J. Craig Thorpe (American, B. 1948) "New Mexico Locomotive" Signed lower left. Original oil painting on Paper. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This painting originally appeared on the Fleetwood Legendary Locomotives of the 50 States New Mexico Commemorative Cover postmarked July 10, 1995. "Young man, the Santa Fe will put you in Chicago in 46 hours, if steam and steel will hold together. We've got the roadbed, the equipment, and the men." That was the promise made by J.J. Bryne -- General Passenger Agent of the Santa Fe Railway in Los Angeles -- to Walter Scott on July 8, 1905. Scott -- better known as Death Valley Scotty, once a rider for Buffalo Bill -- had requested that the railroad pull out all the stops to get him to Chicago in record time. Obsessed with speed, Scotty plunked down $5,500 and drawled, "Pardner, I like your talk. It sounds good to me. Line 'em up along the way and tell 'em we're comin'." The following afternoon, Scott, his wife, the Santa Fe's Frank Newton Holman and a press association correspondent boarded the Coyote Special bound for the Windy City. Assigned to handle the engines that would speed the Special on its mission were the "Nervy Nineteen," men who "had been picked because they thought there were no curves in the Santa Fe!" Steaming through the mountains and breaking records all along the 2,265-mile route, these engineers each took over the reins of the succession of iron horses that put the Special into Chicago's Dearborn Station at 11:54 a.m. on July 11 -- just 44 hours and 54 minutes after the odyssey had begun. Shown here is Santa Fe's No. 1000, which made the run from Winslow, Arizona, to Gallup, New Mexico. This four-cylinder, 2-6-2, "Prairie" type engine was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1901. Image Size: 14 x 12 in. Overall Size: 18 x 15 in. Unframed. (B15145)