Yes it is!

Great, that is.

 That's a really beautiful neon sign. Well done!

 I also like the idea of having a refrigerator at arm's length. Now that's living!

You're having too much fun

Scott, you're having too much fun with this hobby. You need to bring it down a notch or two ... (wink and ornery grin).

That's a really cool sign.

I'm likin' that, Scott!

Now cut it out and get more serious!

Actually, how much did that set you back? 

Thanks!

Thanks for the nice responses Rick and Joe.

Yes, it’s nice having the frig in the layout room. The butcher block cabinet you see in the picture will be the refreshment spread when we eventually operate my layout. Obviously, operators won’t have to reach far to grab their favorite beverage. But, that’s the way it should be, right?

Production costs

Thanks, Paul. 

I had a vector illustration of the IAIS logo that I took to a trusted local sign shop. They CNC’d 1/4 inch black plexi to match the herald shape, flame polished the edges and then cut and applied the yellow vinyl all for $133. 

I took their work to a local neon artist who formed the red tubes, set the gas (which involves carefully using mercury – yikes!), and did additional super structure work on the frame (ie: installing the transformer, painting and applying the tube setoffs, building a wall bracket, etc.). He’s a real craftsman and he charged me $200. 

So, all told I spent $333 for a totally custom neon herald of my favorite railroad which will decorate the layout room for years to come. In my mind that cost was very reasonable and worth paying. I had solicited my IAIS modeling buddies to join me which would have brought the cost down considerably per unit, but alas they passed. I’m sure now they are seething with jealousy but they had their chance.  They know who they are! (right Joe, James, Colin, Michael, and Campbell – oops.)

With this neon sign I’m now done with creating anything more for the layout room. The whole process was really fun and I would encourage anyone who’s considering a neon sign to go for it. I think the neon sign craze started around the time of the steam / diesel transition period and there’s a lot of you modelers out there.

Thanks, Scott!

Hmmm, I'm thinking Father's Day is coming up. .... 

The ranks of the IAIS cadre keeps growing!

Scott, tell us some more

Scott, tell us some more about that interesting item on the right side of the shelf in the top of the picture!

I love neon!

That's the nicest sign I've seen in a long time!  Sure beats those annoying moving LED signs popping up everywhere lately!   Good move!

Bart Hollis

Thanks, Bart!

…much appreciated. Having the sign made was an absolute blast. I hope other modelers will give it a go.

Wondering

That is a pretty neat sign.

We can pick up miniature neon signs for some of our modeled business's, like beer signs and some roof top signs. It might be neat to do a mini version of the RR's logo to post on the head quarters building if there is one.

Jack

Cool sign!

Well, it's taken a few days for the debilitating sense of envy to die down, but I'm very happy for you with that new creation Scott!  And honestly, besides the cost and wall space factors keeping me from pulling the trigger, I am happy that yours is now a one-of-a-kind!  Very creative idea on your part, and beautifully executed.  It deserves to stand alone that way.

Speaking of which, I had to share another bit of Scott's creativity that landed in my Inbox the other day after we were discussing our little group's history of IAIS modeling:

I'm still laughing!  But our Goldens would NEVER allow that cat to remain in my lap. 

The IAIS Godfather

For those that don’t know, that’s Joe Atkinson’s handsome mug in that illustration. 

Joe is the best known and widely considered the most knowledgeable modeler of the Iowa Interstate. The Godfather, if you will. Of course, his humility would not allow him to admit to this designation, but it’s the truth. 

As you can see in the illustration, Joe is busy dealing with dangerous switch lists on his desk. The bourbon is for stress relief from dealing with all of us IAIS neophytes.

The Godfather

Scott is being VERY gracious to me on a number of points above, not the least of which is the title of "best known".  With his work on the ProtoThrottle and James McNab's very popular Grimes Branch, I'm well back in the pack in that regard.  And we've barely scratched the surface of the great work I'm sure we'll see from Colin, Michael, and Campbell!

As for the bourbon, you'll notice that the bottle's been given quite a workout already.  I suspect it's those ProtoThrottle guys, Scott and Michael, self-medicating after extended design sessions. 

Jack H

Miller engineering has a lot of Scale Neon signs for model railroads.

http://www.microstru.com/

Graeme

That was where the idea came from. They used to have a do it yourself version, but I don't know if it is still available.

Jack

They still do

The experimenter's kit is still available.  I have a number of their signs and they certainly can add to a scene.

Cool!

You are one cool kat to have a custom sign made up for your railroad. Looks awesome!

Tim