Cleveland Cincinnati Chicago and St. Louis Railway $1000 bond certificate 1890 (Ohio and Illinois)

Famous Big Four RR bond. Great vignette of a steam train with river scene and telegraph lines in the background.  Vertical format. Nice $1000 underprint in green. Issued and cancelled. Dated 1890 from the text.  Folds from storage. Measuring approximately 13.5 x 8.5 inches.

The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, and St. Louis Railway (CCC&StL), commonly known as the "Big Four Railroad" or the "Big Four Route", was a major Class I railroad company in the Midwestern United States from 1889 to 1930. 

Nickname: 
"Big Four Railroad" or "Big Four Route".

Area Served: 
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.

Headquarters: 
Indianapolis, Indiana.

Dates of Operation: 
The company was formed on June 30, 1889, by the merger of three existing railway companies (Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis Railway, the Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Chicago Railway and the Indianapolis & St. Louis Railway), and was leased to the New York Central Railroad by 1930.

The CCC&StL's history traces back to the 1848 charter for the Indianapolis and Bellefontaine Railroad. Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, it became a unified system linking its namesake cities: Cleveland and Cincinnati in Ohio, Chicago Illinois, and St. Louis Missouri. 

In 1906, the New York Central Railroad acquired the Big Four, operating it as a separate entity until full integration around 1930. The lines were later incorporated into the Penn Central Company in 1968, and many segments eventually became part of Conrail in 1976. 

Today, the tracks are primarily owned and operated by CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern for freight. Portions of the original lines are still active in modern freight networks and some Amtrak passenger services. 

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