Atlantic and Great Western Railway - 1860's dated Railroad Check

Imprinted revenue Check. Rare!

The Atlantic and Great Western Railroad began as three distinct railroads: the Erie and New York City Railroad, headquartered in Jamestown, New York; the Meadville Railroad, based in Meadville, Pennsylvania (which later became the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad in April 1858); and the Franklin and Warren Railroad, based in Franklin Mills, Ohio (which also became the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad in January 1853). The owners of these railroads had been collaborating closely since an October 8, 1852 meeting in Cleveland, where they planned to expand the “Great Broad Route,” the Erie Railroad, through their respective territories.

On March 12, 1862, a central board comprising two directors from each of the three companies assumed control of all three companies. The Ohio Board was represented by Marvin Kent and Worthy S. Streator, while the Pennsylvania Board was led by William Reynolds and John Dick, and the New York Board was headed by A. F. Allen and Thomas W. Kennard. William Reynolds was elected as the President of the Board.

The line reached Cleveland on November 18, 1863, and was subsequently connected to the Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Dayton Railroad in Dayton on June 20, 1864. This connection established a 6-foot (1,829-millimeter) gauge line that linked St. Louis to New York. On August 19, 1865, an agreement was drafted to merge the three separate companies, each named Atlantic and Great Western Railroad, into the Atlantic and Great Western Railway. On October 5, 1865, the new company issued a $30 million mortgage to settle the outstanding mortgages of various companies involved in the merger.