Ken’s Art – Railroad

Title: Denver Union Station
Medium: Colored pencils
Date: January 13, 2012
Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches
Description: The Union Station in Denver, Colorado is one of the finest landmarks of American Railroading. Since it first opened in 1881, this Romanesque-style station is served by trains that run from San Francisco to Chicago. Today, Amtrak’s California Zephyr makes daily stops at Denver to let passengers board and get off to stay and enjoy the bustling city.
Title: Peek-A-Boo!*
Medium: Colored pencils
Date: January 25, 2012
Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches
Description: It’s steam locomotive No. 12! Dubbed the “Pineapple Princess”, No. 12 once hauled sugar cane from the fields to the mill, from which the finished sugar was taken to the port of Kahului, Hawaii. For several years, she hauled passengers up and down the Georgetown Loop Railroad and is currently on lease to another heritage railroad in Iowa.
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Title: Sleeping Giants in Kyoto
Medium: Colored pencils
Date: February 2, 2012
Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches
Description: Japan’s rail history began in 1872, and to commemorate the centennial anniversary, Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum was founded in Kyoto in 1972. Today, more than a dozen steam locomotives from Japan Railways reside in a large roundhouse to be observedand appreciated by thousands of enthusiastic tourists.
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Title: East Meets West
Medium: Colored pencils
Date: February 19, 2012
Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches
Description: The year is May 10th, 1869 at Promontory Summit, Utah. The last spike, famously known as The Golden Spike, was hammered into place completing the nation’s first Transcontinental Railroad. Two steam locomotives, the Central Pacific’s “Jupiter” and Union Pacific No. 119 met on this occasion. Today, this historic moment has been reenacted yearly at the National Park, the Golden Spike National Historic Site. Visitors can also take a glance of these two beautiful replicas of the “Jupiter” and No. 119.
Title: The Westbound Zephyr
Medium: Colored pencils
Date: February 29, 2012
Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches
Description: A westbound California Zephyr winds its way through a canyon along the Colorado River. It had just left Denver, Colorado and is heading for its destination in San Francisco, California.
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Title: Another Day of Work
Medium: Colored pencils
Date: March 14, 2012
Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches
Description: Denver & Rio Grande Western class K-27 No. 463 is taking on coal at the old coal tipple in Chama, New Mexico. Behind the 463 is caboose #0503, one of the railroad’s original cabooses built in 1886 and rebuilt in 1923. Both are owned by the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad Commission.
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Title: Traveling in Style
Medium: Colored pencils
Date: April 1, 2012
Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches
Description: Colorado Midland Observation Car # 111 was built in 1887 by the Pullman Company and was regularly used on “Wildflower Excursions” near Pikes Peak, Colorado. Trains would stop and allow passengers to get off and take in the scenery and pick a handful of wildflowers. Today, visitors can see it on display at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colorado.
Title: Shay in the Redwoods
Medium: Colored pencils
Date: June 8, 2012
Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches
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Title: Virginia & Truckee No. 21
Medium: Colored pencils
Date: June 18, 2012
Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches
Description: This 1875 Baldwin 2-4-0 is named the “J.W. Bowker”, named after the V&T innovator and master mechanic. She worked as a switcher in Virginia City and around the Comstock’s mines. Here we see the locomotive sitting on display in the old Sacramento Railroad Depot just outside of the California State Railroad Museum in the state capitol of Sacramento.
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Title: Hard-Working Heisler
Medium: Colored pencils
Date: January 20, 2013
Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches
Description: In the Santa Cruz Mountains, California, Roaring Camp Railroads’ second engine, which is former West Side Lumber Co. No. 3, would later become the “Tuolumne” Heisler No. 2. Built in 1899, she was once a standard gauge engine hauling logs on the Westside Lumber Co., and was later converted to 36- inch gauge when she came to the railroad. She is currently the oldest Heisler on the railroad and has been in active service ever since. Here, the engine is climbing up the grade blowing her whistle, nearing the crossing on her way up to the top of Bear Mountain
Title: Engine Wheels
Medium: Watercolor
Date: February 21, 2013
Dimensions: 10 x 14 inches
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Title: “Sonora” at the Depot
Medium: Colored pencils
Date: August 2, 2013
Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches
Description: In 1986, Roaring Camp Railroads acquired another geared engine. It was a 60-ton 1911 Lima-built Shay locomotive No. 7, who previously worked for the Westside Lumber Co. It is a three-truck Shay, making it the largest Shay on the railroad. The No. 7 is seen here at the depot, preparing to depart with a load of passengers on board to Bear Mountain.
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Title: Kahuku’s Break
Medium: Colored pencils
Date: September 4, 2013
Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches
Description: The smallest engine of Roaring Camp Railroads is the “Kahuku”, a 0-4-2T tank engine built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1890. It once worked on the Kahuku sugar plantation in Hawaii. This engine is currently used as a shuttle train on yearly special events. The “Kahuku”, seen here, is resting in front of the engine house, Roaring Camp Railroads.
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Title: Run-by at Niles
Medium: Watercolor
Date: October 11, 2013
Dimensions: 10 x 14 inches
Description: Every year, the Pacific Locomotive Association holds yearly steam train excursions on the Niles Canyon Railway near Fremont, California. Here we see Southern Pacific No. 2472 owned by the Golden Gate Railroad Museum, Inc. pulling a Labor Day excursion during a special photo run-by at Niles.
Title: Layover at Mineral
Medium: Watercolor
Date: November 24, 2013
Dimensions: 10 x 14 inches
Description: Ex-Polson Bros. Logging Co. No. 70, owned by the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad and Museum, Washington, is a fine example of logging locomotives. This 1922 Baldwin 2-8-2 was used to haul mainline timber for the Rayonier Corp. Today, you can see this engine pulling weekly tourist trains on the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad from Elbe to Mineral, Washington.
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Title: Winter Cascade Express
Medium: Watercolor
Date: January 5, 2014
Dimensions: 10 x 14 inches
Description: Denver & Rio Grande Western No. 473 is one of the only three surviving K-28 class locomotives in operation on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, a part of the American Heritage Railways, in southern Colorado. Built by the American Locomotive Works in 1923, these locomotives hauled freight and passenger trains on the Rio Grande narrow gauge lines in Colorado and New Mexico. The engine is seen here pulling the Cascade Canyon excursion train ready to leave Durango on a cold winter morning.
Title: Homeward to Kumamoto
Medium: Watercolor
Date: March 10, 2014
Dimensions: 10 x 14 inches
Description: From 1988 to 2005, Japan’s “Aso Boy” ran tourist trains up steep mountain grades near the summit of Mt. Aso in Kyushyu, Japan. On a beautiful fall afternoon under a rainbow of autumn leaves, the “Aso Boy” prepares for its return trip to the city of Kumamoto in the Kyushyu area.
Title: T is for Train Medium: Water color Date: April 8, 2014 Dimensions: 12 ¼ inches x 9 inches
Title: T is for Train
Medium: Watercolor
Date: April 8, 2014
Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches
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Title: Cherry Blossoms under Mt. Fuji
Medium: Watercolor
Date: April 13, 2014
Dimensions: 10 x 14 inches
Description: Every spring, cherry blossoms (“sakura” in Japanese) sprout from trees throughout Japan, creating a spectacle for the eyes. One of the best ways to see them is by “Shinkansen” (bullet train) as it races past Mt. Fuji, Japan’s tallest mountain.
Title: Steam at Bear Mountain
Medium: Colored pencils
Date: April 24, 2014
Dimensions: 10 x 14 inches
Description: Roaring Camp Railroads’ Shay No. 1, known as the “Dixiana”, is the first locomotive to operate on this railroad. She was found by the railroad’s founder F. Norman Clark, who restored her to operating condition. The “Dixiana” was built by the Lima Locomotive Works in 1912 and has served for several railroads over her lifetime before coming to Roaring Camp. The engine is seen taking a rest stop on the summit of Bear Mountain.
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Title: Reversing into Chehalis
Medium: Watercolor
Date: June 22, 2014
Dimensions: 10 x 14 inches
Description: The Chehalis-Centralia Railroad in Chehalis, Washington, was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1986 by Chehalis citizens. Mikado steam locomotive No. 15 was removed from a city park, where it had been sitting for over 30 years. After its restoration was complete in 1989, the locomotive has been operating on this railroad ever since. Here, the No. 15 is backing down to couple up to its train at the Chehalis depot.
Title: The Wanderer*
Medium: Watercolor
Date: August 24, 2014
Dimensions: 10 x 14 inches
Description: From 1965 to 1969, CBS aired The Wild, Wild West™ & © on television. They used Virginia & Truckee 4-4-0 No. 22 the “Inyo”, along with V&T express car No. 21 and passenger coach No. 4 as featuring roles in the show. Today, you can view these historic pieces of equipment at the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City.
Used by permission, ™ & © 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc and The Nevada State Railroad Museum.
Title: Toy Train & Christmas Fantasies
Medium: Watercolor
Date: October 4, 2014
Dimensions: 10 x 14 inches
Description: Model trains have sparked the imagination of children and adults alike. This late 1930s-era Santa Fe El Capitan streamlined train is passing by a peaceful village station on a cold December night.
Title: Speeding through the Salinas Valley
Medium: Watercolor
Date: November 29, 2014
Dimensions: 10 x 14 inches
Description: The Salinas Valley has been known as “The Salad Bowl of the World”. Here we see Amtrak’s Coast Starlight train speeding through one of the many lettuce fields also made famous by author John Steinbeck.
Steam at Swanton Pacific
Title: Steam at Swanton Pacific
Medium: Watercolor
Date: February 1, 2015
Dimensions: 10 x 14 inches
Description: In 1979, then Orchard Supply Hardware President Albert B. Smith obtained four live steam locomotives built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. Smith restored these locomotives and formed the Swanton Pacific Railroad on his ranch in northern Santa Cruz County, California. Today, Mr. Smith’s legacy lives on by the efforts of the “Cal Poly” Swanton Pacific Historical Railroad Society. Here, locomotive No. 1914 simmers in preparation for the occasional public train rides.
Title: Pride of “The Movie Railroad”*
Medium: Colored pencils
Date: March 8, 2015
Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches
Description: Hollywood and trains go hand in hand, and the Sierra Railway is no stranger to the film industry. Dubbed one of the most photographed locomotives in the world, Sierra No. 3™ has appeared in over a hundred movie and television productions. No. 3 stretches her legs on the open plains with a trio of vintage wooden passenger cars and a caboose trailing behind.
Used by permission, ™ 2016 Railtown 1897 State Historic Park.
Title: Daily Morning Routine*
Medium: Colored pencils
Date: April 7, 2015
Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches
Description: Ex-Frisco No. 1630 simmers in the yards while her crew readies her for the regular excursion down a short stretch of track. No. 1630 is one of the many gems of the Illinois Railway Museum’s collection.
Title: Arriving at Silverton*
Medium: Colored pencils
Date: May 4, 2015
Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches
Description: Ex-Denver & Rio Grande Western class K-36 No. 482 is seen here on a fall afternoon, pulling her regular passenger train into the town of Silverton, Colorado. The 482 first arrived at the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in 1991 and continues to be in active service today, hauling tourists along the Animas River Canyon.
Title: Crusin’ by the Three Graces*
Medium: Watercolor
Date: May 29, 2015
Dimensions: 10 x 14 inches
Description: Under a cloudy afternoon sky, ex-McCloud River Railroad No. 25 passes by the Three Graces while leading an excursion train on the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad. The 25 spent her working career on the McCloud near Mt. Shasta before coming to Oregon.
Title: Under the Christmas Tree
Medium: Watercolor
Date: July 4, 2015
Dimensions: 10 x 14 inches
Description: Toy trains running under the Christmas tree has been a tradition for youngsters for many generations. Under a beautifully decorated tree, a Western & Atlantic express train headed by the “General” rushes by the Pennsylvania Railroad’s “Torpedo” waiting for clearance at the station.
Title: Rounding the Horseshoe Curve*
Medium: Watercolor
Date: September 12, 2015
Dimensions: 10 x 14 inches
Description: From the late 1800s to the first half of the 20th century, the logging industry used the Shay, a special type of locomotive built to haul the fresh logs and timber at slow speeds. One surviving example is ex-West Side Lumber Co. No. 10, seen here on a horseshoe curve, taking tourists on the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad.
Title: Morning at Fort Bragg
Medium: Colored pencils
Date: November 8, 2015
Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches
Description: On a bright summer morning at Fort Bragg, CA, steam locomotive #45 simmers at the depot, while getting her passenger cars ready for a trip up to Northspur on the California Western Railroad. Popularly known as the “Skunk Train“, this railroad runs both steam and diesel-powered trains as well as vintage rail motor cars through the towering redwood forests along Pudding Creek and Noyo River.
Fern Creek
Title: Via Fern Creek
Medium: Watercolor
Date: February 28, 2016
Dimensions: 10 x 14 inches
Description: Garden railroaders take great pride in showcasing and running their model trains in their backyards like Eric Child and Trevor Park’s Fern Creek & Western Garden Railroad in Santa Cruz, California. Here, a passenger train headed by South Pacific Coast 4-4-0 #3 passes by the Priya Canyon Sand Mines and onto the Priya Canyon Trestle.
Title: Down by the Station Platform
Medium: Colored pencils
Date: June 10, 2016
Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches
Description: The Oigawa Railway in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan began operations in 1927. It is now a popular tourist attraction for those visiting the local hot spring resorts along the line. Early in the morning at Shin-Kanaya Station, steam locomotive C11-227 and its train wait patiently at the platform for an electric commuter to depart first.
Title: Williams Flyer at Red Lake*
Medium: Watercolor
Date: September 21, 2016
Dimensions: 10 x 14 inches
On a cold winter afternoon, the southbound Williams Flyer led by Grand Canyon Railway steam locomotive No. 29 and a FPA-4 diesel helper speeds through the Espee Rd. crossing at Red Lake, Arizona on her way back to the station at Williams. No. 29 is a 2-8-0 Consolidation built by the American Locomotive Works in 1906, who worked on the Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad in Michigan prior to entering service on the Grand Canyon Railway in 1990. She remained in active service until 2008 when the railway’s famed steam program was cut. However, after being converted to burn Waste Vegetable Oil, she returned to the rails in August of 2016 to celebrate the National Parks Service’s centennial.
Title: Steaming into Strasburg*
Medium: Colored pencils/Acrylic
Date: January 22, 2017
Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches
Description: On a cloudy yet sunny day, Strasburg Railroad No. 90 approaches Fairview crossing just nearing the Red Caboose Motel with her regular passenger train in tow. Built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1924, she once hauled long sugar beet trains for the Great Western Railroad in Colorado prior to being sold to the Strasburg Railroad, where she operates to this day.
Title: The John Bull Rides Again*
Medium: Watercolor/Acrylic
Date: April 29, 2017
Dimensions: 10 x 14 inches
Description: The John Bull, an English engine built in 1831 by Robert Stephenson and Company was shipped from England to the United States for operation on the Camden and Amboy Railroad in New Jersey. Originally built as an 0-4-0 wheel configuration, it was later converted to a 2-4-0 with the addition of a two-wheel pilot truck at the front. The John Bull, now under the ownership of the Smithsonian Institute, is seen here traveling under its own power on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad’s Georgetown branch line near the Potomac River on September 15, 1981 as part of its sesquicentennial celebration.
Title: Christmas at Crossroads
Medium: Watercolor/Acrylic
Date: October 7, 2017
Dimensions: 10 x 14 inches
Description: “Christmas at Crossroads” is an annual tradition at the historic Crossroads Village in Flint, Michigan, which is also the home of the Huckleberry Railroad. This locomotive is a former Denver & Rio Grande Western #464, one of the last two members of the K-27 class in existence. The engine was acquired by the railroad in 1981 and has been in active service since. Here, #464 with an excursion train in tow, passes through the crossing towards the depot during the holiday season.
Title: Passing Gold Hill
Medium: Colored Pencils/Acrylic
Date: April 2019
Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches
Description: Under a bright blue Nevada sky, an excursion train of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad passes by the Gold Hill Depot on its return trip to Virginia City. Pulling the train is engine No. 29, a 1916 Baldwin-built Consolidation that formerly operated as Longview, Portland and Northern Railway No. 680. It was purchased by Robert C. Gray, who reopened the V&T in 1976 after the line’s abandonment in 1939.
Title: The Ghost Train of Old Ely
Medium: Colored Pencils/Acrylic
Date: April 2019
Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches
Description: Nevada Northern Railway ten-wheeler No. 40 exits a tunnel with a pair of vintage passenger cars in tow. This 1910 steam locomotive was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works and was used to haul passengers on the Nevada Northern from 1910 to 1941. No. 40 is the official “State Locomotive of Nevada” and continues to haul excursion trains as well as the historic “Steptoe Valley Flyer”.
Title: Uniting the Nation for 150 Years
Medium: Colored Pencils/Acrylic
Date: September 2019
Dimensions:11 x 17 inches
Description: On May 10, 1869, the “Golden Spike” was driven into place at Promontory Summit, Utah as part of the completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad. 150 years later, the Golden Spike National Historical Park celebrated the sesquicentennial anniversary of that historic event complete with two operating replicas of the Central Pacific Railroad’s “Jupiter” and the Union Pacific Railroad’s No. 119. The replicas were constructed by inventor and steam enthusiast Chadwell O’Connor in the 1970s, yet they don’t look a day over 100.
Title: Switchback to Bald Knob
Medium: Watercolor/Acrylic
Date: November 2020
Dimensions: 11 x 14 inches
Description: High up in the mountains of West Virginia, there is a logging railroad that carried spruce and hemlock for the West Virginia Spruce Lumber Co. The Cass Scenic Railroad operates historic geared locomotives up the steep grades of the Back Allegheny Mountain to the summit of Bald Knob. Here, Shay No. 5 awaits clearance at a switchback. The No. 5 is the world’s oldest operating Shay and is West Virginia’s official state locomotive.
Title: From Sea to Shining Sea
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Date: October 2020
Dimensions: 24 x 48 inches
Description: Traveling across the United States, the 1947-1949 American Freedom Train runs past several of this country’s historic cities, landmarks, and breathtaking landscapes. It has been updated to feature emblems and insignias representing the important issues from the unprecedented year of 2020.
Title: 28 at Bell Mooney Rd.
Medium: Colored pencils/Acrylic
Date: September 2, 2021
Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches
Description: Sierra Railway No. 28 crosses Bell Mooney Rd. with an excursion train in tow on her way back to Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown, California. This 2-8-0 Consolidation was built by Baldwin in 1922 and was used during the construction of the Don Pedro and O’Shaughnessy Dams before being reassigned to handle freight traffic between Oakdale and Jamestown. Throughout her lifetime, No. 28 has pulled freight and railfan excursion trains, along with occasional movie and television appearances. After being taken out of service in 2009, the locomotive returned to operation in June of 2019, following a six-year rebuild from 2013 to 2019.

Title: Arriving at Calico Depot
Medium: Watercolor/Acrylic
Date: September 9, 2022
Dimensions: 11 x 14 inches
Descriptions: Locomotive No. 340, the “Green River” arrives at the Calico Depot after completing a trip around the heart of Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. Originally No. 400, this 1881 Baldwin-built C-19 Class Consolidation originally worked on the Denver & Rio Grande Western Narrow Gauge Railroad in Colorado and New Mexico. It was one of two locomotives purchased by Walter Knott for operational use on what would become the Ghost Town & Calico Railroad, which opened in 1952. 70 years since its opening, this railroad remains one of the park’s signature attractions.

4 thoughts on “Ken’s Art – Railroad

  1. Kyle Tsztoo says:

    ken I have a question for you would you like to be the artist of a series of books I am writing called western railway adventures

    • joji says:

      Hi Kyle, Thanks for your offer and sorry that we haven’t replied you for long here. But it’s been taken care of since you kindly emailed us on this matter.
      Thanks,
      Joji, Ken’s father

    • joji says:

      Hi George,
      Thank you so much for your kind words for Ken.
      My apologies for this belated reply.
      Yes, he is still very active working hard on his art piece every day.
      Please stay tuned!
      Joji Muramoto, his father.

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