I would like to illuminate the number boards on my Stewart F-3 As. The origional inserts are colored plastic. Does anyone know if clear/ translucent replacements are available.
Thanks,
Bob K.
Bob, you might look at www.stewarthobbies.com and see what they have listed. Although, they were just bought out (I forget by who) recently, so this may or may not be of any help.
They were bought out by Bowser.
BTW Good Post[tup]
I illuminated Stewart numberboards by discarding the plastic insert and cut to fit
Evergreen clear .015 styrene. I used two layers, painting the first one translucent
white, then applying clear number decals and when dry, installed the second layer
using Testors canopy glue. I like the effect-it looks like the prototype where the
numbers are behind glass.
Regards: GN-Rick
I need to figure out a better way to add numbers to the numberboards on my bluebox locos. Right now I’ve made “decals” from paper, white text highlighted with black, and it looks good until I light it. Then you can see that the black highlight isn’t wide enough and a lot of light shines through. Plus, the black part lights up too 
But it looks darn good when not lit! [:D]
Bob,
I illuminated the numberboards on my F-3’s as follows:
I took the original boards and laid them on clear styrene and the traced around them with the tip of my X-acto knife. I don’t recall paying any attention as to the thickness, but .015 sounds about right as noted by a previous poster.
I then carefully filed them to a press fit inside the housings. The housings are also removeable so you can do this without excessive handling of the loco body.
Next, I printed the numbers I wanted on my computer printer on regular bond paper. By using Microsoft Publisher I was able to print white numbers on a black background as I desired. I used a bold faced font for clarity.
I then covered one side of the clear styrene boards with double sided scotch tape and trimmed it to fit. The backing paper was peeled off and the board was pressed down on the printed numbers, the paper was trimmed and my new number boards were ready to install. A couple of 1.5v microbulbs finished the job. I run DCC so the bulbs required a resistor in the circuit. On regular DC they can be powered with a diode lighting circuit.
The bulbs shine through the bond paper very realistically. It diffuses the light and gives them a nice glow. I have high praise for Stewart for making the job so easy. Hope this helps.
Bill
GN-Rick and Bill,
Thanks for the info. I was hoping to find a clear replacement, but I think the only practical method is the way you describe. I will give it a try. When you install the bulbs was it necessary to hollow out the number board housing or just drill and install bulbs?
Thanks again, Bob K.
Bob,
There is no need to hollow out the number boards on a Stewart unit. Stewart has already done it for you and the holes are already drilled for the bulb wires. As I said, they made it very easy.
I just thought of something. My F3’s have the large angled boards. The smaller parallel boards used on some units might be different.
But, on the angled boards as I have, the microminiature bulbs will slip through the predrilled holes in the numberboard housings and will lay inside the housings with no modification necessary. As I said before, the housings are removeable. Just press inside the body shell with your finger anf the housings will come right out.
Bill
When I used the method I described, I was actually using the Stewart numberboards
to update a Broadway Limited E7A that I had purchased at the GNRHS convention swap
meet. It came as an as delivered unit in the earliest GN paint scheme (with small cheek logos and small numberboards). I rebuilt the nose to model GN 510-with large
boards and dual headlights-to correctly power my 1950 International streamliner. On the BLI unit, it has led’s to illuminate the #boards so I simply added a couple of drill
holes in the back of the Stewart castings. It worked very well.
Regards, GN-Rick
That sounds like a lot of work, why didn’t you just buy a model of 512 and runumber it?
512 was not available at the swap meet I was at. Especially at a 40% reduced price
from retail. I also enjoy doing these types of kitbashing. A final reason is that the
paint that BLI used on their GN E7s does not match the paint I put on my International,
and I wanted a matching trainset. (My International is built from the correct Northstar
models-5 cars-1105 baggage, 1117 and 1118 coaches, 1146 cafe-coach and 1195
lounge observation Port of Seattle). BLI does very nice paint but comparing it to both
photos and paint chips the orange (to me) is too dark. Anyway, I’m quite pleased with
my results and my International is a great layout sized passenger train.
GN-Rick
I’m trying to have decals printed out with the numbers being transparent and the rest of the balck so that the numbers can appear white. I will have to paint the glazing though. How can I paint the glazing white so that it will be translucent?
Thanks!
To ksax: I have had success using Testor’s Gloss White after thinning for airbrushing.
When thinned like this, I bru***he paint onto the glazing (spraying lightly works too)
and being thin, it is translucent enough to transmit light. Hope this is helpful.
GN-Rick
Thanks GN-Nick!