Hetch Hetchy

Nice to see someone else knows about that line. 

Thomas Gasior

So are these real?

Are these real Fallen Flags and Real emblems?  I am asking because I have a number of logging RR's that were in the area of my layout that all had great names but were short lived.  I have thought of making a sort of heritage run of cars or even an engine or two with there namesake.  I want to do the emblems in that old style like you have in your pictures. 

Thanks

What are you drawing these from?

Do you have pictures of the equipment with these Heralds on?  I am curious as to where you are getting your information to draw the heralds.

Sourse of Heralds

Jim B; The Internet, such as Wikipedia,sssmre.org, Google Images, etc. Yours E.H.

Heralds

Northernsub: Most were real railroads. Some I have done are famous model railroads and clubs. Yours, E.H.

SAU&G

It was acquired by the MP and the line from San Antonio to Corpus Christi is still called the "Sausage".

I can't vouch for the herald but the railroad is real.

Yancy RR

I believe Model Rairloader did an article way back when on the Yancy. I'll have to see if I can find it.

Here's another one that I know Model Railroader did an article one. Aroostook Valley Railroad - The Potato Route in Maine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aroostook_Valley_Railroad

Bernd

Inspired

Well they are really inspiring.  I am going to put my artistic wife on the job of making some designs for my road now. 

I have a friend who bough a very nice decal printing machine which can either print directly to the car or loco.  Or print on decal paper. 

Printing

Sounds like it could be a pad printing machine?

Bernd 

Pad Printe.....Nope! Much better.

No this thing can and will print on ANYTHING that fits.  It literally PRINTS on the cars.  Its unbelievable!  Here is a link to his web site.   Also look him up on Facebook if you have it.  He has many more pictures there. 

http://netzlofdesign.info/ModelProducts/

Just checked out the site,

_{Just checked out the site, quite impressive. The contact link isn't working though would you possibly have his email?}

Try this

If this does not work go to Facebook and send him a message.  He is getting a lot of business and trying to keep the multi-media up to date. 

Email:  John@NetzlofDesign.info

Or try the guys at CMR Products.  They are the distributor he works with.

http://www.cmrproducts.com/

Printer

@Norhernsub, can you give any details on the printer?  Sounds like a cool device, must have a youtube product video of it in action, something neat.  If you could at least get a manufacture for the printer that would something I could google.

Thanks,

That would be interesting

Yes indeed, that would be nice. But if it's something affordable for the average modeler there's a possibility that it would put him out of business printing custom decals.  We could print our own. Catch22.

Bernd

Not Cheap

Cost of this thing is similar to a the cost of a new Truck.   I'll leave it at that.  You can talk to John for more details.  I do not know the name of the machine or where he got it. 

I have seen the end results.  He can print on N-scale to O-scale.  Any colors any design.  He has even done weathering with the printer.  So the machine direct prints to the car and or can print decal sheets.  The amount of detail is unbelievable.  A emblem will be so small on the side of the car it looks like a blob to the nakid eye.  if you put a micro scope to it, its clean and clear.....Its there!   So nothing is too small! 

He made a run of the Miola Central RR cars for my local group to buy.  Bryan over at CMR Products stripped cars and or used undecorated cars.  He then repainted them dark blue.  Then sent them to John and had the Miola cars printed.  They used Bachmann Branchline and Walthers cars.  The Miola Central RR is a fictitious RR of a good friend of mine Rich Steiner who passed last December.  Rich was one of the founding members of the Clarion Pa. Model RR Club about 27 years ago.  If Rich would have seen new Miola Central Box Cars in boxes for sale he would have flipped....in a good way. 

As for the weathering its a process John is working on.  Its pretty amazing.  It even has a bit of a texture to it.  The weathering and or letters do not scratch off with a fingernail. 

May have found the source

A bit of research shows that the latest in printer tech is Digital Direct Inkjet Printing using UV light for curing. If any of you are familiar with Alibaba, the Amazon of the East, they sell printers like that.

http://nuocai.en.alibaba.com/product/1511653719-213771989/A2_size_direct_image_printing_machine_for_pen_glass_metal_photo_plastic_leather_ceramics.html

Here's a video showing one printing.

Here's all it can print on:  Card Printer, Cloths Printer, Label Printer, Paper Printer, printing machine for pen,glass,metal,photo,plastic,leather,ceramics.

Here's an interesting statement made: "Print Methos - White ink and color ink printing at the same time".

So the white on the Miola Central RR car emblem has white in it plus black, red and tan.

They don't give a price. You have to ask for a quote. I'm not about to do that. But like anything I'm sure the prices will go down once they become popular. All you have to do is convince your CFO that it will print on more things than your model railrod equipment.

Bernd

UV curable inkjet printers

Sorry this thread got hijacked, maybe one of the forum moderators could move the printer stuff to its own thread.

Once you know what to look for you can find videos on youtube, here are couple that are sales pitch types so you can really see what the printers are all about.  Here is a company called Direct Color Systems:

You can get A4 (roughly 8.5 x 11) size printers from China for down around $2,000, but who knows how good these are, one thing you do have to consider is the thickness of the freight car, as some of these less expensive printers can only do things less then 2 inches thick.

http://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=SB_20151123202340&SearchText=direct+uv+printer

A word about alibaba versus aliexpress. Aliababa is meant as a way to connect Chinese wholesalers to dealers or assemblers, so they are all about quotes, e.g. a company wants 100 units per week and the Chinese supplier gives you a quote. There is a way with alibaba to actually have several suppliers provide you with quotes that meet your needs and you choose one.  Aliexpress is like the amazon of the east, except aliexpress does not fulfill any orders, the stores/suppliers they give you access to are the ones fulfilling your orders, aliexpress just allows you to get pricing from several suppliers at once.

Yipes!

   Looked at prices. I can think of better things to spend $1,400.00 to $40,000.00 on. I would just as soon set up an account with the current business than to spend that amount of money and then have to concentrate on selling enough items to cover the cost and it would take me away from my RRing. I'll leave it to the experts. Besides, this old dog don't want to learn too many new tricks.

   Once I get my rolling stock out of storage I will get ahold of them and get my custom decals made. Whole lot cheaper and no learning curve.