For a number of years I've purchased a box or two of railroad-themed Christmas cards from the National Railroad Museum of St. Louis. When I noticed that this year I didn't receive the usual packet of card choices, I looked online. Am I correct that this year they are not offering such cards for sale? When I google the subject I can find previous cards, but not new ones. Does anyone have any information about this?
While I was looking at similar Christmas cards on line, I was fascinated by the number of pictures and variety of settings. So that leads me to ask here, What makes for a good railroad-themed Christmastime painting? What makes some of them very nostalgic and touching, while others are over-the-top schmaltzy or corny? Do any favorites come to mind?
Henery Fogg use to offer cards, I think the seller was Leaning Tree (logo a leaning pine tree?) back in the late 60's early 70's.
If you are looking online for the "National Railroad Museum" in St. Louis it is not surprising you don't find them. They are the (National) Museum of Transportation now. Unfortunately they have badly screwed up their museum store so you can only shop by unhelpful categories via a wacky shopping-cart system or eBay integration -- if there's an actual number for the store manager, or even an e-mail address rather than just Web URLs that point to the online engine pages, I couldn't find it in the current excuse for site navigation. Perhaps indicative of the Kalmbach-like programming quality is that the book on their own collection consistently spells it "MUSUEM" through the entire ordering 'experience'...
If you have patience, you could probably work your way through to someone who will know about Christmas cards by e-mailing or calling as for general information:
314 965 6212 • museum@transportmuseumassociation.org
The National Railroad Museum is in Green Bay, and their gift shop is (unsurprisingly!) at giftshop@nationalrrmuseum.org with the Museum Store manager at (920) 437-7623 ext. 11.
Leaning Tree offers some railroad scene Christmas Cards as well. Year to year the scenes and paintings on the cover of the cards change. Can't beat two Hiawatha Steam Locomotives at the Milwaukee Road Depot in Milwaukee........can you?
https://www.leanintree.com/trains-cars-tractors-christmas-cards.html
NKP guyWhat makes for a good railroad-themed Christmastime painting?
I suspect steam in the snow would be the answer to that question. Diesels just don't have the same cachet.
I suppose an image with all possible holiday elements (Grandma with the turkey, Junior playing with the train under the tree, Dad looking at his new socks, snowing outside the window, etc) would qualify for the schmaltzy title.
An image with a single holiday element (family waving to the crew as they drag in the Christmas tree they just cut, and the like) isn't too bad.
Out of curiousity, I looked up "schmaltz." It's actually rendered goose or chicken fat...
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Wichita Indpendent Resource Cwenter may have some left in stock. Several yrs ago for their yrly holiday cards, a winter scene at Wichita Union was the theme for that yr
Gil Bennett, railroad artist, has a great line of prototypically-realistic railroad Christmas cards, Wasatch Greeting Cards. Search either name and you should turn up his website.
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