13th and 15th Streets Passenger Railway Co. of Philadelphia - 1880's-1939 dated Railroad Stock Certificate - Thirteenth and Fifteenth Streets

Stock with superb vignettes by American Bank Note Co. Nice blue coloring! Beautiful Girl Vignette at bottom middle.

The 13th and 15th Streets Passenger Railway Company of Philadelphia, established in 1859, played a pivotal role in the city’s early development of its public transit network. Initially operating horse-drawn streetcars, the company played a key role in the residential expansion of North Philadelphia by providing accessible transportation to previously underserved areas. Their extensive infrastructure, spanning from 1876 to 1893, included a substantial complex at 2501-61 N. 15th Street. This complex housed an office, waiting room, car houses, and stables, all essential for managing the company’s fleet and livestock.

As transit technology progressed, the company transitioned from horse-drawn cars to cable cars and eventually influenced the development of motorized transit systems. In 1892, the railway was leased to the Philadelphia Traction Company as part of a larger movement to consolidate Philadelphia’s numerous independent transit lines into a unified system. This process culminated in the formation of the Union Traction Company and later the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company. Today, the former company’s depot on North 15th Street stands as a testament to its historical significance, recognized on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, serving as a monument to the city’s 19th-century transit heritage.