Hello,
All the info is still on the car, just faded out from time.
The car is BN #11386 /GN # X-300 Blt.06/53.
Some pics of the center marker lamp are in a folder in the photos of the CB&Q
List.
Thanks for the info.
Stan Maddox <stan.maddox@burlingtongulf.com> wrote:
Hello,
I worked as a graphic artist in a sign shop for a number of years, so
I hope this info will be helpful. Before you start cutting vinyl, you
will want to confirm a few things first. (Please bear with me if I'm
telling you a few things that you already know.)
Step One: Confirm the identity of your car. If there is still a road
number or other identifying marks on the car, you might consider
sharing that information here on this list. I'm sure many folks would
be able to provide you with helpful information. You will need this
information for the second step.
Step Two: Determine the date that you want to replicate. Most
equipment will undergo numerous cosmetic changes during the useful
life of the car. Some changes are major, some are minor. Details
really do matter. Set a target date and confirm everything, including
lube plate info. Again, the folks on an appropriate e-mail list can
be a great resource to assist you.
Step Three: Forget stock typography, work from prototype documents
instead. There are a number of things that you need to watch out for.
The first thing is typography. It is very, very important to work
from actual railroad photos, documents and drawings. Most historic
railroad equipment was originally lettered either with stencils, or
hand-lettered. The subtle variations are too numerous to document.
For example, I've lost count of the number of different serif type
faces that claim to be "Railroad Roman". Worse, I've often seen well-
meaning persons on e-mail lists tell someone to "just use Arial" to
replicate a sans-serif type, simply because the person has it on
their computer. Bad, bad advice.
This is especially true for BN. I've seen a few "custom" BN decal
sheets at train shows that are all wrong for this very reason. Near
as I can tell, BN used a modified type font. To the untrained eye it
may look like Helvetica or Arial, but it is NOT. I know this for a
fact, I've already been down the road of trying to match it to stock
fonts, generating overlays, comparing kerning and line weights and
all sorts of technical stuff, blah-blah. BN lettering is NOT
Helvetica and it is NOT Arial and it is NOT Berthold Akzidenz, period.
Commissioning a custom font is actually not an uncommon move for
major corporations. Legally, they have to pay royalties for using a
commercial font such as Helvetica. This gets very expensive (which is
why, for example, that Caterpillar dropped the use of Helvetica in
all their corporate communications in early 2005). Instead,
corporations will often go with a split strategy, utilizing a similar-
looking "free" font for everyday internal use, and paying a font
foundry to custom design a font specifically for their external
branding needs. The corporation retains the rights, reduces their
costs and incorporates the custom font into their corporate branding
strategy.
I can not overemphasize the importance of working directly from
prototype documentation. I have lost count of the number of
incorrectly lettered pieces of equipment that I've seen in railroad
museums across the country. Folks simply don't know what they don't
know. They go to a sign shop, and the proprietor talks them into
using one of their stock typefaces because the sign guy doesn't know
trains from beans and he just wants to get the job out the door.
Talking you into using something that is "close enough" makes his day
easier, and it is much quicker than generating art from scratch. The
purchaser doesn't understand typography and they don't know what to
look for, so they just choose something that "looks right". You end
up with a paint job that is simply wrong. Worse, shop artists will
often stretch and distort type slightly in order to fill a given
area. I've seen more than one logo shrunk slightly in order to fit
the thing onto one piece of vinyl. What a waste.
Step Four: Find a source for the artwork. You need someone who knows
signage, graphic arts and railroading. I may be able to help here,
I've done this stuff for many years. As long as this is for a non-
profit organization, I won't charge you a dime. Contact me off list
if you're interested.
Regardless of the artist you choose, they need to know how to
generate vector artwork on a computer and they need to know vinyl.
The first question that the artist asks of you should be "Are you
using the vinyl for lettering, or a paint mask?" If they don't ask
this question, they don't know what they don't know. Keep your wallet
in your pocket and keep looking.
Step Five: Generate the artwork. Pay careful attention to items that
may have been stenciled rather than vinyl cut. Allow for appropriate
overlap on graphics that have to be pieced together. Wherever
possible, track down the guys who did this on the prototype for a
living. They might be able to tell you who their vendor was. With any
luck, the vendor might still have their artwork on file, saving you
tons of research time and hassle.
The vendor should also be able to provide material specs, a very
important consideration. When selecting vinyl, there are all sorts of
mil thicknesses, chemical resistance and UV ratings. The degree of
gloss can also vary widely. The brand and quality of the vinyl will
make a huge difference in the look of the finished product. 3M
products have a different sheen than their competitors, for example.
Again, try to replicate what the railroad did.
Step Six: Take your artwork to a LARGE sign shop. You need a place
capable of handling large format signage. A mom and pop garage shop
with a 14" tractor-wheel plotter won't work. Too much piecing
together, too much room for error.
They will put your artwork on their computer, align it to the width
of their vinyl stock, ensure appropriate overlaps where necessary,
and start cutting. Once the vinyl is cut, the will weed out the
unwanted areas. They will then apply an adhesive carrier sheet over
the vinyl. This sheet is called Transfer Paper. There are two types
of transfer paper, stuff that looks like masking tape, and frosted
clear plastic that looks like translucent shelf paper. Request the
clear plastic, it's worth every dime. It is more durable, and it is
much easier to see your alignment marks as you do the install. And
like frosted Scotch tape, it is much easier to see where the vinyl
has become attached.
As for installation, that is a different matter that goes beyond the
scope of this list. Again, feel free to contact me off list with your
questions. Good luck with your project.
Best regards,
Stan
On Apr 29, 2006, at 8:26 PM, Verlin White wrote:
> Hello,
> I work at a railroad museum and we want to repaint a BN/GN waycar.
> What I need is some info. about any company that makes logos and
> numbers sets.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
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