A lot of real railcars are lettered the same way we do it: decals.
Big, weather resistant, self adhesive decals, but decals all the same.
You can see it close up here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/50090140@N08/5768153570/in/photostream/
My question is: Is this a fake? Looks like it to me. How can they make the 4 without a stencil? There should be a section where you can't paint so that the stencil covers the hole in the middle of the 4.
In the event that anyone ever comes looking for it, a friend of mine figured it out last night. It's called Crillee. I showed her another picture and she caught that there were odd little serifs that she hadn't noticed the first time.
I'd thought Futura Bold too, but the C is different.
The numbers are tricky because so few people can identify a font by its numbers. One of my friends got back to me that the letters and numbers are different fonts (maybe). That 6 is from Eras Demi, but Eras Demi's W and C don't match what's in that picture.
Rather complicated for a leasing company's reporting marks, instead of using railroad or highway gothic.
Sort of looks like Futura Bold but italicized.
Modeling whatever I can make out of that stash of kits that takes up half my apartment's spare bedroom.
I'd like to make decals for some patched covered hoppers lettered for MWCX, but I'm stumped on them.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/50090140@N08/5768153270/in/photostream
I've combed through the fonts I have and asked a couple fellow designers. No one can put a finger on it, but everyone agrees it looks familiar. Any ideas?