Saying hello

[Mitch]

I have to say hello to all. I'm a former trainman, conductor, and engineman starting in 1969 with the Chicago and North Western Railway out of Chicago, Illinois, moving to The Milwaukee Road, and finally the Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad, leaving railway service in 1999 moving to fine art.

 

I've been watching many Youtube clips of Japanese Railways and I've become totally awestruck by the entire culture of Japan's railways, their crew personnel, the equipment (N 500 now a favorite,) and most important the methods of operation.

 

I now do a lot of illustration work and poster paintings for The Midwest High Speed Rail Association in Chicago and believe high speed rail as shown to us in Japan is indeed the way of the future.

 

Attached is a picture of yours truly operating South Shore Line train 116 westbound, January of 1993, and the second is an original poster painting of mine.

 

As today is my 66th birthday, and I have limited time left in my career (nothing is wrong with me except age) it is my intention driven by my interest in Japan Railways to create some original paintings based on this. So I'd like to reach out to you all as in producing this work I have to be totally accurate in what I'm portraying, and personally I want a good, professional education on the subject. 

 

Best regards to all,

Mitch

 

[miyakoji]

Hi Mitch, welcome to the forum, and Happy Birthday :)

[Mitch]

Thank you Miyakoji for your kind welcome and birthday wishes.

[TheNicofabi]

Welcome!

For that you find great fun in this forum.

Also Happy Birthday!

[Sascha]

Happy Birthday Mitch, and welcome.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[splifdfx]

Welcome Mitch.

All the best for your new year of life, may it be full of beautiful japanese trains :)

Also, as a fellow illustrator, I'd love to see more of your artwork. Any chance you have a portfolio online ?
 

Edited October 1, 2016 by splifdfx

[keiichi77]

Welcome to the forum Mitch.

[cteno4]

Welcome Mitch! Very nice poster! You will find there is at least one other train artist on the forum who now lives in Japan. Lots of fantastic trains and scenery in Japan to create great art from and trains are found next to just about everything so I think you will find there are a lot of new ground you can cover to be creative and a fresh rr art world to explore! Railroads are also so much more a part of the culture in Japan that I think you may find a lot of more general appreciation for fine rr art there as well.

 

Looking forward to what you do!

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

[katoftw]

Hello and welcome.

[Mitch]

Welcome Mitch.

All the best for your new year of life, may it be full of beautiful japanese trains :)

 

Also, as a fellow illustrator, I'd love to see more of your artwork. Any chance you have a portfolio online ?

 

 Thanks for your kind words. If you Google my name under images, Mitch Markovitz, you may see several of my works. A number of them are from a poster series I revived concerning the Northwest Indiana region here in the states. Thanks for your kind words and is there a way I may see yours?

 

Mitch.

[Mitch]

Welcome Mitch! Very nice poster! You will find there is at least one other train artist on the forum who now lives in Japan. Lots of fantastic trains and scenery in Japan to create great art from and trains are found next to just about everything so I think you will find there are a lot of new ground you can cover to be creative and a fresh rr art world to explore! Railroads are also so much more a part of the culture in Japan that I think you may find a lot of more general appreciation for fine rr art there as well.

 

Looking forward to what you do!

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

Jeff...Thanks for your kind words and notes on Japan. After watching Youtube clips on JR and the other lines I see exactly what you mean as to Japan being beautiful, with one train more beautiful than the last, and the positive appreciation that people in Japan have for their railways. The first poster painting I should be able to do here in Indiana but I know I'll have to find my way over at some point.

[cteno4]

Mitch,

 

If you can visit I think you will find a huge amount of new inspiration for your art in both the trains and the scenes! Always good to get a new perspective and maybe a fresh start as well! Internet these days can get you a lot of interesting material to start from. Will enjoy seeing what you do!

 

Toni here on the forum has been doing train art in Japan and very fun stuff.

 

Oh and happy birthday! Never to old to have fun!

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

[Mitch]

Mitch,

 

If you can visit I think you will find a huge amount of new inspiration for your art in both the trains and the scenes! Always good to get a new perspective and maybe a fresh start as well! Internet these days can get you a lot of interesting material to start from. Will enjoy seeing what you do!

 

Toni here on the forum has been doing train art in Japan and very fun stuff.

 

Oh and happy birthday! Never to old to have fun!

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

Jeff and friends,

 

It has looked to me that a whole new world of inspiration is upon the studio here. I just can't stop watching the Youtube clips. One thing that always fascinates me as having been an operating employee is the techniques and operating people in Japan. So involved is yours truly that I've taken to pointing at traffic signals and the gauges in my car as I drive. I used to only make air brake noises (don't laugh. We've all done this.)

 

So permit me to ask. For the first poster painting I want to feature, along with a Shinkansen, a driver as they point to a signal. I would need a uniform cap and a pair of official white gloves*. Would there be a source?  

 

Thanks again for the birthday wishes. It's tough to be a 25 year old guy stuffed into a 66 year old body. I'm now twice the age I was when the picture of me running the train was taken.

 

 

* No. I'm not going to drive around town with them on.

 

Mitch

Edited October 2, 2016 by Mitch

[tossedman]

Happy birthday Mitch and welcome to the forum. Lots of fodder for illustrating Japanese trains here. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

 

You may be able to find what you're looking for on a Japanese auction site. Here's an example:

http://www.jauce.com/category-leaf/2084019974

 

Cheers,

 

Todd

[cteno4]

Mitch,

 

You might want to start a thread maybe in the suppliers forum to ask where to get hat and gloves. Those are odder items but someone may have a lead on a shop (many Japanese shops don't ship overseas though) that may be a good source. Yahoo.jp auctions have a lot of stuff like this on them, but being outside Japan you need to use an auction service to do the bidding for you then it's shipped to them and they ship to you. Of course there are charges for this but not horrid to get something hard to get otherwise. Good news is some things like this are not so expensive all the time on yahoo.jp so even with the extra charges the price is not horrible. There are some threads on the forum that outline the auction services, how they work and costs. A start:

 

http://www.jnsforum.com/community/topic/801-how-to-bid-in-japanese-auctions-for-dummies/

 

Also Modeltrainplus.net is a model train shop in Japan that a lot of us use and he does do some personal shopping for a small fee from shops in Japan that don't ship overseas.

 

Start a thread on this and I sure you will get some more ideas!

 

Jeff

 

Ps nice picture in my head of you wearing the hat and gloves in your car driving along pointing at signs, lights and gauges! Yes we all do it! I started doing it on the club layout at shows some with all the points and train to come in/out of the yard and it helped screwing up a lot like remembering to put the train in reverse! I'm sure most us show visitors think I'm a bit touched...

Edited October 2, 2016 by cteno4

[Mitch]

Jeff and Friends,

 

Of pointing and calling. When we age we start to get how we say, "distracted." We can lose our way slightly in the most routine of chores. Pointing and calling has actually helped me in my driving but causes my wife, herein after referred to as "The Lovely Renee'" to go a little nuts (Renee' was a regular commuter on the train I worked.) But pointing and calling has now assisted me further. Here's the story.

 

Last spring it was time for me to attend the unveiling of a poster painting I had done for a company that was owned by a large Japanese firm. The unveiling was in Indiana by the way. I was to meet the president of the firm and his team from Tokyo, and the governor of our state. I had practiced the night before on the correct way of presenting my business card. On my way towards the event, about 20 miles from my house I noticed something was a little wrong. I had forgotten to put my teeth ( dentures) in. So, from that point on when I take my morning pill, when I brush my teeth.......pointing and calling serves a real purpose aside from railroading.

 

By the way my wife was laughing like crazy when I pulled up to the house and she handed me my teeth. Right in front of some kids waiting to board their school bus.

 

Mitch

[cteno4]

Mitch,

 

You are painting such vivid mental pictures here I hope we meet in person sometime! Hey if it works and get you out of the house with your teeth in, great!

 

My wife sometimes finds me at the backdoor gathering the last few things to head to the car and has to remind me I have not yet put my shoes on! So I expect I should fo the same pointing at my feet and saying shoes...

 

Jeff

[Mitch]

Jeff,

 

I get to Lancaster PA about 3 times a year. Next trip I may take what we call a train. So perhaps that can be arranged. I'm in the business of painting vivid imagery either graphically or in word. But it's all true stuff! 

 

We're headed for dinner in a few moments. I'll report the latest pointing and calling events.

 

Mitch

[cteno4]

Yes not far from Here. I go up to mechanicsburg every week to visit my mother so am going by the Lancaster area a lot!

 

If you feel like it start a thread on your art with some Picts, I'm sure it would be greatly appreciated here! The forum is worldwide and has a large range of interests!

 

Jeff

[ToniBabelony]

Another fellow artist -pointing and calling as well, welcome to the forums! I hope you like it here. Jeff already told you I also make illustrations, but recently the railway related stuff has been on hold. This is mainly due to the fact that my other work attracts a bigger crowd and thus generates bigger turnover. This stuff is however not suited for this forum and doesn't get accepted by the majority of society anyway, so let's just leave it at that xD In the past I've attended railway related art exhibitions in Yokohama and will probably do so again when the opportunity shows up again. It's not really fine art as well, since I don't have the patience for detailed illustrations...

 

As for the pointing and calling, bus drivers here in Japan do so as well, so it's not completely wrong to do it in a car. I've even witnessed car drivers following this procedure, but that was an ex-JR Freight driver. Personally, I do it a lot on the bicycle on narrow roads with lots of mirrors and blind corners. Mostly because my speeds are double or triple of the local cyclists (a remnant from back home where commuter traffic on bicycle is quite intense).

 

Anyway, it's nice to see more (ex-)railway related people here! The Chicago commuter systems have been on my radar lately and I've developed a bit of an interest in the South Shore. It's a romantic line that strongly reminds of (former) Japanese interurban systems, like Enoden and the old Meitetsu tram lines. The South Shore also has a decent fanbase here in Japan IIRC because of this. :)

[Mitch]

 

Kabutoni and the group,

 

I'm thrilled to meet a fellow artist and enthusiast from Japan. Funny you mention the Enoden Line as it reminds me of the South Shore. If there's anything you would like to know about the South Shore Line from its founding in 1908 onward to today please feel free to ask me. I have personal experience since childhood (1950) and working experience as first art and advertising director in 1984, then after the company's bankruptcy (an entire comedy story in itself) until my return to train service in 1988, promotion to engineman (motorman) in 1991, until my departure for fine art in 1999, and continued association until now and I probably have an answer. It may have humor associated with it, and some sadness as I was in the head-on wreck of 1993. Also personal as I met my wife when she was a regular commuter. That will teach me to say "Thank you" when I collect tickets.

 

At one time I was friends with the South Shore Line equipment engineer who helped with the new (1981) cars from Nippon Sharyo and further developed my interest in Japan.

 

I worked in commuter service on the Chicago and North Western from 1970-1971, then Milwaukee Road commuter service from 1972-1982, and I designed the original Metra train service uniform.

 

As for pointing and calling just this evening the "Lovely Renee'" threatened to have me hospitalized if I keep doing it.

 

Jeff; In which section should I start a thread with my artwork?

 

And now back to my easel.

Mitch

[cteno4]

Mitch,

 

Smashing! Love the retro look to it, beautiful! Kudos, you really do nice work!

 

I'd say in other hobbies (but in your case profession!) at times not everything fits perfectly! Also worldwide rail would work as yours are all art of prototypes!

 

That'll learn you to say thank you!

 

Jeff

[Mitch]

Mitch,

Smashing! Love the retro look to it, beautiful! Kudos, you really do nice work!

I'd say in other hobbies (but in your case profession!) at times not everything fits perfectly! Also worldwide rail would work as yours are all art of prototypes!

That'll learn you to say thank you!

Jeff

She wouldn't speak to me for the first 3 years she rode the train. She hasn't spoken to me the last 3 hours.

[cteno4]

c'est la vie!

 

Guess the three years of thank yous finally added up...

 

Jeff