announcement, the U.S. Railroad Administration (USRA)
seized control. William McAdoo, Wilson’s secretary of the treasury, was 
appointed Director General of Railroads. They were subsequently divided
into three divisions—East, West and South. Passenger services were
streamlined, eliminating a significant amount of inessential travel. Over
100,000 new railroad cars and 1,930 steam engines were ordered–designed
to the latest standards–at a total cost of $380 million.

  
Marlon Brando Jr.
(April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004)

A vintage Vespa ridden by Hollywood legend Marlon Brando – illegally –
while visiting Britain is to go under the hammer.

Double-Oscar winner Brando rode the iconic Italian scooter around
Berkshire – even though it was not registered in the U.K.

Brando’s “fun runaround” belonged to his American movie producer
pal Elliot Kastner, who he worked with on 1976 American epic western
"Missouri Breaks."

Kastner, best known for producing World War Two classic Where Eagles
Dare, bought the 1976 Vespa in Rome for a film shoot. He later shipped
it to England where he owned Runnymede House, a country home in
Old Windsor, Berkshire.

Greyhound Lines, Inc., usually shortened to Greyhound, is an
intercity bus common carrier serving over 3,800 destinations
across North America. The company’s first route began in
Hibbing, Minnesota in 1914, and the company adopted the
Greyhound name in 1929.

Two commuter trains and a freight train collide near Tokyo, Japan,
killing more than 160 people and injuring twice that number.  

The subsequent investigation into the accident resulted in the
indictment of nine of the freight train’s crew members for criminal negligence.