Peekskill Lighting and Railroad Company
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Product Details
Beautifully engraved antique specimen bond certificate from the Peekskill Lighting and Railroad Company dating back to the early 1900's. This document was printed by the American Bank Note Company and measures approximately 9 1/4" (w) by 13 3/4" (h).
The certificate features two vignettes. At the top, a pair of female allegorical figures flanking a trolley car. At the bottom, there is an industrial scene with gas storage tanks.
Two pages of coupons remain attached at the top margin.
Images
You will receive the exact certificate pictured.
Historical Context
The Peekskill Lighting and Railroad Company was a streetcar transit line operating in northern Westchester County and southern Putnam County, New York. The earliest segment was constructed by the Peekskill Traction Company in 1899, running 5.5 miles from the New York Central Railroad train station at Peekskill to Lake Mohegan.
The company was unable to meet payments for construction of the line, so the contractor operated the railroad until it was sold to the Peekskill Lighting and Railroad Company in 1900 - which was incorporated as a consolidation of the Peekskill Gas Light Company, Peekskill Electric Light and Power Company, and the Peekskill Traction Company.
The associated Westchester and Putnam Traction Company built extensions beyond Lake Mohegan, though the two companies were operated as one. In 1902, an extension was constructed through Buchannan to Verplanck. Another extension was opened in 1907 to Cortlandville, and Varian's Mills (later Williams Corners) in 1908. The final extension to Oregon (Putnam Valley) opened in 1909.
The President of the company was F.A. Stratton, who was also president of the Hudson River and Eastern Traction company, operators of the Ossining Electric Railway.
The first cutbacks in service came in 1924. The trolley system operated at a deficit for months, first reducing service to Oregon and Putnam Valley to Saturday only in 1925, and ending service on the Oregon line on August 29, 1925. The remaining track around Peekskill was closed and trolley service ended on June 30, 1926.
The Peekskill Lighting and Railroad Company then created Peekskill Motor Bus Company as a new subsidiary to acquire and operate the transportation franchise in place of trolleys in 1926. Four routes were operated, using the Peekskill train station as a hub. At the time of its abandonment, the trolley lines of Peekskill Lighting and Railroad Company were the last of the Consolidated Gas Company affiliated utilities to offer common-carrier rail transportation.
The bus routes were taken over by Westchester County Department of Transportation and operated as part of the Bee-Line Bus System in 1978.
Additional Information
Certificates carry no value on any of today's financial indexes and no transfer of ownership is implied. All items offered are collectible in nature only. So, you can frame them, but you can't cash them in!
All of our pieces are original - we do not sell reproductions. If you ever find out that one of our pieces is not authentic, you may return it for a full refund of the purchase price and any associated shipping charges.
