On August 25, 1950, President Harry Truman seized control of the railroads, specifically putting them under the control of the US Army.
The railroad unions were poised to strike, and the Korean Conflict was still ongoing. Truman justified intervening on the grounds on military need and economic necessity. The Korean Conflict was never a declared war, it was a police action. The railroads continue to be a vital link in interstate commerce, making it a federal concern, but interstate commerce is the purview of Congress.
Truman said it was a matter of "national defense and security". It was a expansive view of executive power, the trend of the 20th Century.
Truman intervened in several strikes during his term, including steel plants.
The strike did go on, and lasted for 21 months.
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