In New York, the new railroad bridge linking Albany and Rensselaer across the Hudson takes its first traffic

A new railway bridge across the Hudson at Albany had been chartered in 1856 and begun in 1864.  It took its first locomotive on this day and four days later opened for regular rail service.  It was 2020 feet long and operated with a swing bridge to allow river traffic to pass unobstructed.  The Livingston Avenue Bridge, as it was called, was refurbished in the early twentieth century and is still used, sparingly, today. (By John Osborne)