New York Central and Hudson River Railroad $10,000 gold bond certificate 1920s (New York)

Nice vignette of the railroad baron Cornelius Vanderbilt (younger portrait) at the top, steam train vignette at the bottom. Horizontal format. Issued and cancelled. Dated 1920s.  Vertical folds from storage. Measuring approximately 13 x 9 inches.  

The New York Central and Hudson River Railroad was a pivotal American railway, formed by Cornelius Vanderbilt in 1869 from the merger of the New York Central and Hudson River railroads, creating a powerful system connecting NYC with the Midwest (Chicago) and beyond, known for its "Water Level Route" along the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers, featuring famous trains like the 20th Century Limited before its eventual absorption into Penn Central and later parts becoming Metro-North lines.

Formation: Grew from a 1853 merger of ten small railroads into the New York Central, with Vanderbilt adding the Hudson River Railroad in 1869 for a direct NYC-to-Lake Erie route.

Expansion:
Grew into a vast network covering the Northeast, Midwest, and Canada, eventually including the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern and Michigan Central Railroads.

Landmarks:
Home to New York City's iconic Grand Central Terminal, built by the system.

Decline & Legacy:
Faced competition from cars and planes, merged into Penn Central in 1968, with parts now operated by Metro-North.

Key Figures:

Erastus Corning:
Instrumental in the initial 1853 formation of the New York Central.

Cornelius Vanderbilt:
Gained control in 1867 and orchestrated the 1869 merger with the Hudson River Railroad.

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