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Description
In 1972, the Southern Railway brought the 4501, the green mikado, to Jacksonville for a steam excursion to Valdosta over the Georgia Southern & Florida.* This was during the time I carved linoleum blocks for my Christmas cards, so I made a three-color linoleum block print of the 4501 crossing the St. Marys River near St. George, Georgia, on this through truss bridge. The St. Marys forms part of the boundary between Georgia and Florida, so the locomotive is in Florida and the last car still in Georgia. This part of Georgia is called the thumb, as the St. Marys makes a loop south into Florida and the tracks cross the river twice. The other crossing is about twelve miles west of here near Moniac. This bridge was replaced with a more modern (and heavier) deck girder bridge a few years later, allowing heavier locomotives on excursions in the 1980s, such as the N&W 611 and 1218. But by that time, the Southern had merged with the Norfolk & Western. The 4501 is now back at its home in Chattanooga, the cars on this excursion scrapped or sold, and the bridge, as shown here, gone as well.

A long explanation for this simple print. I thought I might sell them on the train, but, alas- I have no idea how I would go about packaging them or selling them, so there are only a few of these prints around. I still have the linoleum blocks, though.

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* The GS&F was wholly owned by the Southern, which, for reasons of its own. pretended that the subsidiaries were separate lines, although Southern operated the sub-lettered power and equipment everywhere on its lines.

Description
In 1972, the Southern Railway brought the 4501, the green mikado, to Jacksonville for a steam excursion to Valdosta over the Georgia Southern & Florida.* This was during the time I carved linoleum blocks for my Christmas cards, so I made a three-color linoleum block print of the 4501 crossing the St. Marys River near St. George, Georgia, on this through truss bridge. The St. Marys forms part of the boundary between Georgia and Florida, so the locomotive is in Florida and the last car still in Georgia. This part of Georgia is called the thumb, as the St. Marys makes a loop south into Florida and the tracks cross the river twice. The other crossing is about twelve miles west of here near Moniac. This bridge was replaced with a more modern (and heavier) deck girder bridge a few years later, allowing heavier locomotives on excursions in the 1980s, such as the N&W 611 and 1218. But by that time, the Southern had merged with the Norfolk & Western. The 4501 is now back at its home in Chattanooga, the cars on this excursion scrapped or sold, and the bridge, as shown here, gone as well.

A long explanation for this simple print. I thought I might sell them on the train, but, alas- I have no idea how I would go about packaging them or selling them, so there are only a few of these prints around. I still have the linoleum blocks, though.

--------
* The GS&F was wholly owned by the Southern, which, for reasons of its own. pretended that the subsidiaries were separate lines, although Southern operated the sub-lettered power and equipment everywhere on its lines.