Beech Creek Railroad Co. - 1900's-1910's dated $1,000 Railway Bond - Gorgeous Design

$1,000 4% Bond printed by American Bank Note Company, New York. Superb graphics!!! The Beech Creek Railroad is a discontinued railway that functioned in central Pennsylvania, connecting Jersey Shore and Mahaffey. It was initially chartered in 1882 and subsequently leased to the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, which later became known as the New York Central Railroad, in 1890. Following this lease, the railroad was operated directly by that company. Although a significant portion of the line was abandoned during the latter half of the 20th century, some segments at both ends remain operational.

The company was initially established as the Susquehanna and South Western Railroad on August 12, 1882. Its charter outlined the construction of a 100-mile (160 km) railway extending from Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to the southern boundary of Clearfield County. This initiative was supported by the New York Central Railroad, which aimed to secure access to valuable bituminous coal reserves. Since the New York Central did not reach the coalfields directly, it was at risk from both coal operators and competitors like the Pennsylvania Railroad, who transported the coal. 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 rail system, were grappling with severe 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 strategy to penetrate the Clearfield Coalfield, an area previously dominated by the Pennsylvania Railroad. The Vanderbilts would finance a consortium of Tioga coal operators and local businessmen from Clearfield, organized as the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Company, enabling them to acquire coal lands discreetly. The Fall Brook's rail network, which extended down Pine Creek through a fictitious railroad known as the Jersey Shore, Pine Creek and Buffalo Railway, would facilitate the New York Central's trains reaching Jersey Shore, located on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River west of Williamsport. From that point, the Susquehanna and South Western would proceed westward via Beech Creek and Moshannon Creek towards the Clearfield area.

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