February 4, 1830 The Camden & Amboy Rail Road, the first to be built in New Jersey, is chartered.
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February 4, 1832 The first street railroad opens in the United States in the Bowery in New York City. The line uses horse-drawn cars running on iron rails.
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February 4, 1841 President-elect William Henry Harrison becomes the first president-elect to travel by train to the inaugural, changing from stagecoach to the Baltimore & Ohio at Frederick, MD.
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February 4, 1887 The Interstate Commerce Act is signed into law, setting up a commission to regulate rates on the railroads and ensure that the interests of farmers and small businessmen are represented. Thomas Cooley of Michigan is the commission's first Chairman.
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February 4, 1895 The first rolling lift bridge opens to rail traffic in Chicago.
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February 4, 1907 The Pennsylvania Railroad completes its first all-steel RPO car at Altoona.
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February 4, 1911 In honor of the work being done on the canal, Illinois Central names its premier passenger train the "Panama Limited".
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February 4, 1930 New Orleans opens "tieless, shockless, noiseless" streetcar tracks.
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February 4, 1941 Santa Fe FT A-B-B-A set #100 becomes the first FT in revenue service and the first diesels used on a road freight on the Santa Fe.
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February 4, 1941 The USO (United Service Organizations) is formed by the merger of six charitable groups. In addition to entertaining troops, the USO will provide station lounges for in-transit U.S. service men.
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February 4, 1948 The last steam engine built for the Santa Fe, 4-8-4 #3752, is test fired at the factory.
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February 4, 1966 The last RPO car operates in suburban service: Southern Pacific, San Francisco to San Jose.
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February 4, 1977 In Chicago’s “loop”, a CTA train hits the rear of a standing train. Motorman Stephan Martin continued to increase power to his train, forcing cars off the tracks and onto the streets below. Eleven are killed and 180 injured, the worst accident in CTA history.
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February 4, 2016 “Felix”, a cat on duty as “Senior Pest Controller” since 2011 in Huddersfield Station, England is given her own cat door to allow her to pass through the gates keeping non-paying passengers away from the trains. The newly installed gates had prevented Felix from carrying out her task of keeping the station vermin-free.
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February 4, 2020 Durango & Southern 493 undergoes its first tests as an oil burner. The D&S is converting its coal burners to oil to prevent sparks that may start forest fires in the Colorado mountains.
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February 4, 2022 Google announces it is joining Ford in the renovation of Detroit’s former Michigan Central station. Google will provide cloud-based services and training. Ford reports that to this date it has spent $740 million on the restoration project.
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Mark Tomlonson
