The Aztec Museum and Pioneer Village will unveil the newly-commissioned watercolor painting of the Aztec Train Depot and locomotive 495 by local artist Jeff Ellingson.

Ellingson, who now lives in Farmington, and museum expert Carolyn Bowra will give a presentation at 2 p.m. Feb. 11.

Train lovers and history buffs are encouraged to attend, Aztec Museum executive director Joan Moninger said.

Ellingson said his painting depicts the Aztec Train Depot, a 1949 Dodge Coronet and a pipe train. He was commissioned by Bowra to produce the painting, which took him roughly 300 hours.

He said the process for much of his commissioned work involves research to gather as much historical perspective and accuracy as possible from numerous photos.

Ellingson, who received his degree in interior decorating from the Colorado Institute of Art in Denver, worked for an architect as a draftsman for a couple of years before returning to his hometown of Durango.

His family moved from Seattle in 1970 when he was in sixth grade. His father taught geology at Fort Lewis College, where Ellingson attended for two years.

He worked in nearly every capacity for the Durango & Silverton Narrow Guage Railroad for 38 years, starting out cleaning coach cars in the graveyard shift, then in the shop for many years. He painted all the equipment, including the lettering on all the cars and locomotives.

As their graphic artist, he also learned how to run and fire the locomotives, even shoveling the coal.

“I got to do a lot of great stuff … it was very rewarding,” Ellingson said. “It was a lot of hard work … we went through a lot down there in the time I was there,” he said, adding that he “was there when the Roundhouse burned down … that was Feb. 10, 1989.”

Ellingson, who started the D&SNG Museum in 1998, worked there for 25 years. He hired Bowra, who was previously the director of the Animas Museum.

Ellingson said he wanted “to change the course” of the museum --- more than a place for parties.

“I wanted it to be a museum, and Carolyn is a museum person --- she’s very professional and she’s a very good friend,” he said.

Signed and numbered limited-edition prints of Ellingson’s 12 by 18-inch watercolor will be for sale for $96 each. Proceeds will benefit the Aztec Museum Association.

The open house will feature light refreshments with limited seating.

Bowra, whose ancestors settled into the area in the late 1870s said that as a child, she was in Aztec when the Durango Rio Grande train made its last run to Aztec and Farmington.

As a passionate historian, Bowra will present some historical perspective on the railroad, stressing their importance to transportation, agriculture and commerce.

“In the history business, we have a saying that back in the olden days, with a catalog and a train you could get anything,” Bowra said. “You know, whether it was bringing in Spring hats for the ladies or taking out agricultural products. It was the lifeline for all of these communities.”

Bowra said that when her mother was a little girl in the 1930s, she would take the train from Durango to Silverton to spend the summer with her grandparents.

Bowra’s grandfather was the publisher and editor of the Aztec Independent Review and her father was the printer.

“And so when I was born in Durango, I came home from the hospital to Aztec,” she said.

Bowra, who volunteers at the Aztec Museum, said history’s “truly the only thing” she’s good at.

“ … I have no artistic skills. I can't cook. There's a whole list of things I can't do but I'm pretty OK with history,” she said. “If people miss the actual presentation part, Jeff and I will be hanging around to just visit with folks. And so he and I are gonna kind of tag team the presentation.”

Ellingson “will talk a little bit about some of his research” and what he did to produce the painting, Bowra said, adding that she will share a “couple of fun little stories.”

She said Ellingson’s painting was “just gorgeous” and they’re hoping it will appeal to “a nice spectrum of folks” because the proceeds are going to the Aztec Museum and Pioneer Village.

Ellingson is a watercolor artist who specializes in railroad art. His railway journey began when his family moved to Durango in 1970. He caught his first sight of a steam-powered locomotive, launching a fascination that continues to this day.

Ellingson majored in art at Fort Lewis College and later graduated from the Colorado Institute of Art. He began his career as a professional artist doing drafting work for an architectural firm in Denver before returning to Durango and beginning a long association with the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.

Over the decades he has been involved in all aspects of the railroad in addition to his work as an artist – and has stories to share. He retired from the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in 2022, and now lives in Farmington with his wife, Renee.

Bowra is a retired museum professional who is spending that retirement as a museum volunteer. A descendant of Aztec pioneer families (Sharp, Milleson, Bowra), Aztec has a special place in her heart. She is also a railroad fan and has worked at the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum, where she became familiar with Ellingson’s work.

For more information about the presentation, contact Joan Monninger at 317-850-2841.