New Haven, Middletown and Willimantic Railroad $50 bond certificate 1870 (Connecticut)

Beautiful 1870s CT railroad bond. Nice vignettes of a steam train to the upper left.  Bright green underprint of the $50 denomination. Unissued and not cancelled. Vertical fold from storage. Dated 1870 in the text.  Measures approximately 13.5 x 9 inches.

The New Haven, Middletown and Willimantic Railroad was a 19th-century Connecticut railroad incorporated in 1867 and opened in 1873. Known as The Air Line because it offered a direct route across the state, it was renamed the Boston and New York Air-Line Railroad in 1875 before later becoming part of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad system.

Envisioned as a direct route between New Haven and Boston, it was hampered by difficult terrain in eastern Connecticut and did not find much success. The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad leased the company in 1882. The tracks between Portland, Connecticut and Willimantic, Connecticut were abandoned in 1965, while the remainder of the line is operated by the Providence and Worcester Railroad.

Founding:
Formed in 1867 by local entrepreneur and farmer David Lyman.

Construction:
Completed in 1873, running roughly 50-plus miles to connect New Haven, Middletown, and Willimantic, CT.

Purpose:
Built to create a shorter, more direct passenger and freight route between New York City and Boston than the coastal Shore Line.

Legacy:
Portions of the historic rail bed no longer active in train operations have since been converted into recreational multi-use paths, most notably the Air Line State Park Trail in Connecticut.

Product descriptions and images
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