RGS #20 Numberplate

My brother and I have been working on a reproduction of the front numberplate the #20 wore during her RGS days. Our goal is to cast the plates in resin and sell them, with a good portion of the profit going towards the current fundraiser for the restoration work going on at Strasburg.

Since shipping the original to Dallas for mold-making was out of the question, Mr. Phil Johnson of the Colorado RR Museum was kind enough to send us photos and measurements of the prototype bronze plate that resides in safe-keeping at the museum in Golden. With these in hand, I was able to draw a life-size faithful reproduction on my CAD program. We then hired a NGDF member, Mr. Dave Bates, to CNC machine a plastic master copy.

After casting a few sample pieces, a couple of questions surfaced regarding the proper historical paint scheme. Our research of color photos shows that in her later years with the Southern, the numberplate on the 20 was black with white number and letter highlights. An older photo at the Museum in the late 1980's shows a black plate with bronze highlights (no red.) The latest scheme at the museum is red and black with bronze highlights.

So the question... WHAT IS THE RIGHT COLOR?...OR,...wHAT COLOR WOULD PEOPLE BE MOST INTERESTED IN??

Since earlier color RGS photos are rare, we were hoping to get some good feedback from our friends here at the forum. Useful pictures or information would be greatly appreciated!

Here are some pics to show y'all what the heck I'm talking about.

Current prototype photo taken last year by Phil Johnson


Earlier museum photo found on the internet. Photo by Jerry Clark


A pic i took of our three samples lined up for comparison as well as a close-up. These replicas are the exact size as the prototype!


For any information on purchasing one of these replica numberplates, please send an email to cnctrainsco@yahoo.com.