City and Suburban Railway Company stock certificate c1891 (Memphis Tennessee)

Unusual engraving on this stock certificate collectible. Fantastic vignette of the Court Square fountain in Memphis TN. Unissued and not cancelled. Circa 1891 from company records. Measures approximately 11 x 8.5 inches.   

The City and Suburban Railway was an early independent transit system in Memphis, Tennessee. In March 1895, it merged with the Citizens Street Railroad, East End Street Railway, and Memphis & Raleigh Springs Railroad to form the Memphis Street Railway Company.

Inauguration:
The company began its public operations as an electric streetcar system on October 6, 1891.

The 1895 Merger:
On March 28, 1895, the City & Suburban Railway merged with three other local operators - the Citizens Street Railroad, the East End Street Railway, and the Memphis & Raleigh Springs Railroad.

Evolution:
This massive consolidation formed the Memphis Street Railway Company, which went on to manage all major trolley and streetcar operations across Memphis for decades. The Memphis Street Railway Company was a privately-owned operator of streetcars and trolleybuses in Memphis, Tennessee on roughly 160 route miles of overhead electrified cable and rails between 1895 and 1960. The longest of the rail lines reached from downtown to Memphis National Cemetery near Raleigh.

Legacy:
In April 1958, Memphis Street Railway rebranded itself as Memphis Transit Company. Trolleybuses were discontinued in use for diesel buses by 1960. In 1961, The City of Memphis Transit Authority, which later became MATA, purchased Memphis Transit Company and became publicly owned. The infrastructure laid down by these early lines eventually transitioned to electric trackless trolleybuses in the mid-20th century. Today, public transit in the city is managed by the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA), which operates buses alongside a historic, vintage heritage trolley line downtown.

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