Smattering

James,

First of all, I love your layout!  My dream is to model the current era and this is the closest good example I have seen!

I was wonder how you plan your signs.  I know if I did it, I would be tempted just to smatter a few signs here ande there that looked good.  Do your signs correspond to actual layout features?

For instance, are the numbers on the last sign meaningful?

Peter

Mileposts

Hi Peter,

Thanks for the kind comments. My signs correspond to actual signs at actual prototype locations. With anything there's always a chance for going overboard, so you're always safe at copying what's actually there to your best ability. Even so it's amazing how many signs exist in the world, including safety, business and advertising.

I wasn't descriptive enough on my original post. The last photo is of a mile marker on the line. Originally I placed the mile markers in their correct prototype location, but that simply magnified where I compressed the plan to fit my  space. They've been better spaced out so it's not so obvious but are still "close" to their correct locations.

James

Well done James. Really like

Well done James. Really like your layout and your scenery.

Very well done indeed

Thanks for posting.

Looks fantastic!! Looks like

Sign Makers

Hi Jerry,

The highway exit sign is from Summit Custom Cuts. Looks like they're only available in HO scale, but it shouldn't be too hard to make something similar with styrene rod in N scale. I'm not affiliated with Summit, just a happy customer.

As for the rest they were all made with styrene and brass wire. The signs themselves were photographed from the prototype, cleaned in Photoshop where needed and printed out on regular paper. The paper was then spray glued to the styrene.

James

Cross buck concern

As memory serves me, the common cross buck sign does not have a black border along the edge, but many of the scale signs supplied by model supply companies have the black border. Am I wrong in my recollection of the prototype standard? Perhaps the black border is not so common on the west coast?

I recognized your layout!

I recognized your layout before I ever  looked at the name! I've been admiring your layout for some time now, I remember blog entries like Meredith Crossing and the pallet factory, your style is very recognizable. I will echo the others here and say that you are a very talented artist and your layout looks absolutely fantastic!

And I've been noticing the very same thing this blog is about, signs are everywhere! We mentally block them out when we go to town, because we are under a constant onslaught of signs!  When you're inside the city limits, or out in public at all, you can hardly point your nose in any direction that you do not see a sign! Or several of them! I particularly like the sign on the side of the electrical box next to the crossing gates. A detail that most everyone would overlook. As you've mentioned in earlier blogs, realism is all in the details, and going out and photographing the real thing is the best way to find what details will work where. Even if you are not modeling a prototype railroad, the principle still works. If you are modeling a plumbing supply on your layout, then go photograph the back yard of any local plumbing supply and you'll get an idea of what kind of junk piles up there. Just as an example. But I like the idea that you have, to actually photograph those signs and use them on the layout! By editing them to fit your scale and gluing them on the sign post, genius! What better source of signage could you want? Bravo James! I am in envy of your layout!

Very nice very real looking

Electronic Billboards

Now, we need someone to design and market an HO scale electronic billboard. It could cycle ads for model railroad manufacturers, or humorous take offs on real billboard ads.

George

Thanks

Thank you everyone for your kind comments, and thank you to MRH for including this post in the weekly update.

I'm just happy that both BLMA and Blair Line make modern-era pedestal style billboards. Yet another example of a quick and easy way to establish locale and era. While I could easily use either a generic national brand billboard or go with one of the "gag" ones that BLMA includes I'm better served by using something local to Des Moines and the Grimes Line. It's easily done with Photoshop and a good printer.

James

Nice work. Looks spot on and I should know

James,

Awesome work here!  Yep those are the places I drive by almost everyday, you have nailed it.  In fact I happened to catch IAIS crossing the Hickman Bridge with a couple of box cars just last week on my way to hassle the boys at the hobby shop!  At one point or another I have walked a good majority of that line. 

Now I live along the UP branch out to Waukee. Another fun line with a very interesting history.  Let me know if you ever intend on modeling that.  Also if you live near DSM you should come and visit our Club in Johnston. (see the links below if you're interested)

Again great work,

Jason Reis

West Des Moines, Iowa

Looking for and gathering information on
Pacific Railway & Navigation Co. from 1900 to 1920

Raccoon Valley Model Railroad Club - Johnston, Iowa

http ://groups.yahoo.com/group/rvmrrclub/

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/rvmrrc/

Signs --- signs everywhere ?

Hi,

what I am missing ( maybe I didn´t see all of them yet ) are those signs along the roadsides like a lot of them making up a sort of riddle/poem; I think it was about ads for shaving or a shaving cream or razors??

Can anyone help where to find those way side signs?

Thanks.

Rex, Kassel, Germany

Burma Shave signs

I found my N scale Burma Shave signs at Blair Line.

UP Perry Sub

Small world Jason. I've already modeled the Perry Sub!

I built the first version of the Grimes Line when we lived in a duplex in 2006. It was a lot of fun to operate but had to be disassembled when we bought our home two years later. After we moved in I wasn't ready to dive into full construction on the new version of the Grimes Line so I reused the benchwork to build a small layout based on the Perry Sub.

Since I still wanted to model the Iowa Interstate I did a little proto-freelancing and reimagined the Perry Sub as the IAIS Perry Branch, served by the same train that runs on the Grimes Line. It was a faithful reproduction of the West Des Moines (Valley Junction) and Waukee segments, but didn't get much past the base scenery stage before I went back to modeling the Grimes Line.

James

Cross Buck

I'm not sure when the SP and UP began using cross buck signs without a border, but none of the ones in Arizona have such a detail, however...

Many years ago, a friend gave me an old, lighted cross buck that was taken out of service in the early 1980's. The 'Railroad Crossing' signs WERE edged in black. It was said to have come off the SP, and was being replaced at that time by newer signs and lights. I wish I still had a picture of the old cross buck, it stood beside my driveway, but that was many years and several moves ago.

Hope this helps a bit!

Not programmable, but close...

Dear George,

Hmm, anything like this from Miniatronics?

http://www.miniatronics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=85-005-01&Category_Code=&Product_Count=15

I could see a mini OLED possibly doing something useful here...

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

@AZPacific

Thanks for that info on the cross bucks. I apparently had not noticed the border in other pictures. So now I know.