CAROLINA & NORTHWESTERN RAILWAY Stock 1897 Historic Carolinas Narrow-Gauge Road

Description

The Carolina & Northwestern Railway Company. Stock issued July 15, 1897. Incorporated in the states of South Carolina and North Carolina
. Certificate
No. 83
was issued to
W. Gill Wylie
for 12 shares of capital stock ( per share).
Hand signed by company trustees W. T. Weares, A. G. Price, and J. F. Wallace.
Certificate is about 9.5” x 11.5.” Black print with red-brown borders and underprint. Vignette with train.
The Carolina & Northwestern Railway was a railroad that served South Carolina and North Carolina from 1897 until January 1, 1974. The original line was operated by the Carolina & Northwestern Railway as a separate railroad controlled by the Southern Railway until 1974 when the name was changed to the Norfolk Southern Railway.
The carrier traces its beginnings back to the Kings Mountain Railroad that ran from Chester, South Carolina, to York, South Carolina, before the Civil War. The Kings Mountain Railroad was begun in 1855 but was destroyed by the Union Army during the Civil War and was not rebuilt after the conflict. The route lay abandoned for almost eight years until the creation of the Chester and Lenoir Narrow Gauge Railroad in 1873. Within a decade the Chester & Lenoir had extended the line to Lenoir, North Carolina. At over 120 miles, the Chester & Lenoir was the largest narrow gauge railroad in the Carolinas. Over the next decade, the railroad operated under the umbrella of the Richmond and Danville Railroad.
When the Richmond and Danville was re-organized as the Southern Railway in 1894, the Chester & Lenoir operated on its own for a short while. By 1896, it went into receivership, and the following year was re-organized as the Carolina & Northwestern Railway. Though technically controlled by the Southern, this shortline carrier, more than any other in the Southern Railway family, was allowed to operate almost autonomously.
By 1902, the Carolina & Northwestern Railway was converted to standard gauge track, and it purchased a controlling interest in a logging railroad, the Caldwell and Northern, that ran from Lenoir to Collettsville, North Carolina.
By 1906, the railroad had been expanded to Edgemont, North Carolina, making the line nearly 150 miles long, further increasing access to the timber in the mountains north and west of Hickory, North Carolina.
In 1912, new shops were built in Hickory and within 10 years a locomotive was even built within the railroad’s shops. By the mid 1930s, the Carolina and Northwestern was only operating one freight train a day except Sundays between Chester and Lenoir. By 1938, the railroad abandoned the line from west Lenoir to Edgemont. The Carolina and Northwestern was absorbed into the Southern Railway system around 1940.
Condition:  Very Fine
, light folds, minor creasing, no tears, minor signs of wear/handling/toning (see photos), pen cancelled.
Printer:
(none noted)
PAYMENT AND SHIPPING
Please read certificate d
escription details shown above before bidding.
Please contact me with any questions before bidding.
Payment by PayPal
and accepted credit cards
only.
Shipping within the U.S. is by USPS First Class Mail (.00 for packages weighing 13 ounces or less) – shipping for packages weighing over 13 ounces will be shown on your invoice. If another shipping method is requested, a revised invoice will be sent. International buyers need to wait for my invoice before paying.
Combined shipping cost will be offered for multiple items won – please wait for invoice before paying, or if specific shipping method or insurance is requested.
Multiple items will be shipped together in one package; large stocks and bonds may be shipped folded along existing fold lines.
All packages will be shipped with certificates placed in plastic sleeves with cardboard backing and marked “Do Not Bend”.
I do not profit on shipping costs charged.
Items typically shipped within two days of payment.
RETURNS AND GUARANTEE
:
Buyer satisfaction and authenticity of certificate is guaranteed – returns are accepted with 14 days of purchase (buyer pays return shipping cost unless item received is not as described in this listing).
All certificates are originals – no reproductions.