of the narrow gauge White Pass and Yukon Route for construction of the Alaska Highway. November events November 25–26 – Operation Harling: A British Special Operations Executive team, together with Greek Resistance fighters, blows up the Gorgopotamos viaduct in the first major sabotage act in occupied continental Europe, cutting the enemy-controlled rail line between Thessaloniki and Athens. December events December – Ian Allan publishes his first book, ABC of Southern Locomotives, the first in a popular series which encourages the hobby of trainspotting in Britain. December – Rail transport in Libya: Western Desert Extension Railway reaches Tobruk. December – First deliveries of USATC S118 Class "MacArthur" 2-8-2 locomotives, to Nigeria. There will eventually be nearly 800 built to the same basic design, seeing service on every continent, on or metre gauge. December 6 – Schedules of fast trains around the United States are slightly lengthened to reduce wear and tear, following a wartime decision by the Office of Defense Transportation. December 11 – USATC S160 Class 2-8-0 #1604 (built by Alco) is officially handed over on loan to the British government at London Paddington station, from the first batch of 2120 for service in the European theater. December 27 – Almonte, Ontario, Canada: Thirty-six people are killed and over 200 injured when a passenger train running late is struck from behind by a troop train. Unknown date events Samuel Hopkins Adams publishes his novel The Harvey Girls commemorating the Harvey House chain of restaurants and hotels that served passengers of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Grizzly Flats Railroad, the first full-size ( gauge) backyard railroad in the United States, is opened by Disney animator Ward Kimball at his home in San Gabriel, California. Accidents Births Deaths References