B&O wagontop caboose

fjack12134 Apr 2, 2008

  1. fjack12134

    fjack12134 TrainBoard Member

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    The new run of B&O wagontop cabs have arrived at JnJ trains. I received mine yesterday, and was wondering about decals for this kit. Don't have an Alps printer so making my own is not an option. Anyone have any idea where to find anything useable?:tb-sad:
     
  2. NikkiB

    NikkiB TrainBoard Member

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    Skipgear and I are working on some. Should have them done in a week or so. Maybe less. We just have to see if the finished print quality is acceptable. After that we are ready to start production. BTW, this exact model was specifically what the decal design art was intended for. Prototype design and sizing match perfectly. I don't recall the specifics, but I believe that the images are within 1/8" SCALE of the prototype. That's 1/8" not on the decal, but on the SCALED original. I guess that makes it to within 1/1280" for the decal itself.

    The decision part is to see if the vector graphics are sufficiently acceptable or if they need to be bit mapped. If they need to be converted to bit mapped, then I will have some software work to do, otherwise the decals shall be done very soon.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 3, 2008
  3. wcfn100

    wcfn100 TrainBoard Member

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    If the vector image isn't acceptable, you need to fix the vector image. Who ever told you you may need to make it a bit mapped image may not be the best guy to talk to when dealing with computer drawn graphics files, especially for printing.


    Jason
     
  4. skipgear

    skipgear TrainBoard Member

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    Actually, I think John got his words turned around. I gave him both JPG, EPS, and Corel Vector images to work with. At the time he did not have Corel to print directly from so we were worried if the EPS or JPG conversion would be satisfactory. He has Corel now so the only limiting factor will be the quality the printer can produce.

    Here is a blow up of what the sheet will look like. (The print will be in white on the actual decal.)

    [​IMG]

    Here is a close up of the Data section.

    [​IMG]

    The sheet will cover cabooses from I-1's up to anything into the 70's. It also has lettering for MOW equipment mixxed in.

    Below is just the I-12 applications:

    [​IMG]

    I worked with several members of the B&O Historical Society before finalizing the sheet. It's as close as I can get with the available data.
     
  5. TrainCat2

    TrainCat2 TrainBoard Member

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    Clearance Cars Too ?? :tb-rolleyes:
     
  6. brokemoto

    brokemoto TrainBoard Member

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    Where can you buy these things? I would like to buy several, but I have yet to find any available for sale, anywhere.
     
  7. NikkiB

    NikkiB TrainBoard Member

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    Yeah, I had it 180 degrees off. I know what I wanted to say, but it came out wrong...you know...I give that same excuse to my wife, and it seems to work there.

    :tb-tongue:
     
  8. NikkiB

    NikkiB TrainBoard Member

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    You cannot find anything like them, because no one makes any. This a "Labor of Love" for us.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 7, 2008
  9. wcfn100

    wcfn100 TrainBoard Member

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    :thumbs_up:


    I see you're printing white. If you use an ALPS printer, you will have to print the white in two separate passes. I had a couple of issues with multiple passes creating thicker i.e. wider lines obscuring fine details. I don't know if the registration is just a bit off, if there is some sort of bleeding equivelent with ribbons, if the print driver does this or if it's just the way my printer works. It only really shows on the smallest type. What I do now is set the outline of the text to white and adjust the thinkness of the stoke accordingly to compensate. (These are AI terms)


    Those decals look good.


    Jason
     
  10. brokemoto

    brokemoto TrainBoard Member

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    I meant where do you buy the caboose kits? Still, thank you for the offer of the decals. If I can find some caboose kits, I will take you up on the decal offer. Thank you!
     
  11. NikkiB

    NikkiB TrainBoard Member

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    Tony is the manager of a LHS. He ordered some for us several months ago. They are just now starting to trickle in. I believe that we waited about 6 months.
     
  12. fjack12134

    fjack12134 TrainBoard Member

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    Try JnJ trains directly. Don't know if he has any kits that are not spoken for.
    www.jnjtrains.com
     
  13. Lownen

    Lownen TrainBoard Member

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    For those that don't have Corel and don't want to make the investment, Inkscape is a free open source alternative. So far it's handled .eps files fine for me.

    I don't see a photo on the JnJ site, can someone post an image of the caboose here please?
     
  14. fjack12134

    fjack12134 TrainBoard Member

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    Check the Baltimore & Ohio site on this board. The Jan- Feb 2008 issue of N- Scale magazine has a great article by Greg Jones on how to assemble this kit.
     
  15. skipgear

    skipgear TrainBoard Member

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    Here is a naked picture of one. All it needs is a few decals....hint hint John.

    [​IMG]

    There are more construction shots of it in my caboose album:

    N Scale Cabooses - RailImages.com

    I'm hoping that about a dozzen of those caboose kits are on their way to our shop. I have had them on Backorder from JNJ for over a year now. The caboose shown in the picture above is a test shell that I was sent to be able to get the decals right.

    BTW - there may be some test shots of the decals by next week. Next time you see the caboose above, it may be lettered.
     
  16. NikkiB

    NikkiB TrainBoard Member

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    That's the goal!
     
  17. NikkiB

    NikkiB TrainBoard Member

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    The finished decals look awsome! The quality is really amazing. Under a magnifying glass, you can read the data printing. The curves are very smooth. The vectors worked better than I had expected.

    The proofs are completed. After a "once over", they should be ready to run.

    :)
     
  18. NikkiB

    NikkiB TrainBoard Member

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    Oh....I forgot to add....

    The resolution is 1200 pdi. Absolutely crisp. FAR superior to traditional silkscreening.
     
  19. Inkaneer

    Inkaneer TrainBoard Member

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    That caboose may just be the ticket for me to begin to model the B&O. Saw so many of them at the rear of a train when I was a kid. They were so uniquely B&O. Will decals be available commercially?
     
  20. NikkiB

    NikkiB TrainBoard Member

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    Yeah....we're going to make them available to people. I got some commercial decal paper, and if the proof sheets function well, then I do a run of them.
     

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