33c Congressional single

The 33-cent All Aboard! 20th Century Trains commemorative stamps were issued in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 26, 1999. The stamps were designed by Howard Paine of Delaplane, Virginia, and illustrated by Ted Rose of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The US Postal Service pays tribute to American industry and design, specifically to the heritage of the American railroads, with stamps of five celebrated passenger trains from the 1930s and 1940s. On the front of each stamp is a reproduction of a watercolor painting of one of the five trains, with a landscape representative of its route in the background. On the back of each stamp is text describing the train's unique features.

These five trains -- the Daylight, the Congressional, the 20th Century Limited, the Hiawatha, and the Super Chief -- were updated in the Art Deco style on both the exterior and interior by famous industrial designers. The style, comfort, and efficiency of these luxury passenger trains were at the forefront of the railroads' battle to compete with automobiles and airplanes.

120 million stamps were printed by Ashton Potter (USA), Ltd., in the offset process.

Reference:

Postal Bulletin (July 29, 1999).

Mint