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Re: Fresh Paint - and clear, well-spaced numbers . . . eye popping smiley

July 04, 2021 08:50PM avatar
Thank You, Chris -

I stayed home today to keep my dogs company so they wouldn't panic during the peak of (illegal) fire-cracker and skyrocket eruptions, and feeling revolutionary*in honor of our national holiday I've been playing with the photo you posted this afternoon.  Here's an enlargement of the cab and tender, with brightness increased 50% and contrast increased 100% in Photoshop Ailments 10:
174-cropped.jpg

The periods following the D, R and G are visible; I can't quite see a period after the ampersand, but the spacing indicates that one should be there as well.

The above was then unskewed to the best of my ability to compensate for the camera angle:
174-unskewed.jpg

. . . and the numbers then highlighted and reduced proportionally to fit a previously-prepared grid to allow measurements to be estimated.  Note the open and well-balanced spacing of the numerals.  The large areas above and below the "nose" of the four and to the lower right of the seven allow them to be kerned (moved closer) slightly:
174-grid.jpg

Of course it's uncertain just how big the numbers really were – perhaps they were 30" or even 36" tall – but in that case the space between them would be increased proportionally to 125% or 150% of the estimates shown.

As you and a few others have noted previously, the numbers currently applied to locomotive #168's tender do NOT reflect the same attention to legibility and balance.  Here's a side-by-side comparison of side views taken many years ago at Salida, IIRC, and a fairly recent shot during a test run to Big Horn:
168-Salida+Big-Horn.jpg

. . . and copies of the above numbers resized proportionally to two feet tall and copied to a grid for measurement in the same way as was done with 1 7 4 above:
168-Salida+Big-Horn-grid.jpg

Is a picture worth a thousand words?   With only six 5½ weeks to go 'til the Victorian Post-Edwardian Iron Horse Roundup we should know fairly soon . . .

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


*  Some folks claim that we nit-picky Curmudgeons are revolting, but IMHO that term more accurately describes my old friend Willie . . .     eye rolling smiley



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/07/2021 06:45PM by Russo Loco.
Subject Author Posted

Fresh Paint Attachments

davidtltc July 04, 2021 10:31AM

Re: Fresh Paint

nickgully July 04, 2021 10:40AM

Re: Fresh Paint

bcp July 04, 2021 11:33AM

Re: Fresh Paint

drgwk37 July 04, 2021 12:53PM

Re: Fresh Paint Attachments

Kelly Anderson July 05, 2021 06:51AM

Re: Fresh Paint Attachments

Russo Loco July 04, 2021 01:07PM

Re: Fresh Paint

Earl July 04, 2021 01:26PM

174 on the dome

davidtltc July 04, 2021 02:11PM

Re: Fresh Paint Attachments

Chris Walker July 04, 2021 03:05PM

Re: Fresh Paint

James July 04, 2021 03:29PM

Re: Fresh Paint

Chris Walker July 04, 2021 05:01PM

Re: Fresh Paint

James July 04, 2021 10:51PM

Question - were freight and passenger locomotives decorated differently?

Brian Norden July 04, 2021 05:28PM

Re: Question - were freight and passenger locomotives decorated differently?

Vetapass July 05, 2021 08:47PM

Re: Fresh Paint - and clear, well-spaced numbers . . . eye popping smiley Attachments

Russo Loco July 04, 2021 08:50PM

Re: Fresh Paint - and clear, well-spaced numbers . . . eye popping smiley

Tank Smith July 05, 2021 11:09AM

Re: Fresh Paint - and clear, well-spaced numbers . . . eye popping smiley

Russo Loco July 05, 2021 12:22PM

Re: Fresh Paint - and clear, well-spaced numbers . . . eye popping smiley

Tank Smith July 05, 2021 01:17PM

Re: Fresh Paint - and clear, well-kerned numbers . . . drinking smiley Attachments

Russo Loco July 05, 2021 06:52PM

Re: Fresh Paint - and clear, well-spaced numbers . . . eye popping smiley

Tank Smith July 05, 2021 07:37PM

Re: Fresh Paint - and poorly-kerned numbers . . . smoking smiley

Russo Loco July 05, 2021 08:19PM

Re: Fresh Paint - and poorly-kerned numbers . . . smoking smiley

Tank Smith July 06, 2021 01:13PM

Re: Fresh Paint - and poorly-kerned numbers . . . smoking smiley

Russo Loco July 06, 2021 05:18PM

Re: Fresh Paint - and clear, well-kerned numbers . . . drinking smiley

HAICH OMANDIER July 06, 2021 11:20AM

Re: Fresh Paint - and clear, well-spaced numbers . . . eye popping smiley

shakeyjake July 05, 2021 11:58AM

Re: They don't shrink Tenders, do they . . . x(

Johnson Barr July 06, 2021 12:37PM

Re: Fresh Paint - but not in Chama . . . eye popping smiley

Johnson Barr July 05, 2021 07:23PM

Re: Fresh Paint - but not in Chama . . . eye popping smiley

Chris Walker July 05, 2021 07:32PM

Re: Fresh Paint, Thanks Chris

davidtltc July 07, 2021 06:23AM

Short cut details

davidtltc July 09, 2021 07:51PM

Re: Fresh Paint

clifforddward July 04, 2021 03:11PM

Old Paint

bcp July 04, 2021 03:47PM

Admit the Truth.

davidtltc July 05, 2021 06:23AM

Re: "Bright Orange" - actually "Imitation Gold"

D&RGW 223 July 07, 2021 03:27PM

Re: Fresh Paint

jim pallow July 08, 2021 04:08PM

Re: Fresh Paint

Johnson Barr July 08, 2021 08:16PM

A Rooster idea

davidtltc July 12, 2021 05:40AM



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