West Philadelphia Passenger Railway Company stock certificate 1932 (Pennsylvania) 

Classic Philly streetcar piece. Top vignette features the West Philadelphia Passenger Railway Depot building. Issued and cancelled. Stub attached to the left. Dated 1932. Measures approximately 12 x 8 inches.

The West Philadelphia Passenger Railway, incorporated in 1857 and opened on July 2, 1858, operated early horse-drawn streetcars along Market Street to 41st Street and Haverford Avenue.

By 1859, the line was actively running regular transit operations, issuing stock certificates, and expanding urban transit before transitioning to electric trolleys decades later.

Incorporation:
Chartered in 1857 as an early Philadelphia street railway.

Opening:
Began service on July 2, 1858.

Route:
Ran from 3rd Street along Market Street across the bridge to 41st Street, extending to a depot at Haverford Avenue.1859 Activity: Issued foundational financial certificates and stock documents while establishing regular horse bus transit.

Later Years:
Converted operations to electric power during the 1890s.

Just days after the filing of a City lawsuit inquiring into PRT's and Mitten's finances, on October 1, 1929 Thomas E. Mitten was found drowned in a lake in upstate Pennsylvania. After lengthy court proceedings PRT was ordered into receivership. Although there had been ongoing efforts to bring the transit system under City control -- Philadelphia Consolidated Railways Company was to be the new entity's title -- in 1935 the courts decreed that the company would remain a private enterprise. The final day for PRT would be the last day of 1939. On January 1, 1940 Philadelphia Transportation Company (PTC) was born.

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