1950s billboard ideas needed...

[Tracklayer]

Hi gang. I'm considering building a couple of old 1950s billboards for my layout. I thought maybe I'd do one advertising the Santa Fe Super Chief, and another of possibly a car ad. At this point any good suggestions are more than welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Tracklayer 

[bcawthon]

Period gasoline companies are always good. Pure, Sinclair, etc. Howard Johnson's restaurants (motels came in 1954). In certain parts of the country, Stuckey's signs were on most major roads.

[lvanhen]

Don't forget cigarete ads!  In the '50's those nasty things were advertised everywhere - even on TV!  (Anyone remember the dancing Kool packs?!)  Car ads were big, because they looked different every year - I can't even tell the difference between American cars and Jap anymore!  Go to the local library & look at some old Life & Look mags - the ads in there were often the same as the billboards!!  Check out Walthers - there are a number of ready-made billboard signs - WS for starters.

[bogp40]

Besides the car, oil and ciggarette adds, the products of the times were real biggies on billboards.

Cereal ads, Ralston/Purina, Quaker Oats, Nabisco. The old stand bys of the soft drinks Nehi, Moxi of course Coke and Pepsi.

Ads for all the newfangled appliances, the 50s were times of many changes and improvements to all household appliances and products. Frigidaire, Coloric, Zenith, Admiral, Bell and Howell and so many others.

[Tracklayer]

Don't forget cigarete ads!  In the '50's those nasty things were advertised everywhere - even on TV!  (Anyone remember the dancing Kool packs?!)  Car ads were big, because they looked different every year - I can't even tell the difference between American cars and Jap anymore!  Go to the local library & look at some old Life & Look mags - the ads in there were often the same as the billboards!!  Check out Walthers - there are a number of ready-made billboard signs - WS for starters.

Thanks, but no can do the cigarette ads... I smoked those rotten things every day for 24 years until they finally made me sick!. However, I do appreciate all else about your suggestions. I've got one of the Walther's signs, but the problem is it's an ad for Walther's products... Oh well. I might find something that I can glue over the Walther's ad. 

Tracklayer

[Conrail5]

Heres a few beer and soda billboards. Do a google search you'll find plenty.

 

[simon1966]

http://www.jlinnovative.com/Catalog.ASP?WCI=DisplayProducts&WCE=ByCI1249B0&WCU=hhb76Iq3Bwck90HhmyOVDgjRRQ59hNMI

JL lnnovative has some wondeful 50's products. This is a Iink to their Billboards section.

[orsonroy]

More period billboards than you'll know what to do with:
http://www.billboardsofthepast.com/

[JimRCGMO]

Hi gang. I'm considering building a couple of old 1950s billboards for my layout. I thought maybe I'd do one advertising the Santa Fe Super Chief, and another of possibly a car ad. At this point any good suggestions are more than welcome.

Tracklayer, here are some pages with various signs (billboard and others) that you might be able to use on your layout.

http://www.gatewaynmra.org/download.htm

Mike Tylick has this page (which has links to other pages with signs):

http://www.trainweb.org/tylick/signintro.htm

Fritz' House o' Model RR Bilboards: 

http://www.wyomingyard.com/billboards/ 

Hope those give you a start - also check the JL Innovative and other catalogs, especially if you want some older styles (like late 1940's ones that haven't been re-posted on the billboard, which you can model as peeling...).

Jim in Cape Girardeau 

[MisterBeasley]

This site lists movies by years.

http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/index.php#YearIndex

An old movie billboard does a very good job of setting the year of your layout.  For example, nothing says "1939" like Gone With The Wind.

[steamage]

I use old match book covers for smaller billboards. They can be easily found on Ebay. I found covers for local areas where I am modeling!

[drgwcs]

Another source are the companies that make tin signs. The store I manage buys tons of the little buggers from Desperate Enterprises and I get the old catalogs when we replace them. If you're going to do that though it is only right to buy some of their signs (which I have)

Jim C

[gn goat]

If you have some country highways you're modeling you might try some of those old Burma Shave or Wall Drug signs.

the goat     

[Anonymous]

I,ve seen those burma Shave signs. I think they are in the Walthers catalog.

Weren't the Wall Drugs signs bumper stickers. "Where in the world is Wall Drugs", I think.

[modelmaker51]

Wall Drugs, Wall, SD. The middle of nowhere, just off of I-90. If you ever drive cross country on I-90 you can't miss it!

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/SDWALdrug.html

[LudwigVonDrake]

Adclassix is a veritable gold mine. Theres no thumbnails in the lists, but if you're paitient you might stumble on a gem or two..

http://www.adclassix.com/

 

[Anonymous]

I think theme parks kept billboards nearby, way to get the kids to lean on the parents to get them to go. Hotels advertising free color TV would be another.

[Left Coast Rail]

I remember this one from my youth:

[Tracklayer]

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate the info and ideas.

Tracklayer

[tomkat-13]

I copy signs & billboards off ebay (or other places on the web). Go to collectables-advertising or collectables-paper, then search for signs, copy & paste image to a publisher desk top, crop & size for your scale ( HO for me ). then save to a file. Then you can print on paper, cardstock or full sticker page. With full sticker just cut out, trim and stick to a stiff backing or right to a building. With paper or cardstock you can use double sided tape or glue of your choice. If you print on photo paper you get a glossy like metal sign that. You can build the frame for billboards from wood stick matches or scale lumber.

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE

 

These signs on the cafe I scanned from a sign catalog.

You can also copy people, Background buildings, interiors, ect.

This is off a postcard found on ebay under collectables/paper/postcards. These are great to use as background buidings.

These are old ink blotters copied off ebay, found under collectables/paper/ink blotters. Most are rectangle and make nice billboards.

These buildings were copied of postcards on ebay and make great background buildings! The ideas are endless....just look for signs that match the era you model.

[Medina1128]

While you're thinking about movie ads for the 50's, don't forget Forbidden Planet, East of Eden, Ben Hur, Giant, From Here to Eternity and On the Waterfront to name a few. I found a doozy of a website for vintage ads: adclassix.com

[tgindy]

While you're thinking about movie ads for the 50's, don't forget Forbidden Planet, East of Eden, Ben Hur, Giant, From Here to Eternity and On the Waterfront to name a few. I found a doozy of a website for vintage ads: adclassix.com

Think about the exact year and there may be a way to identify it.

For example:  My Conemaugh Road & Traction is set to peg in the year 1956.  So, the scenery is leaning toward fall foliage to back up the billboards because President Eisenhower is up for re-election, and; there willl be an "I Like Ike" billboard or two.  I'm also planning on a billboard ad for the tv show, "Howdy Doody," which is very 1950s.

A way to get an exact year is to locate a Ford or Chevy ad.  Did you know that Greyhound Scenicruisers came out in the mid-1950s?

Don't forget that many railroads were still into heavy advertising like for passenger service.  Put your favorite roadname into an eBay search, and you'll come up with pictures of posters and postcards.

In addition to Google Images, here is another good starter at http://en.wikipedia.org/

 

[loathar]

Can't forget Mail Pouch chew.