New York Central and Hudson River Railroad Co. - 1913 dated $1,000 Railway Mortgage Bond - Very Rare Type

$1,000 4 1/2% Bond printed by American Bank Note Company, New York. All with coupons attached.

The New York Central Railroad (reporting mark NYC) was a prominent railroad that primarily operated in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. Its extensive network connected major cities such as New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Midwest, along with intermediate cities like Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, and Syracuse. The railroad’s headquarters were located in New York City’s iconic New York Central Building, conveniently situated adjacent to its largest station, Grand Central Terminal.

Established in 1853, the NYC was formed by consolidating several existing railroad companies. In 1968, the railroad underwent a significant merger with its former rival, the Pennsylvania Railroad, to create Penn Central. However, Penn Central faced financial difficulties and ultimately went bankrupt in 1970. In response, Penn Central merged with Conrail in 1976, which further fragmented the railroad system.

The legacy of the New York Central Railroad continues to shape the rail landscape in the United States. The railroad’s extensive trackage extended across several states, including New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Massachusetts, and West Virginia. Additionally, portions of the railroad’s network extended into the Canadian provinces of Ontario (specifically Southwestern and Eastern Ontario) and Quebec (south of Montreal).

At its peak in 1925, the NYC operated an impressive network of 11,584 miles of road and 26,395 miles of track. By 1967, the railroad’s mileage had slightly decreased to 9,696 miles of road and 18,454 miles of track. Despite these changes, the New York Central Railroad left a lasting impact on the development of rail transportation in the United States.