John Swatsley (American, B. 1937) "CNR E-6 Locomotive" Signed lower right. Mixed Media on Illustration Board. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood First Day Cover for the Canadian 32c CNR E-6 Locomotive stamp issued October 25, 1984. The CNR E-6 finds its heritage in the early history of the Canadian National Railway. The first railway in Canada -- the Champlain and St. Lawrence -- was established on July 21, 1836 as a portage railway linking the St. Lawrence River opposite Montreal with the Champlain River at St. Johns. This railway was adopted in 1856 by the Grand Trunk Railway, an English-owned line which was conceived as a main line linking Upper and Lower Canada. Meanwhile, two Canadian entrepreneurs, William MacKenzie and Donald Mann, fostered the growth of the Canadian Northern Railway. From small lines in Manitoba, they expanded the system into an eight thousand mile transcontinental railway ... and enjoyed booming growth. The railway made the entire Western part of Canada accessible. The eastern link of the Canadian National Railway was the National Transcontinental Railway, which ran through Northern Ontario and Quebec ... linking Winnipeg to Quebec City and stretching as far east as Moncton, New Brunswick. A subsidiary of the Grand Trunk stretched west from Winnipeg to the Pacific port of Prince Rupert in 1915, becoming the Grand Trunk Pacific. In 1923, the new Canadian National Railway was legally created, consisting of the Canadian Northern Railway, the National Transcontinental Railway and the Grand Trunk Pacific. Image Size: 14 x 12 in. Overall Size: 20.5 x 18 in. Unframed. (B08930)