I3102

Famous Trains

Congressional

Collins Cover Announcement 

ALL ABOARD !

THE CONGRESSIONAL

This hand painted cover marks the midway point in this mini-set of five. The cachets in this series honor the people of American railroads, and, in my opinion, this is a train FDC that will become a hobby favorite. Locomotive engineers were also known as "eagle eyes" and this design portrays two of them.

The new stamp on this cover depicts the Congressional passenger train which ran between New York City and Washington, D.C. In 1935, the impressive new-look GG-1 locomotive was introduced, and the interiors of the cars were redesigned for comfort and were in a modern style. The magnificent locomotive pictorial postmark ties the new Congressional stamp to the cover.

At the left of this "entire" cachet, an "eagle eye" stares at the track ahead as he pulls on the whistle cord. At the right, a fellow engineer oils his mighty locomotive. Just looking at this cover, which combines stamp, cancel, and watercolored cachet, gives one a wonderful historic image of the tradition of American railroads. I'm pleased to present the "Eagle Eye" Engineers - Item #I3102. $12.25.

Winter 2025 Mail Sale Commentary 

Lot 28 I3101 to I3105 — All Aboard — 20th Century Passenger Trains (set of 5 covers) — 8-26-99

The five first day covers in this railroad set are magnificent! They start with the stamps * The Daylight, * The Congressional, * The 20th Century Limited, * The Hiawatha, and * The Super Chief The great Topeka pictorial postmark was the one I chose to use to enhance the covers I designed for this mini-set. Please look at the colored pages carefully as this marvelous cancellation was my starting point. After selecting the cancel, I decided to bring a human element to my cachets by featuring train crew members who by their devotion helped evolve the great tradition and historical importance of American railroads.

On all of the cachets, I notched a special area for the stamp and cancel, which perfectly fits those two aspects and enhances all of the subjects. Featured are (1) a rugged group of engineers — "hoggers," (2) "eagle eye" engineers, (3) brakemen, (4) train crew, and (5) railroad signals. Those topics bring the special people involved to life and give the viewer a wonderful historic image of the tradition of American railroads. This is a very appealing set of five first day covers.