Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

YES MORE! Signs for your layout

347890 views
948 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: ARCH CITY
  • 1,769 posts
Posted by tomkat-13 on Monday, February 1, 2010 3:39 PM

I model MKT & CB&Q in Missouri. A MUST SEE LINK: Great photographs from glassplate negatives of St Louis 1914-1917!!!! http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/kempland/glassplate.htm Boeing Employee RR Club-St Louis http://www.berrc-stl.com/
  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: ARCH CITY
  • 1,769 posts
Posted by tomkat-13 on Sunday, January 31, 2010 10:34 AM

I model MKT & CB&Q in Missouri. A MUST SEE LINK: Great photographs from glassplate negatives of St Louis 1914-1917!!!! http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/kempland/glassplate.htm Boeing Employee RR Club-St Louis http://www.berrc-stl.com/
  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: ARCH CITY
  • 1,769 posts
Posted by tomkat-13 on Saturday, January 30, 2010 8:30 PM

 

I model MKT & CB&Q in Missouri. A MUST SEE LINK: Great photographs from glassplate negatives of St Louis 1914-1917!!!! http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/kempland/glassplate.htm Boeing Employee RR Club-St Louis http://www.berrc-stl.com/
  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: ARCH CITY
  • 1,769 posts
Posted by tomkat-13 on Saturday, January 30, 2010 2:33 PM

I model MKT & CB&Q in Missouri. A MUST SEE LINK: Great photographs from glassplate negatives of St Louis 1914-1917!!!! http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/kempland/glassplate.htm Boeing Employee RR Club-St Louis http://www.berrc-stl.com/
  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: ARCH CITY
  • 1,769 posts
Posted by tomkat-13 on Saturday, January 30, 2010 7:16 AM

JGphins

Hi Tomkat, just wanted to stop by and say thanks for putting up all these great signs.

BTW, maybe you can help me find a sign that I've been looking for... its for my Northern Light & Power complex. They have a logo of this red cartoon looking man called "Reddy". If you find something out there you'll really make my day but if you don't, you've done so much already & no biggie.

Thanks again for the signs,

SPC Granados, J

 

 

 

 

 

I model MKT & CB&Q in Missouri. A MUST SEE LINK: Great photographs from glassplate negatives of St Louis 1914-1917!!!! http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/kempland/glassplate.htm Boeing Employee RR Club-St Louis http://www.berrc-stl.com/
  • Member since
    June 2004
  • From: Orig: Tyler Texas. Lived in seven countries, now live in Sundown, Louisiana
  • 25,640 posts
Posted by jeffrey-wimberly on Saturday, January 30, 2010 6:36 AM

JGphins
They have a logo of this red cartoon looking man called "Reddy"

Check your PM's.

Running Bear, Sundown, Louisiana
          Joined June, 2004

Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running Bear
Space Mouse for president!
15 year veteran fire fighter
Collector of Apple //e's
Running Bear Enterprises
History Channel Club life member.
beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam


  • Member since
    April 2008
  • 20 posts
Posted by JGphins on Saturday, January 30, 2010 1:36 AM

Hi Tomkat, just wanted to stop by and say thanks for putting up all these great signs.

BTW, maybe you can help me find a sign that I've been looking for... its for my Northern Light & Power complex. They have a logo of this red cartoon looking man called "Reddy". If you find something out there you'll really make my day but if you don't, you've done so much already & no biggie.

Thanks again for the signs,

SPC Granados, J

 

  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: ARCH CITY
  • 1,769 posts
Posted by tomkat-13 on Friday, January 29, 2010 5:11 PM

I model MKT & CB&Q in Missouri. A MUST SEE LINK: Great photographs from glassplate negatives of St Louis 1914-1917!!!! http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/kempland/glassplate.htm Boeing Employee RR Club-St Louis http://www.berrc-stl.com/
  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: ARCH CITY
  • 1,769 posts
Posted by tomkat-13 on Thursday, January 28, 2010 5:20 PM

I model MKT & CB&Q in Missouri. A MUST SEE LINK: Great photographs from glassplate negatives of St Louis 1914-1917!!!! http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/kempland/glassplate.htm Boeing Employee RR Club-St Louis http://www.berrc-stl.com/
  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: ARCH CITY
  • 1,769 posts
Posted by tomkat-13 on Wednesday, January 27, 2010 4:36 PM

I model MKT & CB&Q in Missouri. A MUST SEE LINK: Great photographs from glassplate negatives of St Louis 1914-1917!!!! http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/kempland/glassplate.htm Boeing Employee RR Club-St Louis http://www.berrc-stl.com/
  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: ARCH CITY
  • 1,769 posts
Posted by tomkat-13 on Wednesday, January 27, 2010 3:39 PM

Back to signs!

I model MKT & CB&Q in Missouri. A MUST SEE LINK: Great photographs from glassplate negatives of St Louis 1914-1917!!!! http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/kempland/glassplate.htm Boeing Employee RR Club-St Louis http://www.berrc-stl.com/
  • Member since
    August 2009
  • 60 posts
Posted by Frank K. on Wednesday, January 27, 2010 2:19 AM

 Hello tomkat,

you are great.

They are very fine scans, i like them.

 

greets

Frank

  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: ARCH CITY
  • 1,769 posts
Posted by tomkat-13 on Tuesday, January 26, 2010 3:42 PM

Here are some more background buildings.

I model MKT & CB&Q in Missouri. A MUST SEE LINK: Great photographs from glassplate negatives of St Louis 1914-1917!!!! http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/kempland/glassplate.htm Boeing Employee RR Club-St Louis http://www.berrc-stl.com/
  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: On the Banks of the Great Choptank
  • 2,916 posts
Posted by wm3798 on Tuesday, January 26, 2010 11:10 AM

EM-1

Get tired of seeing the same kit or built-ups all the time.

 

Can I hear an AMEN!?

Route of the Alpha Jets  www.wmrywesternlines.net

  • Member since
    August 2008
  • 357 posts
Posted by EM-1 on Monday, January 25, 2010 11:29 PM

Thaks for posting the signs.  I'd say your collection represents quite a bit of work..  Also, thanks for including those post cards.  Gives me some ideas for some commercial buildings for my (future) layout.  Get tired of seeing the same kit or built-ups all the tie.

  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: ARCH CITY
  • 1,769 posts
Posted by tomkat-13 on Monday, January 25, 2010 6:38 PM

wm3798

 I'm curious how you research and obtain many of these images.  I recognize a lot of them as old match book covers.  I imagine business cards and pamphlets are another source.  I've always been on the lookout for interesting sign art, and I have to say, you have been a real time saver!

 

Lee

Lee you are right some are from old matchbook covers. I search ebay for old ink blotters, matchbook covers, old signs, decals, patches, ect. I then copy, paste, crop, & resize. Some I put borders on in MS PAINT. Since I'm looking for my own model RR why not share with others. I know that some do not copy real sharp but when put in the background they do just fine.

Also I look at old post cards  on ebay for backgound buildings.

I model MKT & CB&Q in Missouri. A MUST SEE LINK: Great photographs from glassplate negatives of St Louis 1914-1917!!!! http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/kempland/glassplate.htm Boeing Employee RR Club-St Louis http://www.berrc-stl.com/
  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: On the Banks of the Great Choptank
  • 2,916 posts
Posted by wm3798 on Monday, January 25, 2010 8:39 AM

 I'm curious how you research and obtain many of these images.  I recognize a lot of them as old match book covers.  I imagine business cards and pamphlets are another source.  I've always been on the lookout for interesting sign art, and I have to say, you have been a real time saver!

Your most recent entry with the Pep Boys called to mind a small module I built almost 25 years ago...

 

You can see Manny, Moe and Jack trimmed from a match book there on the left.  The old Pep Boys store where I grew up is still there, and the boys are still proudly perched on the roof!

Lee

Route of the Alpha Jets  www.wmrywesternlines.net

  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: ARCH CITY
  • 1,769 posts
Posted by tomkat-13 on Sunday, January 24, 2010 1:52 PM

I model MKT & CB&Q in Missouri. A MUST SEE LINK: Great photographs from glassplate negatives of St Louis 1914-1917!!!! http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/kempland/glassplate.htm Boeing Employee RR Club-St Louis http://www.berrc-stl.com/
  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: ARCH CITY
  • 1,769 posts
Posted by tomkat-13 on Sunday, January 24, 2010 12:01 PM

I model MKT & CB&Q in Missouri. A MUST SEE LINK: Great photographs from glassplate negatives of St Louis 1914-1917!!!! http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/kempland/glassplate.htm Boeing Employee RR Club-St Louis http://www.berrc-stl.com/
  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: ARCH CITY
  • 1,769 posts
Posted by tomkat-13 on Thursday, January 21, 2010 5:20 PM

I model MKT & CB&Q in Missouri. A MUST SEE LINK: Great photographs from glassplate negatives of St Louis 1914-1917!!!! http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/kempland/glassplate.htm Boeing Employee RR Club-St Louis http://www.berrc-stl.com/
  • Member since
    December 2014
  • 106 posts
Posted by tedski on Thursday, January 21, 2010 1:06 PM

Boy - I think that's exactly what's happening.  First the software is degrading the image and then my printer is doing its best to print a lower quality image.  A couple of the largest signs have come out passably as decals (especially since the lower quality can help make them look aged/weathered) but none of the medium or small ones. 

  • Member since
    February 2009
  • From: Enfield, CT
  • 935 posts
Posted by Doc in CT on Wednesday, January 20, 2010 4:29 PM

tomkat-13
I make these up in MS Publisher first & then I have to copy & paste into Irfanview to make it into a jpg file then upload into photobucket then paste into the forum.  When I print for myself I print right from the publisher file.  I am trying more to make the signs bigger that way there is more detail.

 

tomkat,
have you tried pasting the small signs up in a photo editing program instead of into publisher prior to creating the JPG?  Publisher has a tendency to reduce resolution of images.  Also I noticed that if I copies a 180dpi (which publisher thinks is 157dpi) image into a photo editing program it comes out as 75dpi.
Alan

Co-owner of the proposed CT River Valley RR (HO scale) http://home.comcast.net/~docinct/CTRiverValleyRR/

  • Member since
    February 2009
  • From: Enfield, CT
  • 935 posts
Posted by Doc in CT on Wednesday, January 20, 2010 4:15 PM

tedski
I guess I'll play with the settings on my inkjet again and see if I can get any better results. 

 

Actually, a good photo quality inkjet should do a better job than many color lasers.
You need decent paper and best quality settings.
BUT 
the images you are opening up here and saving for printing are 75dpi.  All your 600 dpi inkject are doing is faithfully rending the 75dpi.

 

Co-owner of the proposed CT River Valley RR (HO scale) http://home.comcast.net/~docinct/CTRiverValleyRR/

  • Member since
    December 2014
  • 106 posts
Posted by tedski on Wednesday, January 20, 2010 8:24 AM

Thanks for the links.  I've signed up with Trainboard and will try downloading the signs from there.  I think you are right - sometimes a lot of detail is lost in translation and the resulting file is probably a lot smaller than what you started with. They are GREAT signs.  Thanks for all of your work.

  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: ARCH CITY
  • 1,769 posts
Posted by tomkat-13 on Tuesday, January 19, 2010 5:45 PM

tedski

I'm sorry to say that I am having a hard time with your great pictures.  I save each sheet to a jpg file but whenever I try to print them out, they look blurry.  Larger text is not clear, fuzzy around the edges.  Small text becomes "greeked".  I have tried importing these into Word and another program that allows editing of photos and tried the 'sharpen' tool but it just looks bad when printed out.  I'm using a color inkjet printer that prints beyond 1200 dpi but the signs are not at that resolution so they come out in low resolution.  Any suggestions? Banged Head

 

Sorry for your problems, I think that photobucket and/or this web site reduces the size of the file.

I make these up in MS Publisher first & then I have to copy & paste into Irfanview to make it into a jpg file then upload into photobucket then paste into the forum.  When I print for myself I print right from the publisher file.  I am trying more to make the signs bigger that way there is more detail.

Here are some other links you might try

http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=114404

http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/album.php?albumid=721

tomkat

 

I model MKT & CB&Q in Missouri. A MUST SEE LINK: Great photographs from glassplate negatives of St Louis 1914-1917!!!! http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/kempland/glassplate.htm Boeing Employee RR Club-St Louis http://www.berrc-stl.com/
  • Member since
    December 2014
  • 106 posts
Posted by tedski on Tuesday, January 19, 2010 3:46 PM

Thanks for the reply.  Unfortunately, I don't have access to a color laser printer.  I guess I'll play with the settings on my inkjet again and see if I can get any better results.  But I may just be restricted to printing those that are ok to print small for HO display. 

  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: On the Banks of the Great Choptank
  • 2,916 posts
Posted by wm3798 on Tuesday, January 19, 2010 2:55 PM

 If you're not already doing it, try printing on a color laser instead of an Ink Jet.  That helps.

 I have the advantage of doing N scale, so I shrink them down a bit, which helps "tighten up" the image.

Lee

Route of the Alpha Jets  www.wmrywesternlines.net

  • Member since
    December 2014
  • 106 posts
Posted by tedski on Tuesday, January 19, 2010 1:41 PM

I'm sorry to say that I am having a hard time with your great pictures.  I save each sheet to a jpg file but whenever I try to print them out, they look blurry.  Larger text is not clear, fuzzy around the edges.  Small text becomes "greeked".  I have tried importing these into Word and another program that allows editing of photos and tried the 'sharpen' tool but it just looks bad when printed out.  I'm using a color inkjet printer that prints beyond 1200 dpi but the signs are not at that resolution so they come out in low resolution.  Any suggestions? Banged Head

 

  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: ARCH CITY
  • 1,769 posts
Posted by tomkat-13 on Monday, January 18, 2010 3:06 PM

Keep checking back as I will try to add more pages of signs as I find them.

 

I model MKT & CB&Q in Missouri. A MUST SEE LINK: Great photographs from glassplate negatives of St Louis 1914-1917!!!! http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/kempland/glassplate.htm Boeing Employee RR Club-St Louis http://www.berrc-stl.com/
  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: ARCH CITY
  • 1,769 posts
Posted by tomkat-13 on Sunday, January 17, 2010 5:23 PM

I model MKT & CB&Q in Missouri. A MUST SEE LINK: Great photographs from glassplate negatives of St Louis 1914-1917!!!! http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/kempland/glassplate.htm Boeing Employee RR Club-St Louis http://www.berrc-stl.com/

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!