Best or quickest way to change numbers for ET&WNC box car

[bnsonger47]

After getting some initial rolling stock, I've decided to switch to ET&WNC. I had forgotten about buying a wood box car several months ago so, like a 62-year-old would do, I saw one on eBay and bought it. After completing the deal I climb up to see what I had bought earlier (thinking it was an ET&WNC stock car) only to find that I'm now the proud owner of two #5 cars.

That'll never fly.

Since I've not messed with Bachmann cars much, I'm open to advice on the best or quickest way to change the number of one of the cars.

I also looked around the web for a listing of rolling stock owned by ET&WNC. What I came up with was info on locomotives only.

Thanks in advance.

Byron

[Kevin Strong]

Try a product called "super clean." What I'd do in the case of the car side would be to saturate a cotton ball with the cleaner and let it sit over the number for a few minutes (10?). It should wipe off after that, assuming the paint used on the lettering reacts to the cleaner. (Some do, some don't.)

As for renumbering it after the old numbers are off, look for Woodland Scenics' "Model Graphics" dry transfers. They make sheets of numbers in sizes up to 1/2". Just rub the new numbers onto the car and you're all set.

Online info on the ET&WNC is a bit scarce, but there are some excellent books on the railroad. There's "Blue Ridge Stemwinder" by Chris White, which is a very thorough history of the railroad with rosters, etc.

Jonny Graybeal's "Along the ET&WNC" series covers the locomotives, structures, freight and passenger cars, all with a slant towards helping the modeler.

Later,

K

[bnsonger47]

I appreciate the prompt reply.

Since I've not done kitbashing (or anything remotely similar) I'm not fully aware of the techniques of lifting a little paint or a decal (or determining the difference).

I take it that I should leave the cotton ball with the saturated product on the number for the 10-minute duration. Correct?

I've heard how others use an eraser or something very slightly abrasive to lift something like the number. That would require a lot of care and precision. I'm not sure I'm that precise.

Would you suggest a light dusting of "Polly Red Oxide" over where the old number was before replacing with a new number?

I'll look for the numbers, etc. I have some decal material in white and gold plus the B&O fonts. The numbering and lettering of ET&WNC looks very similar to one of the fonts used by B&O. I plan to use the decals approach on other things unless I find the dry transfer lettering to be superior. When it comes to placing many letters I get concerned about alignment and spacing (that's the typesetter in me).

I wasn't sure which of the Tar Heel Press books would be best for starters. It looks like you've provided the great clue I needed.

By the way, I seem to recall that ET&WNC got their #15 Combine from EBT or was it another passenger car?

Thanks, again, for the response.

If anyone else has a quick or best technique that's different, go ahead to toot.

Byron

[Kevin Strong]

By and large, anything commercially-produced rolling stock will have pad-printed lettering, not decals. Some high-end brass equipment uses decals, but that's pretty much it. The trick with the pad printing process is that not all paints are created equal. Often you'll find a solvent that works on one manufacturer that won't make a dent on another. You'll also find that some solvents work on the background paint, too. I've had good luck with the Super Clean on Bachmann's stuff, but even then, there are some paints (some stripes on a locomotive I was stripping down) that didn't budge.

If the Super Clean takes the lettering off cleanly, then you shouldn't need to repaint anything after the fact. If the Super Clean doesn't work, and you have to go to a more abrasive process that may mar the paint below, then you might want to have a jar of a closely-matched paint to touch up. The good news there is that I've seen photos of ET&WNC equipment that was renumbered simply by painting over the old numbers and putting new ones on. So, a slight mismatch under the number would be perfectly prototypic.

From what I can tell, the ET&WNC used one of two fonts for their numbers--an extend font that looks a lot like what's commonly called "Railroad Roman," and a more condensed font that looks more like a Times font, though a bit more ornate on the ends. The EBT used a similar font, but I've yet to find a commercial font that replicates it. I ended up drawing it in Illustrator. The Model Graphics lettering will be the Railroad Roman font. The Friends of the East Broad Top Company Store sells 1:20 hopper car lettering sets with numbers that match the narrower style. Granted, you'd only be able to use the numbers, as the lettering isn't the same font.

In this particular situation, you'll find the dry transfers much easier to work with, as all you have to do is rub them down and you're done. With decals, you'll have to apply them (assuming the surface is glossy below them), then overspray the car again to blend the decal film in. (Not that I'm biased towards dry transfers or anything...)

For the books, volumes 4 and 5 cover the freight cars. I've got volume 4 here, it covers the box cars, flat cars, gondolas, wood cars (cars that carried wood), and stock cars. The hoppers, TOFC cars and cabooses are covered in volume 5.

Former EBT coach #5 is currently on the Tweetsie. It just went through a restoration a few years ago. I think it wears #5 there, but I'm not positive.

Good luck, and post photos when you're done!

Later,

K

[bnsonger47]

Kevin,

I sent an email offlist. Thanks for the lead on the railroad font. As you can tell, I'm new at this.

Byron

[charon]

Byron,
Since you said you will only have the two cars, maybe you could just add a "1" in front of the "5" on one of the cars so they would be numbered 5 and 15.
It would save having to remove the existing number.
Chuck

[bnsonger47]

I've thought of that. It would leaving things looking unbalanced unless I added another digit to wind up with "151". I don't know if ET&WNC had a box car numbered 151. For sure, it would be less work. If I did that I'd want to keep the purists away, which my happen anyway.

The font the numeral is in does look rather common. I'll have to get some of those dry transfer letters and give it some thought. I think I'll try lifting the number first. I need the experience.

Byron

[JerryB]

Byron:

A suggestion to add to Kevin's excellent advice:

Test the SuperClean (or any other 'solvent' material) on an out of sight place on the bottom of the car first. Just apply a small amount of the chemical in the same manner as you plan to do on the lettering, then clean it off and inspect the surface for damage. That will help ensure that the original paint in the visible area is not damaged when trying to remove the lettering.

Happy RRing,

Jerry