John Swatsley (American, B. 1937) "Countess of Dufferin" Signed lower left. Original oil painting on Illustration Board. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This painting is the original which was published on the Fleetwood First Day Cover for the Canadian 32c Dufferin Locomotive souvenir sheet stamp issued October 25, 1984. Although the railway system of Canada grew up with the nation, the importance of the railroads has not diminished or been outgrown. In the mid-nineteenth century, the railway was an invaluable form of transportation, for the automobile had not even been invented and the only way to traverse the vast expanses of Canada was either by horse or foot. The first railway of the nation -- the Champlain and St. Lawrence -- was a portage railroad, linking the St. Lawrence River at Montreal with the Lake Champlain River system at St. Johns. The Canadian Northern Railway -- begun in Manitoba -- soon stretched far into the Prairie Provinces. The Canadian Northern Railway was responsible for opening up the vast farming regions of the Canadian West ... at each stop along the line a few settlers would hurry off, anxious to begin a new life, and soon towns were springing up from these small homesteads. By the turn of the century, the nation had thousands upon thousands of miles of railway ... and even small provinces like Prince Edward Island were sporting rail systems to carry both passengers and freight. Britain's oldest colony and Canada's newest province -- Newfoundland -- eventually had over nine hundred miles of three and a half foot gauge track, a unique gauge which is a romantic reminder of the infancy of railways and remains to this day. Image Size: 14 x 12 in. Overall Size: 20.5 x 18 in. Unframed. (B08992)