April 2, 1853 An Act of the New York State Legislature approves the merger creating the New York Central Railroad. The merger will be ratified by stockholders in June.
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April 2, 1869 Incorporation papers for the Kalamazoo & South Haven Railroad [later MC, NYC, PC, CR] are signed.
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April 2, 1888 To protect it from an oncoming storm, The Hotel Brighton, at the foot of what is now Coney Island Ave. in Brooklyn NY, is moved inland 520 feet. The move is accomplished by laying track, raising the building as a whole, and pulling it using six steam engines. The move begins on this date, and continues for nine more days. It is the largest building move of the 19th Century.
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April 2, 1900 The Peoria & Pekin Traction begins operations between its two namesake Illinois towns.
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April 2, 1918 New Haven's "Bay State Limited" becomes one of many trains eliminated by the USRA. It will not be reinstated after the war, although many are.
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April 2, 1933 The Pennsylvania and Wabash Railroads inaugurate new fast, through passenger trains from Chicago to Detroit via Ft, Wayne, IN. The trains are given a running time of 4 hours, 45 minutes. The Wabash then drops its passenger service between Ft. Wayne and Chicago.
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April 2, 1957 Alfred E. Perlman introduces "Flexi-Van". The cars reduce the dead weight and air drag of conventional TOFC service, but require special equipment.
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April 2, 1962 The Roanoke Transportation Museum is chartered. Later it will be known as the Virginia Museum of Transportation.
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April 2, 1975 Amtrak orders 235 bi-level "Superliner" cars for long-distance service from Pullman-Standard and an additional 200 Amfleet cars from Budd. Pullman-Standard, having sold its Michigan City Plant five years earlier, purchases the Allied Structural Steel Company plant at Hammond IN to build "Superliners".
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April 2, 1976 CN Tower is completed. Built by Canadian National, it was the tallest tower and tallest free-standing structure in the world when built. It remains the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere.
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April 2, 1993 Amtrak's "Sunset Limited" becomes the first regularly scheduled transcontinental passenger train operated by one company in the United States as the eastbound section departs Los Angeles. The westbound will make its first departure on April 4.
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Mark Tomlonson
