Having a Cup of Coffee in Rutland, Vermont

I stopped and had a cup of coffee in Rutland, Vermont in 2010.  I always enjoy visiting cities that are an important part of our railroad history.
As I entered town, I saw the tracks of today's Vermont Railway.  About fifty miles to the south, I saw a northbound train making its way across Vermont.
I took in the downtown of Rutland.  The streets were punctuated with the original brick buildings in a town which had grown around the railroad. Rutland, Vermont truly was the nerve center of the Green Mountain Gateway.

Drawing a Maine Central GP7 For the Big E Show in 1994

In the Winter of 1994-1995, we were getting ready to travel across the country from California to Springfield, Massachusetts for my first attendance of the Big E Hobby Show.  That winter, I began drawing railroads of New England and the Northeast as we prepared for our journey.
As I headed to the studio, some of the first railroads I worked on were Boston & Maine and Maine Central.  I have always been partial to the bright colors of New England's railroads.  The above Maine Central GP7 was drawn in this session.
As I continued to work in the studio, I drew a Boston & Maine Berkshire and locomotives of Bangor & Aroostook and Rutland.  Many of my first New England locomotives came from this drawing session.
I always enjoy the inspiration of a drawing project when many railroads come together to make a theme.  It is truly a joy to see how many railroad systems connect and how freight and passenger railroads work together.

To see more of my railroad artwork, visit http://www.andyfletchertrains.com/

A Brief Look at Boston and Maine

Boston and Maine connected the cities, ports and manufacturing of New England with its agriculture and timber industry.  Boston and Maine was New England's primary railroad, linking to the Maine Central, Rutland, New Haven and many secondary railroads.
Boston & Maine, like the New Haven, fell under the control of Patrick McGinnis, adopting the dashing B and M logo and bright blue and black colors which lasted until the Guilford era on Boston and Maine.  Boston and Maine is part of today's Pan Am Railways.

To see more of my Boston and Maine artwork, visit
http://www.andyfletchertrains.com/boston---maine.html