John Winfield Painting Benefits Santa Fe No. 93 Restoration Effort
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
Lithograph and canvas giclee prints of railroad artist John Winfield’s 1993 “Warbonnet Renaissance” painting of red and silver Santa Fe 93 pulling a freight train through the Flint Hills of Kansas near Matfield Green (above) are available for sale by Great Plains Transportation Museum to aid in its effort to cosmetically restore Santa Fe 93. (Photograph Courtesy of Great Plains Transportation Museum)
Wichita, Kans.-based Great Plains Transportation Museum is now selling lithograph and canvas giclee prints of John Winfield’s “Warbonnet Renaissance” to aid in its effort to cosmetically restore Santa Fe Railway diesel-electric locomotive No. 93, which was built by the Electro-Motive Division (EMD) of General Motors Corporation in late 1967 and donated by BNSF in June 1999.
No. 93 pulled Santa Fe passenger trains between Chicago and California or Texas from 1967 to 1971 and freight trains for Santa Fe and successor BNSF from 1971 to 1998, according to the museum, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. It will be restored in the red and silver Santa Fe Super Fleet scheme it has worn since 1989, when then railroad President Michael R. Haverty approved an updated version of the well-known and historic scheme used on passenger train locomotives from 1937 to 1971, according to the museum.
Fundraising for the restoration kicked off last fall. The museum has said its goal is to raise $193,000, which would cover the mechanical work required to move the locomotive roundtrip from Wichita to Mid-America Car of Kansas City, Mo., which has provided an estimate to complete the cosmetic restoration; transportation costs; restoration work; and visitor access staircases for the museum display of the locomotive. Watco’s Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad last October donated and conducted an airbrake test on Santa Fe 93 before moving it to the railroad’s Wichita shops “for additional work required to ensure its roadworthiness” for the eventual trip to Mid-America Car, according to the museum.
“93 will come back to the museum after K&O does required work, where it will remain until we accumulate adequate funds for the restoration,” Great Plains Transportation Museum President Heather Gatton said.
In addition to accepting donations, the museum is now also offering for sale lithograph and canvas giclee prints of “Warbonnet Renaissance” (above) by railroad artist John Winfield of Fort Worth, Tex. He created the painting in 1993, showcasing Santa Fe 93 pulling a freight train through the Flint Hills of Kansas near Matfield Green.
Winfield, 82, developed his love of railroads at age 3 when his father took him to a Fort Worth depot to watch trains after attending Sunday church, according to the Great Plains Transportation Museum. When he was five, Winfield’s family moved to California where he became fond of Santa Fe Railway and Southern Pacific Railroad. After nearly 30 years in California, Winfield and his wife, Elaine, moved back to Fort Worth where they established a printing business in 1976.
Winfield took up painting in 1988, and Santa Fe Railway management took notice in 1992, purchasing his first commercial railroad piece, “War Horses,” for use in promotional materials. “War Horses” included a locomotive similar to Santa Fe 93.
Winfield has produced 342 railroad paintings, most as commissions. Winfield’s paintings have been used for greeting cards, calendars, book jackets and other printed materials, in addition to commissioned pieces for Santa Fe, Union Pacific, Southern Pacific and BNSF.
“Having an outstanding painting as the basis for prints we are selling to help fund the cosmetic restoration of our Santa Fe 93 locomotive is exciting, and we truly appreciate John Winfield’s support of our efforts,” Heather Gatton said. “We are fortunate to have support from John, in addition to actor Michael Gross [a Santa Fe Railway enthusiast who is serving as the “face” of the restoration effort] and past Santa Fe Railway President Mike Haverty.” She noted that the “purchase of prints may be tax deductible because our museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit education and preservation organization.”
Prints can be ordered at the museum or online. Standard (18-inch high, 24-inch wide) unsigned prints are available for $50 plus tax, shipping included; there are 97 John Winfield-signed and numbered prints with the same dimensions, which each cost $100 plus tax, shipping included. Also available are 24 canvas giclee prints, which each cost $800 plus tax, shipping included.
“Signed and numbered prints include 1-93 plus 93A, 93B, 93C and 93L, the final four, a nod to the way Santa Fe numbered four-locomotive passenger trainsets,” according to the Great Plains Transportation Museum. Signed and numbered print No.1 is being retained by the museum, while signed and numbered print No. 93 will be auctioned at a future date.
