Copper State Railway

[Deleted]

Well the Copper State Railway is in production.

So I need to ask an important question. I am right now designing the decals. I finalized the logo and now just need to do the simple numbers and some other text.

I want to add a fleet of boxcars. Would my reporting marks be CSRX or CSRY or just CSR?

Thanks.

Brian

[lyled1117]

Brian,
They can end in any but a few restricted letters. 'X' is one of the restricted ones. 'U' and 'Z' (containers and trailers) are the other two I know of. So ... CSR and CSRY are both valid if someone hasn't got those already if you want to avoid conflicting with real world reporting marks.

Lyle

From:
www.railserve.com/aar_railroad_reporting_marks.html

"Marks that end in X are assigned to railcar owners that are not common carrier railroads. These may include private car owners, leasing companies, and railroad museums."

That's why CSX added a 'T' to the end, so that there is no 'X' on the end of their reporting marks

[Deleted]

Thanks, I just checked and CSR is not used. There is a CSRX, but no CSR. I will use CSR.

I updated my logo. it was to busy. I do not like fancy looking logos or paint schemes. Plain and simple is how I like to operate. So now it is just the state of Arizona with the road name in it in somewhat of an old west script called Copperplate Gothic.

Brian

[Deleted]

I went to the hobby store today to see if I could find the proper color blue/gray that I wanted. I beilieve I did. It is a much darker and grayer than what is scanned here, but I like the shade. I did not want it to look like rimer gray and wanted a blue tinit to it. I used Testors Acrylic Navy Blue/Gray. The logo is not a decal. it is just printed on a regular sheet of paper and cut out. I used gloss coat to glue it down so the copper/tan color is a tad darker than it will be when decals are made.



The loco numbers will be black and I will have black chevrons on each end. I am going to do large black numbers centered on the engine room doors. I really liked how Kennecott did their really large road numbers on the hood sides. The side sills will have diagonal white reflective stripes as well as the top of the pilot plate. The leading edge of the handrails will be white and the outside edges of the plow will have the safety yellow or red swatch. The blower duct step up and step edges will be white

Brian

[antlorch]

I am loving this Brian. The colors look good together. Will the black numbers and chevrons stick out with the blue background or will it kinda blend in and not show very well? I like the concept of the whole railroad and can't wait to see it come together.

[Deleted]

After looking at the colors, I have to do a test to see what sticks out more. the black or white. I am thinking now that white might stick out more. If so, then the numbers and chevrons will be white. Or I may lighten the blue, which is what I will probably do. The paint test today was to see if I liked the color. The more I look at it, I am thinking the shade needs to be lighter, less gray and more blue. Big thick black numbers will show up good on a lighter bluer background. My numners are going to be three digit, not four. SD40-2's will be numbered 500 - 509.

Today I received the SD40-2 model in the mail. Tonight I will start working on the trucks. Cleaning them up and bending the brake lines. Remember, one model at a time!

I tested teh fit of the logo under the cab. Perfect! The top of teh state fits just under the window and the bottom of the state sits just above the hinges on the sub base door.

Got a prorotype question: For modern railroading, would it be correct to use wheel slip indicators? If so, would they be on each axle or just one on each truck?

My first SD40-2 is going to be an ex CNW unit and will have the gong bell in the nose.

Brian

[Deleted]

I just did a color contrast check in the graphic art program I am using to make my decal artwork. Both black and white contrast very well. The numbers will be 0.700" tall and 2.10" wide. They will have somewhat the same slant and stretch as the Kennecott numbers and they will fit from the first engine room door to the last engine room door and from the hinge at the bottom of the door to the hinge at the top of the door.

I print a contrast chip and get your opinion. I like the black though.

Brian

[Deleted]

Here is the color chip contrast between black and white numbers. The blue/gray is pretty close to what I want to achieve.

[milw199]

Aug 18, 2012 14:36:34 GMT -5 @6axlepwr said:

Got a prorotype question: For modern railroading, would it be correct to use wheel slip indicators? If so, would they be on each axle or just one on each truck?



Brian

It depends...

The EJE SD38-2s have Q-tron computers installed, and have a hookup on each axle. This way, the computer can see what each axle is doing, and stop the spinning on just the axle that is spinning, and not the whole truck. This requires a special fribbitz on the center axle of the HT-C truck, to work around the shock mount.

Most engines just have one speed recorder hookup, placement varies. Lead axle is most common.

[Deleted]

Mike,

Is the type of system you explain something that would be cost effective for a railroad to invest in? Or would it be something that is considered not necessary? Remember, I am trying to keep this real. The Copper State Railroad has a much larger budget than the Waukegan Rail Service does. The CSR is a much larger operation and probably covers about the same amount of trackage or a bit more than teh J did.

Brian

[antlorch]

Looking at your sample the white numbers have a fuzzy hue around it so I like the black better also. Your blue/gray has a Confederate Army look to it, nice color choice and it would stand out with the Arizona sand behind it. I know you are using SD40-2's but what about 2 deturbo-charged SD35's as some older original power. With small paper filters and 2 or 4 exhaust stacks. Not trying to change your mind about anything your doing just brain stormin out loud.

[Deleted]

Anthony,

I enjoy the conversation. So suggest away.

The confederate gray is exactly what I was going after and yes, it will definitely stand out against the bleak desert colors. I am liking the black a lot more too.

There will be more power and deturboed SD35's are a great choice. Need something for yard service. The Phoenix yard is pretty good size and there is a LOT of traffic that comes into Phoenix. While living there, UP had to put in an extra long siding to hold trains until they could make room in the yard for them. Before they were holding them way out in the eastern desert. Now they can hold them just outside the yard. Same concept for the CSR.

Brian

[Deleted]

I'm not sure about this. I am thinking it looks like to much.



Options:

1. Move the logo to the end of the radiator compartment and put smaller numbers on the side of the cab.

2. Put smaller numbers on the radiator doors like BN did and leave the logo on the cab.

3. Put smaller numbers centered on the engine room doors like on the black IC locomotives.

I need to give the design some more thought. Maybe the number style looks to much like race car numbers.

Brian

[antlorch]

What if you shrink the herold 1/3 and the number by 1/2 but leave them in in same place? I think the style of the numbers is fine. Also I like the idea of the numbers BN style with the numbers under the rad. also. Are the chevrons going to be top to bottom on both ends?

I like the SD35 idea for the yard switching and maybe a slug mate with each one for added tractive effort for pulling long cuts of cars. In Houston on the hump at Englewood yard they are using 3 SD40-2's (deturboed) and a slug for pulling the cars out of the receiving yard and shoving over the hump. BN did something along the same lines with SD38 (correct me if I am wrong please) and a slug with a cab on it. Now do you have to do the cab on the slug but these are just ideas.

[big train james]

Brian,

These are my gut instinct impressions. At this point I think both the logo and the numbers are too big, unless the logo moves to the radiator.

If the logo stays on the cab side, then I think it would be small enough that it didn't overlap onto the battery box cover. I think it might be neat if bigger and on the radiator section doors.

I like either option #1 or #2.

I'm not sure why the numbers are skewed. The logo font is very straightforward. I think the numbers would mimic that style. And I personally vote for white over black if those are my two choices. It's tough to pick because the color blue you are using is sort of a medium color. If you like the darker color for the numbers I might suggest a dark blue instead of black.

That's what I got, which admittedly ain't much. I've tried coming up with a freelance roadname and scheme. It's not as easy to get tight and plausible as one might expect.

Jim

[Deleted]

Thanks, conversation is great and some great input.

Chevrons would go top to bottom.

Took the dogs for a walk and came up with anotehr idea I like a lot.

Reduce the size of the logo and just put C S Ry diagonally down. REmove the chevrons from each end and put the logo on the nose and long hood end. Spell out COPPER STATE RAILWAY on the side of the cab and put smaller numbers at the top of the ehngine room doors centered on the engine room. I am liking this idea a lot.

Brian

[antlorch]

If you do use the chevrons and the stripes on the side and numbers using gold/yellow instead of black? That would stand off that blue something fierce. Like the gold buttons used on the uniforms of true army uniforms.

I still like the stripes on the front and rear and down the side,maybe numbers on the battery box doors and the herold the way it is in the middle of the engine room doors the size it is now. It took me five different paint schemes to come to the one I like the most which is the one at the bottom of my posts.

[Deleted]

I rethought the herald. I really wanted to keep the black chevrons. I like chevrons and I really wanted to incorprate the AZ state into the herald. I wanted the text to represent something that looked a bit old west

This one sits on the engine room doors. the half circle ends sit at teh center of the first engine room door and the center of the last engine room door. The AZ state sight right between the knuckle busters. I think the proportions are right also. My first test of this had the state to large and it did not look proportionally correct. Also the black outline was to thick.



I am REALLY liking this one. So with this herald, I have black chevrons on the ends which will go top to bottom, black numbers under the cab window, white diagonal sill stripes and top of pilot.

Brian

[deez]

I hear ya on the black chevrons on the ends Brian. Chevrons look classic especially down across the pilot faces too and over snow plows. Im going with the Santa Fe silver full end chevrons on my freelance units too.

[Randy Earle]