|
Wheat Stubble and Big Red
by Andrew Harmantas
Oil on Masonite
Original Painting Image size 24" x 30" Framed size 30" x 36"
The Frisco named their diesel passenger locomotives after famous race horses. Locomotive 2020 was named for Big Red, and was the locomotive that carried me to
Fort Sill when I went there to go on active duty. The line headed west out of St. Louis, through the Ozarks, and into Oklahoma. West of Tulsa, the prairie
opened up with its vast vista of wheat fields. After harvest, the land was nothing but wheat stubble for hundreds of miles. Once the new highway was built,
this train was discontinued, and by 1966, it was only a memory that I wanted to preserve in this painting.
NOTE: As I often do, I sent out this image to a couple of friends who are Frisco experts. Both questioned a third E8 as the Frisco units did not have
MU connections up front. I could have sworn it was running three units when I rode it since it was swollen with soldiers heading to Fort Sill and Fort Leonard
Wood. Apparently, my memory must have played a trick on me as the best they could do was two units back-to-back. As a result, I will be revising the painting to
replace the third E8 with another head-end car. This will be done before the painting is delivered to a buyer.
Price: $1,400 (includes US shipping)
|
|
