RE: (erielack) Different Box Car Lettering

["Tupaczewski, Paul R (Paul)" <paul.tupaczewski_@_alcatel-lucent.com>]

Ron and all,

> http://lists.railfan.net/listthumb.cgi?erielack-12-14-10
> 
> mms_ELsign_@_Akron_March76_jpg.jpg (image/jpeg, 250x169 9503 
> bytes, BF: 4.45 ppb)
>
> It does look like the diamond is from non-freight car design. 
> Most likely MOW or auto-rack or other signage. Attached is an 
> EL sign posted at Marion that uses this style design. Photo 
> is March 1976. Personnaly, I'm glad Meadville got creative. 
> More for us to find and model. Never say never on paint schemes.

The sign in your image appears to be one of the placards applied to EL's closed-panel tri-level autoracks in the 1975-1976 timeframe. It has a unique-to-autoracks typeface for the roadname (also note the "E" is a slightly different color than the diamond, another unique-to-autoracks feature)

The problem with EL lettering is that when a third party produced it, they tended to take liberties with typefaces and graphic design. There are many examples: The 17000-series covered gondolas with "overly thick" numbers, boxcars rebuilt by USRE (they used a stencil-style typeface for the capacity information).

Meadville, on the other hand, tended to be VERY consistent with their typefaces. After all, it takes a bit of work to cut new stencils for every typeface you use. Positioning of the lettering might change (there are many examples of this, particularly on covered hoppers), but the typefaces were all the same.

	- Paul

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