Stamps

Item Description

On August 26, 1999, the United States Postal Service issued 33-cent "All Aboard! 20th Century American Trains" commemorative stamps, featuring five celebrated American passenger trains from the 1930s and 1940s. Artist Ted Rose used watercolor to portray each train and its representative background were designed to "pay tribute to American industry and design, and specifically to the heritage of our railroads." We are pleased to offer four of the five stamps, each attached to a poster likeness of the same "Streamliner" train. Suitable for framing, each measures 13" x 16" 1)"The Congressional" The slogan for the Congressional's route between New York and Washington was "Every Mile Electrified!" In 1935, designer Raymond Loewy improved the looks of its GG-1 locomotives and restyled its cars interiors. The Public Works Administration assisted the routes conversion to electricity. 2)"20th Century Limited," The 20th Century Limited was called a "National Institution" and the "Most Famous Train in the World." With its superfast 16-hour schedule between Chicago and New York, it catered to business travelers. In 1938, designer Henry Dreyfuss redesigned its J-3a steam locomotives and Pullman cars. The 20th Century was known for its style, which has been described as "spectacularly understated ... suggesting exclusivity and sophistication", as well as for its speed; passengers walked to and from the train on a plush, crimson carpet which was rolled out in New York and Chicago and was specially designed for the 20th Century Limited. "Getting the red carpet treatment" passed into the language from this memorable practice. 3)"Daylight" Called the "Most Beautiful Train in the World," the Daylight connected Los Angeles and San Francisco. In 1941, new GS-4 steam locomotives pulled the red-and-orange train along Pacific Ocean beaches and up El Camino Real, the Kings Highway. 4) "Super Chief," was one of the named passenger trains and the flagship of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. It was often referred to as "The Train of the Stars" because of the many celebrities who traveled on the streamliner between Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California.

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