PC: RE: 1st Annual Meeting of the Secret Society of PC Art Collectors

["Gary Farmer" <gary@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Nick & list,

I know of several PC original paintings. First is the one I mentioned in the earlier posting to this list about the oil done on canvas by an unknown artist (the painting is signed, but I don't know by who). This one was done in 1982 I believe & has a Metroliner as the subject. This is a huge painting.

 

Second, there is the Sam Rea painting that was a feature of my column in the PCRRHS POST a few issues back. This painting was done by a member of the Sam Rea shop, and is not signed. It is a small watercolor. It was presented by the workers at Sam Rea as a gift to the Transit Worker's Union hall in Altoona & hung in that hall during PC years.

 

Third, there is a painting I know of that was done by famous artist Howard Fogg. It was commisioned by a wire company whose name I can't recall right now (I think the plant was in Ohio). They wanted him to paint a picture of their factory. He put a Penn Central train passing in front of the plant in the picture. Don't know the year it was painted.

 

Fourth, there was a painting presented to Stuart Saunders from General Electric Co. It is a watercolor of a Metroliner. It was commissioned by GE to be painted by artist John Gould. He finished it in 1967, with a PRR logo & the number "1967" on the front of the car. There are prints of this painting with the PRR logo. This painting also appears as the cover of the book "The Railroads in Transition" by Robert Carper. The painting was returned to the artist after the merger & he retouched the front of the train with a PC logo & car number. That is the way the painting exists today.

 

Hope this info. was interesting to somebody out there!

I know of some PC ink & pencil drawings too, if anybody is interested... none commissioned by PC though.

 

 

Gary Farmer

 

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-penn-central -AT- smellycat.com [mailto:owner-penn-central -AT- smellycat.com]On Behalf Of Nickseman4800 -AT- cs.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 08, 2002 8:06 PM
To: penn-central -AT- smellycat.com
Subject: PC: 1st Annual Meeting of the Secret Society of PC Art Collectors

Ha - just kidding.

Someone inquired about original PC company art.  The only piece I am aware of (and like an idiot did not purchase) was a large 36" x 48" oil of the Metroliner in PC garb.  I do not know who it was done for (Budd, GE etc.) but it was obviously a commercial advertising type piece.  I saw it for sale at the York TCA meet several years ago.

The PC was selling off some of its PRR art holdings during the famous auction in 1972 so it was probably not commissioning new work.  However I would certainly be interested in hearing of any as well.

Nick