J. Craig Thorpe (American, B. 1948) "Alabama 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 Alabama Commemorative Cover postmarked September 6, 1994.

"The Lord put the mountains between Birmingham and the sea, and the man who tries to bring them together undertakes heroic work." On September 6, 1908, such a railroad line was completed, and soon thereafter, Harry M. Atkinson, president of the Atlanta, Birmingham & Atlantic Railroad (AB&A), spoke these dramatic words at the dedication of his new railway. Piercing the mountains of eastern Alabama, the AB&A's workers created a link that eventually connected Birmingham and the Midwest to Georgia and Florida. The route was one of the last main rail lines constructed in the United States, thus it is comparatively well engineered. Despite the mountainous stretch in the middle of the route, all curves were held to a maximum of just six degrees. This translated into a mere restriction of 40 miles per hour for freight trains negotiating bends, even those chiseled into the jagged walls of the Appalachian Mountains. Traffic on this route increased in 1926 when the system was reorganized and taken over by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. In 1967, that line merged with another railway to become the Seaboard Coast Line. Today, the original AB&A is part of CSX Transportation. Presently it is heavily used by CSX's diesel-powered freight trains, continuing to be a vital link between the Midwest and the South. The "Bee Line," as it was once touted, is handsomely commemorated by this artwork, which depicts the 4-6-0 type engine, No. 1501, at Birmingham Station's arched train shed.

Image Size: 14 x 12 in.
Overall Size: 18 x 15 in.
Unframed.
(B14856)

- 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.