Loco (re)numbering

[MacDuff999]

I want to try using transfers to add numbers to a loco I am going to re-paint. I have never done this before, and if you don't do it  right and get the level and spacing correct, it will look a mess. Can anyone give me some detailed pointers as to how I go about this, or maybe the source of an article on the subject (if it is still available)? Grateful for any advice and guidance on this. 

[Michael Hodgson]

1 hour ago, MacDuff999 said:

I want to try using transfers to add numbers to a loco I am going to re-paint. I have never done this before, and if you don't do it  right and get the level and spacing correct, it will look a mess. Can anyone give me some detailed pointers as to how I go about this, or maybe the source of an article on the subject (if it is still available)? Grateful for any advice and guidance on this. 

 

Rather than trying to align something like five separate single digit transfers with equal spacing, if you can get the number (or at least part of it) as a single transfer, you stand a much better chance of getting a decent job.  Another option is printing your own transfers if you can - quite a few on here seem to do so, or getting custom transfers made.

 

I have sometimes renumbered a loco which is in decent paint condition by altering just a single digit to make it another member of the class, but that's obviously not an option if you are repainting the loco. 

 

Lining is a job I find even more difficult though - I can't get transfers stright enough for carriages in particular; boiler bands aren't as difficult.

[railtec-models]

8 hours ago, MacDuff999 said:

I want to try using transfers to add numbers to a loco I am going to re-paint. I have never done this before, and if you don't do it  right and get the level and spacing correct, it will look a mess. Can anyone give me some detailed pointers as to how I go about this, or maybe the source of an article on the subject (if it is still available)? Grateful for any advice and guidance on this. 

 

Life's too short to be lining up individual numbers in an attempt to get them straight, evenly spaced (unless the original had otherwise distinctive spacing) and the end result looking right to the eye. If it's 4mm scale, then the link below should have what you need:

 

https://www.railtec-models.com/catalog.php?type=5&gauge=4mm&theme=33

 

All those customisable offerings are made such that the loco number is a one piece transfer that can be applied in one easy hit. Particularly in the case of diesel locos then I have most of them on file now so the spacing is made as per the real things so that your models look real in that regard. The concept of waterslide transfers hasn't changed that much in decades, even if the technology behind them has. Essentially, loosely cut around the transfer, soak in water for a few seconds (I use plain Derbyshire tap water), and then slide it onto the model. You do get a spare too, just in case.

 

Hope this helps, and once you've done one, you might get a taste for it and get the confidence to do several more. It can be a slippery slope!