N&W Playing Cards

[NW Mailing List]

Hi Dick

Since no one has responded, I'll pass on what I know.

Your cards are totally legitimate and my box matches your description, The illustration on the cards was done by Edward Walton, an illustrator that the N&W used several times. The painting, or one quite like it, was also used on the April 1946 N&W Magazine about the Powhatan Arrow.

I've been unable to find anything with a casual search on Walton, what else he may have done, and for whom. He also did the painting of a boy watching the Powhatan Arrow from a hillside that was used on the "Along the Line" points of interest brochure that was available onboard the trains.

The location of the painting is based on a publicity photo of a Class J and train that was retouched and the background was replaced to show the Peaks of Otter. The actual train photo was taken at the west end of the Roanoke Yard, in front of the Veterans Hospital. I showed both original and retouched photos in my Class J book on page 37. There is no place that remotely allows the photo of the Peaks on the N&W. The original photo was taken on March 24, 1942.

The cards are a nice addition to your collection, they are certainly not the most common variation of them

Ken Miller  

On Oct 7, 2013, at 1:38 PM, NW Mailing List wrote:


> Could anyone supply me any information about a set of playing cards that I have?

> 

> There are two decks - one with a tuscan  border, and the other with green. The picture is a J (number not readable) pulling 7 smoothside cars (no head-end cars).  The background is mountains, and in the lower left corner there is water.

> 

> At the top right above the locomotive is "Norfolk and Western" in script with "RAILWAY" in a smaller sans-serif font below.  Below the locomotive it says "Route of" in script, with '"The POCAHONTAS" AND "THE POWHATAN ARROW"' in the sans-serif font..

> 

> In the water appears to be the word "Walton".  Don't know if that is meant to be the artist name, or the location.

> 

> I don't know if the two-deck box is original or not.  The top is covered in a red velvet-like material, and the bottom in silver paper.  Stamped into to bottom of the box is "PATENT PENDING, BROWN & BIGELOW, ST.PAUL, MINNESOTA".

> 

> Dick Dunford

> 

> ________________________________________

> NW-Mailing-List at nwhs.org

> To change your subscription go to

> http://list.nwhs.org/mailman/options/nw-mailing-list

> Browse the NW-Mailing-List archives at

> http://list.nwhs.org/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/