Philadelphia Traction Company stock certificate c1890 (Pennsylvania)

Nice Philly streetcar piece.  Nice double vignette of classic female figures seated around an interpretation of the Pennsylvania state seal, ship and harbor scenes in the background; a second vignette at the bottom shows a trainman working a brake wheel. Unissued and not cancelled. Circa 1890s. Dated 189_. Approximately 11 x 7.5 inches.

The Philadelphia Traction Company was a pivotal transportation company founded in 1883 by entrepreneurs P.A.B. Widener and William Lukens Elkins that initially installed cable car lines to replace horsecars. It was eventually absorbed into a larger entity called the Union Traction Company, which was then leased by the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company (PRT) in 1902, marking the transition from cable to electric trolley systems.

Formation and early years:
The company was founded in 1882 as the Union Passenger Railway, and was renamed the Philadelphia Traction Company in 1883. It was instrumental in bringing cable car technology to Philadelphia.

Transition to electric:
By the early 1890s, the company faced challenges with its cable system and began transitioning to the newer electric trolley technology, with the first electric trolleys appearing in 1892.

Consolidation:
In 1895, it became part of the Union Traction Company, which managed a combined network of street railways.

Lease by PRT:
The Union Traction Company was then leased by the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company (PRT) in 1902, a new monopoly formed to coordinate the city's various transportation lines.

Market Street Elevated:
A major project of the PRT was the construction of the Market Street Elevated, nicknamed "The El," which was approved in 1903.

End of an era:
The company and its successors were replaced by the SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) in 1968, which acquired the company's assets.

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