An archive’s catalog dates an unsigned letter to 1848 because the letter was stored in a folder marked with that year. Since the folder was assembled decades later, its label supplies only weak evidence for the date. The letter also reports that the writer boarded a train at a station that did not begin passenger service until 1851. _____ this second detail does not merely make 1848 less likely; it rules out 1848 as the letter’s composition date.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?