J. Craig Thorpe (American, B. 1948) "Hawaii Locomotive" Signed lower right. 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 Hawaii Commemorative Cover postmarked December 28, 1994. Intrigued by the vast areas of undeveloped land surrounding the then-deserted Hawaiian lagoon of Pearl Harbor, merchant Benjamin Franklin Dillingham dreamed of irrigating the region and building a railroad there. Although many thought that the idea of a railway was ludicrous, and that the promoter was a candidate for the hale pupule (crazy house), in September 1888, Hawaii's King Kalakaua officially granted Dillingham permission to begin construction on the Oahu Railway. Delighted, Dillingham promised his friends a free ride on his railroad exactly one year later. However, as the planned inaugural date drew near, he was without a locomotive. Determined to fulfill his pledge, Dillingham purchased a small Baldwin saddle-tank engine to temporarily pull a few flat cars. On the first anniversary of the beginning of its construction, the train was crowded with locals, as well as bankers, plantation owners and other haole (non-Hawaiian) businessmen. All went well on the train's maiden trip until the engineer pulled the throttle open. Unfortunately he had neglected to remove anti-rust compound from some tubes, and debris spewed from the stack, sullying the faces and pristine clothing of the passengers. Despite this mishap, on November 16, 1889, the Oahu Railway, outfitted with two Baldwin 4-4-0 engines and a fleet of wooden passenger cars, had its official inauguration. Image Size: 14 x 12 in. Overall Size: 18 x 15 in. Unframed. (B14914) See More