Lot # : 183 - AMTRAK 1996 RAILROAD CALENDAR J. CRAIG THORPE ART

SHIPPING AVAILABLE ~ Measuring a large 23.5 x 33.5" overall, a twelve month wall calendar, depicting a striking illustration by noted artist J. Craig Thorpe, of the Mount Baker International, an Amtrak train traveling from Vancouver, BC to Seattle. CONDITION REPORT > Superb, vintage condition ~ Discovered rolled, never displayed. About the Artist ~ J. Craig Thorpe J. Craig Thorpe is a nationally recognized artist specializing in conceptual renderings and landscape paintings. Says Robert Eaton, Mayor of Leavenworth, WA, “Craig understands the history, needs, and mission of our community. Our investment in his talents has more than paid for itself.” Craig’s interest in art dates from his formative years in Pittsburgh, PA. The landscapes of the area, with its undulating topography, rivers, industrial plants and railroads captured his imagination. The imagery of those experiences shaped the foundation of a career. Thorpe studied at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, and graduated from Carnegie-Mellon University with a BFA in Industrial Design. Following a short stint in the US Army Transportation Corps, he worked for architects in Virginia. After graduate school in New England, where he earned a Master of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Thorpe moved to Seattle, WA and served as a Presbyterian pastor. In 1985 he chose to leave parish work to begin free-lance architectural and transportation illustration. When Amtrak featured his painting of the new Olympia, WA station on its 1993 corporate calendar, Thorpe’s rail art began to be recognized nationally. He continues to produce commissioned works for Amtrak including the commemorative centennial paintings of Washington D.C. Union Station (2008) and Glacier National Park (2010). His most recent work is a collection of vignettes celebrating Amtrak’s 40th anniversary in 2011. Craig is widely known for these and commissions by other rail clients such as the White Pass & Yukon Route in Alaska. Says Michael Brandt, the railway’s Vice President, “Craig has embraced the WP&YR brand and created iconic legacy artworks for us. They reflect his relationship with the company, its people, history and future.” Other noted Alaskan clients include Holland America Line and Alaska Marine Lines. The grandeur and scale of Alaska – and indeed all the west itself – have expanded his literal and figurative horizons. A new series of smaller Northwest landscapes is growing in popularity. Thorpe is foremost a landscape painter and even his industrial commissions set the subjects in their unique settings. Says the artist, “The haste, cynicism and expediency of our age has blurred an ability to see beauty. These paintings help people refocus.” He combines a technical accuracy with a painterly style evoking an emotional response from the viewer: “That painting makes me want to be right there!” He partners with clients to create art which honors tradition, celebrates the present and creates a legacy. While working in a variety of media, most of Thorpe’s published works are oil-on-canvas. His paintings have appeared on calendars, posters, cards, menus, timetables and a host of other items. J. Craig Thorpe’s work has been published in various papers and journals such as the Arizona Republic, Denver Post, and USA Today, National Parks Magazine, Audubon and books such as Alfred Runte’s Allies of the Earth: Railroads and the Soul of Preservation and Trains of Discovery: Railroads and the Legacy of Our National Parks. Thorpe and his wife Cathy, a counselor in private practice, live in Bellevue, Washington and have three grown children, each an artist in his own way. The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, known as Amtrak, officially began service on May 1, 1971 when Clocker no. 235 departed New York City's Penn Station at 12:05 a.m. bound for Philadelphia on Penn Central's electrified Northeast Corridor. Formed by Congress to relieve the railroads of the financial burden of providing unprofitable passenger service, Amtrak took over the operations of all but three railroads who continued their own intercity passenger train service for a period of time. They were the Rock Island Railroad, the Southern Railway, and the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad. The Reading Company also opted out for its runs from Philadelphia to Jersey City and Reading, as they were considered more commuter than intercity, and maintained these trains until the 1980's. In the early years of operation, Amtrak's equipment was made up of cars and engines from the railroads that signed on. Due to the dire financial straits of eastern railroads, maintenance on these cars and engines was minimal prior to acquisition by Amtrak, and most of the fleet of so called Heritage cars came from the western roads like Union Pacific, Southern Pacific and Burlington Northern. A notable exception was the fleet of stainless steel cars built for the Pennsylvania Railroad by the Budd Company at their Northeast Philadelphia Red Lion Plant. On the NEC, the PRR MP54's (aka the red cars) and Silverliners from Budd and GE held down commuter service, and motive power for locomotive hauled cars was provided by the venerable Pennsylvania GG1's, now under their third owner and in their fourth decade of service, An early Amtrak standout were the relatively new Metroliner multiple unit (or MU) cars, first conceived by the PRR and the Department of Transportation, built by the Budd Company and put into revenue service by the PC. One ofthe first orders of business for Amtrak was to purchase new cars, and they turned to the Budd Company again, ordering the first of hundreds of Amfleet cars, basically unpowered coaches and dining cars based on the Metroliner design. Amtrak currently operates over more than 22,000 route miles, mostly on the tracks of freight carriers. It owns 730 route miles, about 3% of the total nationwide, primarily the Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington, DC, and in Michigan. These were acquired on April 1, 1976 as part of the creation of Conrail from the bankrupt Penn Central and other railroads in the Northeast. The Northeast Corridor, of which the New York to Washington DC portion was originally electrified by the Pennsylvania Railroad in the 1930's, is Amtrak's busiest route. On weekdays, Amtrak operates up to 265 trains per day, excluding commuter trains, and over 100 of these trains travel through Philadelphia. As the second busiest station in the system, Philadelphia's 30th Street Station saw over 3.7 million travelers in 2001. 30th Street is also the changeover point for long distance trains. Trains from New York City have their electric locomotives replaced by diesel engines in preparation for travel off the NEC to points in the south and west. Other Amtrak served stations in the area are North Philadelphia, Cornwells Heights and Paoli. In 2002, Amtrak's roster of equipment includes 2,188 railroad cars including 173 sleeper cars, 743 coach cars, 66 first class/business class cars, 65 dormitory/crew cars, 65 lounge/café/dinette cars, and 83 dining cars. Baggage and Mail and Express cars make up the remainder of the fleet. Amtrak operates 436 locomotives, 360 diesel and 76 electric. Introduced in 2001, twenty Acela Express trainsets will provide high-speed rail service along the Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston. Two of the three heavy maintenance facilities that Amtrak owns are in the area, the locomotive maintenance shops in Wilmington, DE and the car maintenance shops in Bear, DE, with maintenance also performed at Race Street Yard and Penn Coach Yard adjacent to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia.