April 29, 1833 The Utica & Schenectady is incorporated. Later it will form part of the Mohawk Division of the New York Central.
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April 29, 1839 The Oswego & Syracuse (later DL&W) is formed. It will ne be fully organized until 1847 and will not run a train until 1848.
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April 29, 1851 The first electric railroad car in history attempts a Washington DC to Bladensburg MD round-trip. The experimental battery-powered car uses a solenoid as an analog to a piston and drive rod. Because of a poor suspension, the car is plagued with a rough ride and electrical shorts.
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April 29, 1873 Eli H. Janney is awarded U.S. Patent (#138,405) for his knuckle coupler design.
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April 29, 1889 The Boston & Albany buys the Spencer Railroad
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April 29, 1900 Northern Pacific's "North Coast Limited" makes its first run from Seattle to St. Paul.
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April 29, 1923 The New York Central cuts the running time of the New York - Detroit - Chicago "Wolverine" to 22 hours.
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April 29, 1930 The Pennsylvania Railroad declines an offer to test a Southern Pacific 4-8-8-2 cab-forward on Horseshoe Curve. PRR is considering electrification of the line.
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April 29, 1930 The McNary-Watres Act is passed by Congress, allowing the Post Office to buy fixed space to carry mail on airplanes. It is hoped that this will give a boost to a struggling airline industry.
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April 29, 1932 The Logansport (IN) Electric Railway ends operations.
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April 29, 1935 The New Haven's new "Comet" hits 109.1 mph in its first public run between Boston and Providence.
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April 29, 1951 Trolley service ends in Cincinnati, the only system that used double overhead wire with PCC cars.
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April 29, 1956 New York Central's high speed "Aerotrain" begins service between Detroit and Chicago. The train is withdrawn later in the year after many passengers complain of nausea on the lightweight cars.
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April 29, 1961 New York-Atlantic City rail passenger service comes to a close with the end of the "Nellie Bly".
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April 29, 1973 A party is held in The Bronx to mark the closing of the Third Avenue El. The Third Avenue line was the last one built before the subway.
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April 29, 1990 The Oregon, California & Eastern hauls its last log train out of Bly OR. Trucks will take over the service and the OC&E will serve one customer in Klamath Falls.
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April 29, 1993 Memphis starts a trolley line through its downtown using vintage trolleys.
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April 29, 2001 Amtrak reduces time for its Detroit-Chicago trains by 11 minutes on average, touted as the first step in a proposed Midwest Corridor high-speed rail project.
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Mark Tomlonson
