Here’s something completely different.
This is the Ogerita, a gas electric trolley car that ran on the Missouri and Kansas Interurban Railway, known as the Strang Line, from 1906-1908. The railroad was owned by William B. Strang Jr., a land developer in Johnson County, KS. The car was named after his niece.
This image was created in Adobe Illustrator using historic black and white photos as references. (Thank you to the Overland Park Historical Society for those reference images.) Period news clippings mention at the railroad painted their trolleys vermilion, so that’s the color I used. I also consulted David Holland, an amateur railroad historian and my father, for additional references and explanations of how it all looked. (Thanks, Dad. I finally drew a train car like you’ve been wanting me to do for years.)
A print can be purchased here.
Edit: I had previously stated the car was named after his wife. It was actually named after his niece.
The submissions were lighter than expected, which made this show a great opportunity for artists who may have otherwise not had an opportunity to show in a gallery before. I’d say more about what will be on display, but the winners haven’t been announced yet and I don’t want to spoil anything.
Karen B. Jones - Illustrator 