Prints for Sale!

By popular demand, I am now selling photo prints of select artwork I have done. The prints are on 4x6 matte or 8x10 glossy photo paper, (Note that due the dimensions of the art, some don't fit perfectly on the photo paper. The actual dimensins are recorded below) I am offering the following for sale at the listed prices:

CA&E 308 at Batavia Junction.
Cropped 4"x6" - $8
8"x8" - $25
Cropped 8"x10" - $25

The Last Night. 
6 5/8"x10" Landscape - $25

The Electroliner.
4"x6" Landscape - $8
5"x10" Landscape - $20 

749 Leaving Milwauke.
4"x6" Landscape - $8
 8"x8" or 8"10" Portrait. $25

Train Time at Sheridan Elms.
4"x6" Landscape - $8
 8"x10" Landscape - $25

Fairlie in the Snow
4"x6" Landscape - $8
8"x10" Landscape - $25
8"x8" Landscape - $25

CNS&M 458.
4"x6" Landscape - $8
8"x10" Landscape - $20.

CSS&SB 1100
4"x6" Portrait - $8
8"x10" Portrait - $20

CNS&M 160
4"x6" Portrait - $8
8"x10" Portrait - $20

CA&E Pullman
4"x6" Landscape - $8
8"x10" Landscape - $20

BR Blue Pannier
4"x6" Landscape - $8
8"x10" Landscape - $20

DP1 Deltic
4"x6" Landscape - $8
8"x10" Landscape - $20

Furness Railway L1
4"x6" Landscape - $8
8"x10" Landscape - $20

CA&E Woods at IRM - Pencil Drawing
4"x6" Landscape - $8
8"x10" Landscape - $25

CNS&M 749 at Ryan Tower - Pencil Drawing
4"x6" Landscape - $8
8"x10" Landscape - $25

I will accept paypal or cash, (for local orders only please). Shipping and Handling on 4"x6" prints is free. Shipping and Handling for 8"x10" prints will be calculated on an individual basis. For any orders, questions, or suggestions, email me at nsl714@yahoo.com. Please include in the order email which prints you would like to purchase, your method of payment, and shipping address. I will respond in confirmation, (and with my paypal address if that is the selected payment method). I ship on Tuesday and Friday afternoons, via USPS.

Thank You,

Zach Ehlers

50th Anniversary

50 Years ago tonight, a railroad ceased to exist. The Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee, running between it's namesake cities since 1898, was formally abandoned at 4:01 AM, January 21st 1963. A few hours previous, the last trains were making their way toward their terminals, and at approximately 12:30 AM, they passed at North Chicago Junction. A fan braving the cold temperatures leaned out the motorman's sash of car 760 on northbound train 437, and captured train 436 heading south into the darkness, and toward the end of an era.

The 'Liner

On a brisk afternoon in the mid-1950's, the silence of the day in Southern Wisconsin is broken by a blur of Salmon and Turquoise.

That blur is the Electroliner, one of 2 built for the North Shore in 1941 by the St. Louis Car Company. The pair of trains made 5 round trips a day between Chicago and Milwaukee at the blistering time of 1 hour and 50 minutes. They ran from 1941 until abandonment of the North Shore on January 21, 1963. Both trainsets are preserved today.

As a side note, this is the first artwork I've done where I've purposely left off the lineart. I may or may not do more like this in the future.

Until next time,
Zach

New Stuff

Some new stuff has cropped up in my art folder in the past few weeks.

First is a CA&E Pullman. Why? Because Pullmans are awesome.

Second is this, which I have rediscovered, (Again). It's another pullman car, except this one's a CSL streetcar. This was about the second drawing I started on the tablet and I never got around to finishing it. Someday, I WILL finish it, I promise!

Train time at 6th and Clybourn

On a summer afternoon in the late 1950's, CNS&M car 749 leads a Chicago Limited out of the railroad's Milwaukee Terminal. Car 749 is of course preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, IL.

Go By Road They Say...

It's safer that way!




















A little homage to the Film "Titfield Thunderbolt", a 1953 Ealing Studios comedy which features this Great Western 14xx, number 1401. The GWR 14xx's have to be up there as one of my favorite engines.

In other news, I've broken this art block! Expect regular (if it can be considered regular) programming soon.

Until next time,
Zach

Batavia Junction 1949

On a fine summer night, a proud crew poses with their late night CA&E local from Aurora at Batavia Junction. Car 308 leads an unidentified second car.

Full size image can be found here: http://nsl714.deviantart.com/art/Late-Night-Train-at-Batavia-Junction-305619263

Until next time,
Zach
 

Oh Look! Some New Art!

Apologies for a lack of presence lately, but school has been heck. I hope to have more stuff to show soon. As a consolation, have something I finished a little while ago, CSS&SB 1100, their (in)famous Line Car.

Until next time,

Zach

A Correction

A few weeks ago, I was contacted about my drawing of 768 at Sheridan Elms. As it turns out, 768 was not the stripless car, but it was 763, the next to last Silverliner. The Story goes that 763 was trialled without the stripes as a cost-cutting measure when it was first outshopped on March 20th, 1958. The general opinion was that the car looked unfinished, so it went back into the paintshop in early May, and on May 13th, it rolled out of Highwood a full Silverliner.

Sorry for any confusion.
Zach

The Oddball

In the name of historical accuracy, CNS&M 768 has lost its stripes.

Earlier this week, when I first posted this drawing, a discussion arose on the Yahoo group for the CNS&M. The question was posed, "What else did the Lake Forest Man notice about the rear car?" Well it turns out that When the North Shore redid 768 as a Silverliner, they decided to cut the shadow striping from the side in an effort to save money. The result is above. It just doesn't look right, and needless to say, it was taken back to Highwood for finishing soon after.

Until next time,
Zach

A Saturday Morning Drive

On Saturday, June 28^th 1958, a local Lake Forest man is out for a morning drive in his 1955 Chevrolet Bel-Air. As he drives west on Old Elm Road, he approaches the right of way of the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad. Suddenly, the wig wag signal guarding Old Elm Road swings into action and an air horn can be heard in the distance. As the man stops a blur of silver and red bursts out from behind the Sheridan Elms station, and charges past. The man takes note of a particularly clean car on the end of the train as it disappears into a trail of dust. The wig wag stops swinging, and the man continues on his drive into the quietness of Saturday morning.

The man saw car 768, built by Standard Car Company in 1930. It was rebuilt as a Silverliner by  the CNS&M’s Highwood Shops and released into traffic the previous Tuesday, June 24^th 1958. It would be the final of 31 cars rebuilt as Silverliners by the North Shore in the 1950’s. Also in the train is car 750, rebuilt as a Silverliner in December 1952 and looking a little worse for wear. It would be repainted in 1959.

Until Next Time,

Zach

L Cars For Sale

Is your streetcar or elevated car getting tired and worn out? Do you need a new rapid transit car? Then come down to the Used L Car Lot, for all your L car needs!  Come trade your worn out car for one of our fine selection of CTA 4000 series cars fresh off the Evanston Express! We have plenty of L cars, so many we don't know what to do with them! Prices are cheap, and they're going fast! Get yours today!









This is a concept I'm throwing around to possibly do as a comic, to get back into the swing of art again, seeing as I haven't done anything art wise in about a week. I'll see what I can do with it.

For the record, this is based on a very true story from the earlier days of the Illinois Railway Museum. If any one there has a problem with this, I'll take it down.

Until Next Time,
Zach

Commissions

After much deliberation, I have decided to begin accepting commissions. All my art is drawn in opencanvas with a tablet. I will draw any railroad/railway subject, but I specialize in traction/trams/trolleys.

Pricing is as follows:

Sketch: $5
Lineart: $8
Add a background: $3
Add color: $4

I accept paypal. Please send all commissions to: nsl714@yahoo.com

Thanks!
Zach

LET THERE BE SNOW!

Something inside of me said, "draw some snow today", so I did.

Climb the Mountain

Recently I've been doing some art for colleagues of mine, who are creating a website of sorts. Basically it encompasses an extended cannon of the Railway Series, the 42 strong series of books which was the orgin of Thomas the Tank Engine, a TV show which many of you may have watched at one point or another. My work has been in creating some of the art for profiles of all the characters. Here are 2 such characters, which I just completed, of the Culdee Fell Mountain Railway Engines #4 Culdee and #6 Patrick.

And the website in question. Bear in mind it is still under construction: http://www.sodor-island.net/ersdatabase/index.html

Till next time,
Zach

Back in Business

I finished the 251 tonight. The Silverliner striping was a pain, but well worth it in the end.

All I can say is, "I'm back in business!"


Till next time,
Zach

North Shore Vignette

I tried working on the Old Pullman today, but got bored with it, and decided to move on to something else. After a few hours messing around, I came up with this:

 

Till next time,

Zach

Unfinished Work

So school has been going great, and I've been having a ton of fun. One thing I have neglected though is art. I rediscovered this Opencanvas drawing of a Chicago Surface Lines Old Pullman.

Now that I found it, I really want to finish it. Expect the finished product soon.

Zach

It's the College life for me.

Here's a small, insignificant update.....

 Last week I embarked on a new adventure, College. For the past week, I have been in orientation and other general activities. It's been quite busy, even though classes haven't started yet! So unfortunately, I haven't had time for art. After some time of getting used to things, I hope to do art again though. So stay tuned....

Zach

Digital Art

Over the past 2 weeks, I have been experimenting with a tablet and Opencanvas. I started cautious, coloring line drawings that I scanned into the computer, such as the GWR Autocoach below. (As a note, this autocoach is for a project in cooperation with a website which I will talk more about at a later date)

 

Then, last week, I finally got up the guts, and decided to do a complete drawing in Opencanvas. The results are shown below.

It's by no means perfect, but it's a start. I will say I like this medium. The drawing part takes a bit of getting used to, but the coloring aspect is just a whole lot more vibrant and workable than the colored pencils. So yes, expect more like this in the future.

Oh, and a big thank you to Dean Walker the NE Railway Artist for getting me started in the tablet. The link to his site is over to the right. Thanks Dean!

Thanks for reading,
Zach