RE: (erielack) EL and decals on the prototype

["Tupaczewski, Paul R (Paul)" <paultup_@_lucent.com>]

Dave Green wrote:

> No doubt in my mind that UP's "wings" emblem is a giant 
> decal, as is all their lettering.  There's no way a sign 
> painter's job could ever stand up to today's graphics in 
> crispness and longevity.  If decals is all we are using in 
> the school bus industry (which isn't noted for being on the 
> forefront of
> innovation) you can bet the big railroads have long since 
> abandoned paint!
> 
> Also, race cars?  the good jobs are ALL decals.  Sign 
> companies around here make a living on decorating the local's 
> racers (it's a big deal around here).

Almost all major railroad lettering is done by decal nowadays. Several reasons: 1. No masking necessary.  2. The decals are usually Scotchlite, which is very reflective and very visible (adds safety). 3. Too much labor to mask and paint lettering. 4. Complexity of items doesn't matter (check out the flag decals on today's UP units, or the "golden beaver" of today's CP units)

I remember at a shop tour of Conrail's Juniata Locomotive Shops there was a brand-new BNSF Dash-9 out of their paint shop, and a Conrail painter commented that the extensive Scotchlite decals on those units cost upwards of $20,000 (!!!!!). Not cheap, but it works for them, I suppose.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the EL switched their nose logos from the old maroon/brown-on-white decals (yes, they were decals!) to Scotchlite decals around 1974. This is why you see later units with diamonds that are more "red-orange" in color (I guess that's one of the color matching limitations of Scotchlite). To the best of my knowledge, however, all the other lettering was masked (see http://gelwood.railfan.net/loco/el-hornell-shop-c.jpg to see the striping all ready masked off, lettering hasn't been masked yet)

	- Paul

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