Ottoman Railway Company from Smyrna to Aidin, £20 share, London 1863, ornate scrollwork at left, text in English, French and Turkish, impressed and adhesive revenue stamps, coupons re-attached.
The Ottoman Railway Company, also known as the Smyrna-Aidin Railway, was the first railway in Turkey and the second oldest in the Ottoman Empire:
Construction: The Ottoman government granted the concession for the railway in 1856, and the first part opened in 1860. The railway was built by a British consortium to transport minerals and fruit from the Aydın plain to the Port of Smyrna.
Extensions: The railway was extended to Denizli and then to Eğirdir by 1912. It also built branch lines to towns in the İzmir province.
Nationalization: The Turkish State Railways absorbed the line in 1935.
