hi all, can someone tell me what color to paint my number boards? i know its either white or black, but i dont know which one. also, is there a way to paint them so the light from the cab will lighten the number boards? thanks!:thumb:
Number boards......
- Thread starter trainsteve2435
- Start date
Your best bet is to check the prototype. Some railroads had different ways of doing it with the background color and number color indicating a certain function. For example, Southern diesels with white numberboards and black lettering were Locotrol equipped while the rest of the Southern fleet had black numberboards with white letters.
A good photographic resource for any modeler is George Elwood's Fallen Flags site. Don't let the name fool you - it's not just for railroads of the past. There are current photos there as well.
The site is: http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/
A good photographic resource for any modeler is George Elwood's Fallen Flags site. Don't let the name fool you - it's not just for railroads of the past. There are current photos there as well.
The site is: http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/
thanks pdt, after i read your reply i went to the fallen flag site and found a picture of the locomotive im modelling, sure enough its got white boards with black lettering. now, i guess i can just use a white spray paint and paint the boards, then add the black numbers? thanks!
Usually I use the numberboard "blanks" that come with the EMD & GE diesel data decal set by Microscale. It's an invaluable set to have, so I always make sure I have three or four in my decal binder just in case I get on a diesel painting kick. The set includes numberboard blanks for both EMD and GE diesels, which are different sizes, so make sure you're using the right one. I've found that they look much better than actually painting the numberboards since the decals give off a sort of "sheen" the way the glass/plexiglas would on the prototype.
Here's a link to the set on Microscale's website:
http://www.microscale.com/decals/HO_scale/87527.jpg
For numberboard numbers, try Shell Scale decals. They make a wide variety of prototype-specific lettering for numberboards. Unfortunately, I can't find a link to Shell Scale decals on the internet anymore, but I'm pretty sure he's still around. It will just take some nosing around for me to find out where you can get them.
Here's a link to the set on Microscale's website:
http://www.microscale.com/decals/HO_scale/87527.jpg
For numberboard numbers, try Shell Scale decals. They make a wide variety of prototype-specific lettering for numberboards. Unfortunately, I can't find a link to Shell Scale decals on the internet anymore, but I'm pretty sure he's still around. It will just take some nosing around for me to find out where you can get them.