J. Craig Thorpe (American, B. 1948) "Oregon Locomotive" Signed lower right. Original Oil painting on Paper.
Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.
This painting is the original which appeared on the Fleetwood Legendary Locomotives of the 50 States Oregon Commemorative Cover postmarked November 11, 1994.
In 1882, the Union Pacific was expanding into the Pacific Northwest, and one of its goals was to establish the first direct route from Omaha to Portland. The Union Pacific's plan called for two of its subsidiaries, the Oregon Short Line and the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Co., to link up at Huntington, Oregon. Leaving the parent track at Granger, Wyoming, the main stem of the Oregon Short Line reached the Idaho border in June of 1882. Following the Snake River drainage, this line was continued across southern Idaho until it reached Huntington. At roughly the same time, the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Co. extended its branch from Pendleton, Oregon, into the Blue Mountains and on to Huntington. The two roads joined in Huntington on November 11, 1884. And on January 1, 1885, the first direct passenger train ran between Omaha and Portland. Shown at the Snake River bridge, the two 4-6-0 engines featured on this Cover are doubleheading a drag, a practice that some train and engine crews disapproved of. Excess-tonnage freight trams that required two engines often caused the cars' draft gear -- designed to withstand the pull of just one locomotive -- to fail, resulting in dangerous separations. If this occurred on a train not fitted with air brakes, the detached section could run away or crash into the forward portion of the train. Needless to say, most crews preferred lighter, more manageable trains.
Image Size: 14 x 12 in.
Overall Size: 18 x 15 in.
Unframed.
(B14882)
Condition
- By registering to bid for this auction either in-house or online and/or placing a bid in this auction the BIDDER/BUYER agrees to all the terms and conditions of Helmuth Stone Gallery Auctions.
- All silver, gold and/or jewelry lots or invoices containing said lots MUST be paid for via WIRE TRANSFER, no other forms of payment will be accepted.
- All items are sold as-is where-is and no guarantees are made of any kind. All sales are final; no refunds will be given under any circumstances.
- Helmuth Stone Gallery provides condition reports as a courtesy to our clients and assumes no liability for any error or omission. Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client and is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Descriptions are our opinions and should in no way be construed as a guarantee of any kind as to age, condition, mater. The bidder assumes responsibility for ensuring that the condition of the item(s) meets with their satisfaction prior to bidding. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging.
- Online images can sometimes be low quality due to the uploading process, original high-resolution images can be requested via email at HelmuthStone@gmail.com
- We recommend looking into shipping quotes prior to bidding, shipping quotes can take up to a week or more post-sale as we host our auctions through multiple online platforms and shipping can become backlogged, if you would like a list of local shippers please email us directly.
- Our auction catalogs are hosted through multiple online platforms along with phone and in-house bidding. Bids placed on other platforms are not shown through this catalog. Because of this, even if it appears you are the only absentee bid or bidder on a lot, you may already be outbid or may have placed a bid equal to another bidder. Therefore, we always recommend bidding live.
- Unless otherwise stated in the description, all items are sold without additional documentation or COAs. If any supporting documentation is available an image will be available online via the catalog listing.