Beech Creek Railroad Co. - 1880's dated New York Railway Stock Certificate

Railroad Stock printed by American Bank Note Co, NY. Exceptional train vignette and very attractive Victorian borders. Very pretty and quite rare!!! Available in Green or Brown. Please specify color. Also available unissued at a lesser price. Please inquire if interested.

The Beech Creek Railroad is a discontinued railroad that functioned in central Pennsylvania, connecting Jersey Shore and Mahaffey. It was initially chartered in 1882 and subsequently leased by the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad (which later became known as the New York Central Railroad) in 1890, after which it was operated directly by that company. A significant portion of the line was abandoned during the latter half of the 20th century, although segments at both ends remain operational.

The company was first chartered as the Susquehanna and South Western Railroad on August 12, 1882. The charter stipulated the construction of a 100-mile (160 km) railway from Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to the southern boundary of Clearfield County. This proposed railway was initiated with the support of the New York Central Railroad, as part of a comprehensive strategy to secure access to bituminous coal reserves. The New York Central did not extend into the bituminous coalfields, which left it susceptible to actions from both the coal operators who extracted the coal and competitors such as the Pennsylvania Railroad, who transported it. The coal operators in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, many of whom were already shipping coal via the New York Central through the Fall Brook Coal Company's railroad system, encountered insurmountable labor issues and the looming depletion of their mines. In response to these challenges, William H. Vanderbilt, the president of the New York Central, devised a plan to penetrate the Clearfield Coalfield, which had previously been the exclusive domain of the Pennsylvania Railroad.