Northern Central Railway Co. - 1940's-50's dated Railroad Stock Certificate

Stock printed by American Bank Note Company, New York. The Northern Central Railway (NCRY) was a Class I railroad that linked Baltimore, Maryland, to Sunbury, Pennsylvania, along the banks of the Susquehanna River. The railway was completed in 1858 and came under the control of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in 1861, when the PRR acquired a majority stake in the Northern Central's stock to enhance its competitiveness against the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O). For a period of eleven decades, the Northern Central functioned as a subsidiary of the PRR until significant portions of its Maryland track were devastated by Hurricane Agnes in 1972. Following this event, most operations were halted as Penn Central opted not to repair the damaged sections. The railway is now considered a fallen flag, having transitioned through the ownership of the Penn Central (resulting from the merger of the PRR and the New York Central), Conrail, and ultimately being dismantled. The southern segment in Pennsylvania has been repurposed as the York County Heritage Rail Trail, which connects to a similar trail in Northern Maryland leading to Baltimore, known as the Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail. Currently, only the tracks surrounding Baltimore remain in active rail service.