Re: D&RG s.g. #524 vs n.g. "#425" . . .

That's fantastic, David -

Thank You!   While it is possible the size of the numbers may be different, it's highly unlikely that a different typeface (lettering style) would be used on narrow gauge vs standard gauge locos.  The lack of contrast made it hard to see the numbers, but the shapes and spacing are clearly visible, so – thanks to a link from Chris Walker – I was able to get a medium-res screen capture of an enlarged version of the photo on the DPL site and then increase the contrast using Photoshop.  It's still REALLY hard to see the numbers, but it looks like locomotive #524 was given an intermediate version of numbering before being set aside in 1918 or 1919, with D & R G replacing the numbers on the cab but retaining the wide and thick-stemmed numbers on the tender:


Here's a quick-and-dirty re-sequencing, with the spacing between the two and the five the same as between the five and the two, above:


IMHO, the result is a good approximation of how the numbers appeared on #425's tender in her early years of D&RG ownership, but the numbers are clearly MUCH wider than the numbers currently applied to "#425", and the decorative stems at the top & bottom much thicker as compared to #424 in later years.

In flagrant violation of the generally accepted standards of typeface design, rather than re-draw the numbers following the usual rules of proper proportion, I "squeezed" them by simply reducing the width of the file to 3/4 its original size:


. . . and then perpetrated a further violation by "squeezing" still more – to 2/3 the original width – to achieve the following APPROXIMATION of #425's current numbering:


IMHO, there is one obvious problem with the above (and probably several others that typesetter Fritze Klinke would cringe at): the middle section of the number two is nearly level, whereas the middle of the two on #424 is significantly slanted.

- El Abuelo Histœrico, Greengo y Curmudgeoño de los Locomoturas Viejos y Verdes,
aka Der Grossväterlich DünkelOlivGrünDampfKesselMantelLiebHabender



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 05/27/2021 08:43PM by Russo Loco.