As I look at all the model rolling stock out there, I wonder how people make fleets of things like tank cars so they can run a unit train.
What is the usual proceedure for remubering a large amount of cars? Paint over the numbers and start fresh with decals or transfers?
And what is the best way to only change a few cars? Say you have two of the same boxcars, and want to change one number on one. How do you match them? What if you can’t find the right style numbers to apply?
In other words, what is the usual rebumbering proceedure for both small and large amounts of cars?
JD
If I have two cars with the same number, I simply remove either the first or last number. It may not be numbered according to prototype but there is no confusion when I’m operating.
Tom
Often you can remove lettering or numbers with an eraser, or a Q-tip with some 91% Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) using some care so as not to do too much damage to the under lying paint. Then reletter or renumber using appropriate decals. A bit of weathering, and you can’t tell the difference.
If you’re just wanting to do one or two cars, and you’re having trouble finding decals that match size or font-wise, here’s a couple of suggestions…
Weather one the cars fairly heavily, and then cover the number with a patch of paint or colored decal film, and renumber the car. You see that fairly often on prototypes, where the number has become almost unreadable because of all the dirt/rust/etc., and they just re-paint the number with what ever stencils they have handy at the shop - sometimes the size and font change from numeral to numeral!
Another one of my favorites (also seen quite often in the real world) is to cover up the number with a graffiti decal, and renumber it as above.
You can also pretend one of your cars has been sold-off to some shortline operator, and you can leave it in original paint and just re-do the number and reporting marks for a completely different railroad!
Hope that helps.[:)]
Hmmm… good ideas so far, like the tip about maybe adding graffitti or something, but so far, all my rolling stock is just plain stock. What if I decide not to weather them? It seems many magazines make off like the God of Scale Modeling will attack if you don’t use exactly the right numbering/lettering styles.