Northern Counties Union Railway Company Share Cert 1846

The Northern Counties Union Railway Company was incorporated in 1846 to raise £3 million to build 127 miles of railway track connecting the Great North of England at Thirsk and the Carlisle Railway at Clifton and Tebay. It came out of the amalgamation of the Yorkshire and Glasgow Union and the York and Carlisle Railways. It was very shortlived,only managing to build 2 miles of track near Bedale and was sold to the Leeds and Thirsk Railway for just £6000 in 1860.These shares are a reminder of the ill fated project. Handsigned and dated by the Company Secretary, each share has a beautiful blind embossing. A reminder of the perils of the Railway Mania which gripped Victorian England at the time.