Renumbering Kato N Gauge Locos

[MarshLane]

I appear to have accidentally acquired two duplicate Kato locos, an SD70 UP 4841 and a AC4400CW BNSF 5642. Not to worry I thought, simple task to renumber them ... but for UK traction it is simple, basically just remove the existing Tampo prints carefully then apply new transfers for the bodyside numbers.

But the US models have the extra challenge of the light boxes with the lit number panels. Can anyone therefore advise me of the best way to renumber models ... and is there a supplier (its ok if its in the US) who does bodyside number transfers, and the high box numbers for each end? Or how do other people do it?

Failing that does anyone know which font UP and BNSF use for their numbers, and I might approach @railtec-models with some artwork to see if they can print the numbers.

Richie

[pH]

Try these guys:

 

https://circuscitydecals.com/

 

They have all sorts of railroad decals, in all sorts of scales.

 

and here:

 

https://www.microscale.com/

Edited April 5 by pH

[MarshLane]

Thanks PH.

Ive heard of micro scale now you mention them, but hadn’t thought about them. Both seem to offer decals (as Americans call them) or transfers for renumbering, but don’t do anything with the cab and nose end light boxes which seems odd to me. 
 

I’ll keep trawling. Also need to find out what the kit number boards are actually called, that might return closer search results!

 

Thanks for the suggestions tho. I might have found some transfers through that to renumbering my Gondola cars!

 

Rich

 

[Jeff_W]

The numberboards are often little tiny bits that you (sometimes) have to add to the locomotive. I'm not sure if anyone other than Kato makes them, but I could easily be wrong. They're probably the only thing that's kept me from being tempted to renumber Kato engines. I have bought one custom number that was originally un-numbered, but can't think of what they did for the numberboards off the top of my head.

 

As for fonts, I think the BNSF one is mentioned here: https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,253680 

Union Pacific uses one called "City Of" I think? As seen here: http://www.railfonts.com/cgi-bin/font_shop/fontshop.cgi?ACTION=enter&thispage=page10.html

Edited April 6 by Jeff_W

[MarshLane]

Thanks @Jeff_W,

May be a case of designing something and getting a transfer to go onto it.  I'll have to take a Kato body off and have a look. Could open the door to a few options if I can come up with something! I have let a few 'cheaper' locos go because they replicated what I have already got!

Rich

[stivesnick]

Hi 

There is a company called Detail Associates who make various parts to add/replace on locomotives. 

 

Link to their page on the Walthers web-site: https://www.walthers.com/detail_associates?productListFilters=scale%3AN Scale

 

Regards 

 

Nick 

[F-UnitMad]

On 06/04/2024 at 10:54, MarshLane said:

Ive heard of micro scale now you mention them, but hadn’t thought about them. Both seem to offer decals (as Americans call them) or transfers for renumbering, but don’t do anything with the cab and nose end light boxes which seems odd to me. 

Micro Scale do the numberboard decals on their diesel decal sets, but as strips of random numbers you have to cut out from, which ones you want.

Shows how far N has come though - I first started my US outline modelling in N some 35 years ago, and just left the numberboards blank!!

[pH]

On 06/04/2024 at 02:54, MarshLane said:

Both seem to offer decals (as Americans call them) or transfers for renumbering, but don’t do anything with the cab and nose end light boxes which seems odd to me. 

 

31 minutes ago, F-UnitMad said:

Micro Scale do the numberboard decals on their diesel decal sets, but as strips of random numbers you have to cut out from, which ones you want.

Logical, if you think about it. They can’t do specific number boards for a whole class of engines (e.g. all 686 SD40-2s bought new by Union Pacific plus all those that came from railroads absorbed by UP) when any average modeller is unlikely to need more than maybe a dozen sets at the very most. They don’t (generally) do complete cabside/hood side numbers for a whole class either. In both cases, you get individual digits to make up the appropriate loco numbers. 
 

Exceptions to this are cases where only a few, specific engines are involved. In cases like that, manufacturers may provide decal sets including ‘ready made’ decals for cabsides and number boards.