Netherlands • 1845: A disgruntled property developer purchased
Van der Gaag Lane, a short road south of Delft, with the intention of sabotaging the construction of the Haarlem-Hague Railway. After a deal to acquire the property on the owner's own terms fell through, he vehemently refused to sell it or allow a crossing to be built, necessitating the circumvention of the property using a tight bend in the track.
United States Note: The first railroad line built is the first one named. • 1853: A feud between the
Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway and the
Illinois Central Railroad led both railroads to run through
Grand Crossing in
Chicago as if the other railroad didn't exist, finally resulting in
a crash that killed 18 people. • 1867: The
South Carolina Railroad vs. the
Columbia and Augusta Railroad (later the
Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta Railroad). A grade crossing in Columbia was protested in court, then blocked by a parked train, then physically torn up and finally threatened by a steamed-up locomotive ready to move forward to block at any moment (Derrick: 245-246 and Fetters: 143). • 1870s: The
Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad vs. the
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway vs. the
Union Pacific. All three railroads contested one another for access through suitable mountain passes in
Colorado. • January 1870:
Central Pacific Railroad vs.
California Pacific Railroad. After Central Pacific blocked California Pacific from entering the city of
Sacramento, California, the Supreme Court of California ordered otherwise. • December 2, 1870–January 9, 1871: The
Erie Railroad vs. the
Morris & Essex Railroad's
Boonton Branch (
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad) at the west end of the Erie's
Long Dock Tunnel in
Jersey City, New Jersey. • January 6 and January 7, 1876: The
Mercer & Somerset Railway (
Pennsylvania Railroad) vs. the
Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad (
Reading Railroad) in
Hopewell, New Jersey. • August 7–September 13, 1883: The
Southern Pacific vs. the
California Southern Railroad (a subsidiary of the
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway) at
Colton Crossing in
Colton, California (just outside
San Bernardino). • March 1886: The
Erie Railroad vs. the
New Jersey Junction Railroad (
New York Central Railroad) at King's Bluff near
Weehawken, New Jersey. • September 1891: The
Central Railroad of New Jersey vs. the
Jersey City, Newark and Western Railway (
Lehigh Valley Railroad) in southern
Jersey City, New Jersey. • March 1894: The
Cape May and Millville Railroad (
Pennsylvania Railroad) vs. the
Tuckahoe and Cape May Railroad (
Reading Railroad) at
Woodbine Junction, New Jersey. • 1897: The
Pennsylvania Railroad vs. the
New Jersey Junction Connecting Railway (
Lehigh Valley Railroad) in
Jersey City, New Jersey. • December 1897: The Pennsylvania Railroad vs. the
Newtown Electric Street Railway in
Langhorne, Pennsylvania. This was not technically a frog war (since no grade crossing was involved), but the PRR opposed attempts to build a line through a turnpike underpass running underneath the PRR tracks. Passengers had to disembark on each side of the PRR and walk through the underpass to meet connecting trolleys. • 1905: The
Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railroad faced opposition from the
Northwestern Pacific Railroad, and a standoff between workers, as well as a legal battle ensued between the two railroads.
United Kingdom •
Battle of Havant: Conflict between the
London & South Western Railway and the
London, Brighton & South Coast Railway over the building of the
Portsmouth branch. •
Nickey Line • Conflict between the
London, Brighton & South Coast Railway and the
South Eastern Railway for access to
Hastings and
St Leonards beyond
Bo Peep Junction. ==Bibliography==