Since I paint and decal all of my feight cars, I have quite a collection of different dimensional data.
I usually use data from prototype roadname decal sets for the car I am lettering to increase the likelihood that the data is correct.
I saw this unusual arrangement of dimensional data on a Kadee model of a D&H boxcar. I have never seen the data laid out like this in any decal set or prototype picture.
I would guess that there are no hard-and-fast rules about the layout of the car data. How common were unusual data placement like this one?
Variations in the placement of lettering varied so much from car group to car group on the prototype, yet remained within the guidelines as cited in the NMRA’s data sheet. The only way to accurately model a car is, from photographic guidance, of the specific car or, group of cars. When speaking in generalities in railroading/model railroading, there will always be a variation that will bite you in the butt.
Typically speaking, I lay my data out like this on cars that I create. This is like what Ed posted in the link the to NMRA data sheet on the subject.
Looking at the NMRA data sheet, I think Ron at Rail Graphics just duplicated those suggestions when he made his first two (H101 and H102) dimensional data sets.
After reading Rick’s reply I believe I am going to look at more commercial decal sets and see if I can get some with data laid out in a less-than-typical arrangement.
I have developed a pretty good eye for noticing variations on freight car lettering. Unfortunately, I had not developed this before I lettered over 150 freight cars for custom railroads.
My fleet is resplendent with data errors on freight cars. Way too many to fix.
Don’t be afraid if you mess up. For example, there was a Pacific Great Eastern boxcar that wandered the rails with “PEG” reporting marks back in the Sixties. So if you make a misteak with where you place dimensional data or other markings, you won’t be the first.
What information is displayed is “required” but the placement is “reccommended”.
There is no “law” that governs the placement of dimensional data, just AAR standards, which are recommendations. Frequently railroads did not comply with those recommendations.
There are several railroads that didn’t even put reporting marks on the sides of the cars.
I found a set of DELAWARE AND HUDSON decals by K4 that has the data arranged like in the picture. The logo is different, but I do not want that anyway.
Ordered… I should have them by the end of the week. These will make for something kind of unique in the fleet.
There is the common layout of lettering, then variations by car and type, and then there are just plain mistakes. On the Railcar internet web site there is a photo of a ribbed sided covered grain hopper, UTCX 45294, with the weights in the left panel and then the “Capy” abbreviations to the right. When Atlas made this car in HO they faithfully reproduced this unique arrangement. In all other cases that I have seen, the abbreviations are in the left panel and the weights are in the middle panel.
