I have noticed that until the late 1800s, American steam locomotives were beautifully decorated, as if they had been taken from a china cabinet. But the exceptions prove the rule. This nineteenth century locomotive apparently belonged to a frugal railway company that watched the pennies and was painted with one large pot of black paint, only a few details were given a lick of white. Or was this locomotive once lavishly decorated but was given a black dress in his old age? Image size: 260 x 360mm