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Diesel Headcode Blinds


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Started by an observation on TimC's Cravens DMU modelling thread:

 

...one thing that I have not seen modeled correctly is any diesel head code blind when it is lit up.

 

On the real thing the out side of the lettering is about 1" wide. The back of the lettering where the light shines through is only about 1/2" wide. I dont know why, but on the real thing you can see it but you dont always see it in photos.

 

I dont know how this can be achieved. May be a second layer of printing on the back.

 

Just a small point, but if we can all help to make our models better.

 

Some discussion ensued regarding whether the effect was real or imagined - After our Winter Work Week on the Class 126 at Bo'ness I can definitely confirm that some (but not all) blinds used have the wide front /narrow back fonts that Ozzyo describes.

 

There are at least two generations of blinds in use - older printed cloth blinds and newer blinds on a white plastic type material. The plastic ones are the ones with the wide front /narrow back fonts but I have seen some (very old) cloth blinds with similar effect.

 

I presume the reason is to make the wide characters best visible under (refected) daylight, but to avoid that (at night) that the light shining through blurs too much due to a flare-type effect.

 

Headcode Blind lit by natural (reflected) light

post-7058-0-16753900-1297109488_thumb.jpg

 

 

Headcode Blind with back light

post-7058-0-30806100-1297109495_thumb.jpg

 

 

Printing on reverse

post-7058-0-08126700-1297109493_thumb.jpg

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I have some original canvas type blinds which are 'wide front narrow back'. I have seen the plastic type but thought they were modern replicas which didn't strictly follow the original format.

I always assumed that 'wide narrow' aided readability when illuminated from behind because too much light would have shone through a 'wide wide' format at night.

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