Born during the Age of Steam W.G. Eaton was a railway enthusiast lucky enough to witness some the great locomotives in action. Most of his paintings are represented here and any, or all of them, will provide a welcome addition to any railway history enthusiast's collection.
The late W.G. Eaton was a man with the rare talent of being able to capture his favourite pastime, 'Steam Locomotives', into picture form by drawing and painting them with great accuracy and attention to detail. This endeavour occupied most of his spare time until his sudden death in December 1986. His collection of paintings were stored away in the upstairs studio of his home in Shavington, near Crewe, Cheshire and he was still adding to the present collection of some 80 paintings right up to the time of his death. Wilfs interest in Steam Locomotives began in the 1920's when he was living close to the Nantwich to Wellington line which is now sadly closed. This line was to become one of his favourite links with the GWR.
During the Second World War he was a corporal in the RAOC stationed at Donnington in Shropshire until 1946. When the town of Crewe celebrated 150 years of Railway Association his family exhibited some of the works shown here as a tribute to him. It was a proud moment for the family when Her Majesty the Queen graciously accepted a painting of the 'Princess Elizabeth' during her visit to the festival. |
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