Railroads

railroad paintings by April Raber

	Lady in Waiting 13" x 16" Oil on board Nevada Northern Railway's Locomotive 93 was delivered here, to the East Ely Yard, over 100 years ago. She is a heavy freight locomotive who spent most of her life hauling copper ore out of the mines and up to the smelter. Today she is in excellent working order and still hauls passengers on the same rails that she has used for over a century. Her crew is getting her ready for a long Saturday. She will work her way up and back down the mountain three times today. Her crew has lubricated hundreds of points, filled her tender with over 7000 gallons of water, and fired her boiler to 180 lbs/sq.in. In a few moments she will move out of the engine house to pick up around 5 tons of coal, then couple up to the passenger cars for a run "up the hill" toward the Ruth mine. available
	Yardwork 12" x 12" Oil on board Nevada Northern Railway's 100-year-old steam locomotive #93 is working in the East Ely Yard this Summer afternoon. In a few minutes her crew will back her down the mainline and couple her up to the passenger cars waiting at the depot. With any luck, the passengers will be loaded and the train will be on its way before the rainstorm gets any closer. available
	Yellow Caboose 9" x 12" Oil on board Nevada Northern Railway's caboose No.3 has already lived several hard lives. Shown here, she is in the East Ely yard in the middle of a restoration project. Her wood has been carefully scraped, sanded, and prepared for a fresh coat of paint in her original colors of yellow and red. Her running gear is being completely overhauled to bring her up to the safety standards necessary for her to resume her duties at the end of freight trains, serving as the conductor's rolling headquarters. (private collection)
	East Ely Yard 14" x 11" Oil on board Current view of Nevada Northern Railway's main yard at East Ely, Nevada. Not much has changed in the past 85 years at the East Ely Yard. It was painted in a single morning from the deck of the historic freight house, which has a commanding view of the railway's main yard. In the distance are the coaling and water towers that once served steam engines used in heavy ore traffic from one of the largest copper pits in the US. This painting was displayed in Oil Painters of America 14th Annual Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils, Chicago, Il May 2005. (private collection)
	East Ely Yard II 14" x 11" Oil on board This painting was created during the annual Nevada Northern Plein Air event, held Labor Day, 2011. available
	Surfliner Format : 12" x 16" Oil on board Amtrak's Surfliner breezes past a young surfer on its way to San Diego. In a moment the train will clear the crossing, the gates will go up, and the San Clemente beach will be just a few steps away. Award winner in the Paint San Clemente 2005 available
	Green! Through Devore 12" x 16" Oil on board Returning from a NHRS convention, Santa Fe's 3751 steam engine leans into the last curve descending Cajon Pass. Ahead, track signals are green for as far as the eye can see on Santa Fe's main line to San Bernardino. As evidenced by the quickly disappearing plume of smoke, the crew wastes no time reaching the speed limit through Devore since they will be very close to their mandated 12-hour workday limit by the time 3751 brings her consist of 18 coaches to a stop in Los Angeles' Union Station. (private collection)
	Afternoon Dust Format: 14" x 11" Oil on board Backside of the water tower and coal towers at the East Ely Yard of the Nevada Northern Railway. The railway's main yard is just beyond the water tower. These structures were built to service a roster of over 20 coal-fired steam engines serving central Nevada copper mines during the first half of the 20th century. Several steam engines built new for this railroad 100 years ago have been preserved, and are still in operation today. This property has been acclaimed as the "Best preserved standard-gauge short line in America" by the Smithsonian. Just to the right of this scene, sheep are gently grazing in a wonderful spring-fed pasture. available
	Rolling Thunder Format: 14" x 11" Oil on board An Autumn view of the Nevada Northern Railway's East Ely Yard from the shelter of the historic freight house. It has been a stormy day with more rain on the way. At a mile high in elevation, it will not be very long before days like this produce a heavy layer of snow. (private collection)
	Monolith 14" x 14" Oil on board This painting is of the harbor area of Long Beach. It is a materials yard near a railroad siding. The mixture of coastal fog with a bit of industrial smog created an interesting atmosphere. (private collection)