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Re: [CBQ] repainting and lettering

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Subject: Re: [CBQ] repainting and lettering
From: VERLIN WHITE <verlinwhite@sbcglobal.net>
Date: Mon, 1 May 2006 09:57:25 -0700 (PDT)
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Everyone Hi,
  Sorry, the photos are not in The C.B.&Q. Photo section, they are in The BN 
Photo section.

VERLIN WHITE <verlinwhite@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
  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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