I may be new here but for the past few years I have been drawing decals for our sister hobby of model airplanes. I was just wondering if there are any gaps in the model railroad hobby that needs to be filled. I know that Micro Scale has done tons of good decals, but is there anything that is missing? What I would like to offer is a high quality set of decals with colored placement guides instead of the b&w ones the really don't tell you all the information you need. This is not something I can start over night, but maybe it can turn out to be something,beside I would love to draw something beside planes which I already do for a decal company.
Well,Microscale has discontinued TONS of N scale decals,mostly N,just check the first page of their website.Just in my case,at least for many months,nearly all the LV,most RDG,CNJ,D&H,ETC,decals were completely removed from their website,now,some are back,but still not available for months.Ignoring that,though,there's a real shortage of freightcar decals,I'd kill for B&O & C&O coal hopper decals in full sheets,and pretty much ANY eastern road freightcar decals.Microscale makes a lot of them,but they're on sheets with multiple cars on a sheet,so,if you want to do 10 hoppers,you need ten sheets..
When I was modeling the BNSF more closely, I found decals for boxcars and covered hoppers to be tough to find. I think you need to look at common cars and plain janes. I would also be looking at railroad from the 1940's-1960's as well. Another niche? Anything Intermodal from the 1970's-1990's. And a good amount of numbers. Makes it easier to model more that 4 number cars. Oh, containers! That would be a great one for most modern modelers! I'd like to have a train of Hanjin with going completely bankrupt. Then you just need to get them printed and sold. Which may be easier said than done in some respects. One more thing, think multi scale. Doesn't hurt to make money in other places. I would look at small decal companies, like Rail Graphics, to produce them. They do a charge by page size, so you may be able to get something going. As for help, let me know what your thinking and I'll dig through my 40,000+ pictures and see what I have.
Multiple cars on one sheet is a great idea, I always wanted people to get there moneys worth. I have contacts with Micro Scale and I have had sheet printed by them so I know what they are looking for when it comes to doing art work. There is alot of planing to do, I don't even know where to start or what the first subject will be.
When you get to the point of being ready to print or deciding what to print do a Poll on TB. I for one will be looking for private road name work for my road.A lot of members have private roads and it is hard trying to get b&w much less 3 - 5 color art work that we can jury rig for our roads .. some of us could even do our own art work print ready and all we need is a fair price and reliable source to get them printed..
Maybe instead of trying to anticipate what is needed, you should consider custom orders. As an early merger BN modeler, I would like to see the SP&S caboose decals available. Champs did them at one time, but the film was thick for N scale. All of the SP&S Microscale sheets do not have the lettering "The Northwest's Own Railway".
I can and would draw anything you like, my only problem is I got rid of my ALPS printer long ago, so I can't do my printing at home. I had an idea of doing excetitive trains (OK, I misspelled it I am fighting a cold) One thing I would like to have before I really do this is someone to work with me. Basically I need some one to mange the business end and let me do the drawing. I am not look for poeple to pay the printing cost, I just need a manager. I have learned the hard way it that it takes more the one person to run a decal company.
I'm interested in a few decals. First, FEC SD40-2s were once done by Micro-scale, but they were only correct for one engine and wrong for the other 15 or so...now they've been sold out for years with no new runs... Also if Kato made a proper SD70M-2 then there might be some demand for both FEC schemes... Those aside, I'm also interested in modeling the Georgia Northeastern RR and I don't think any decals have ever been made for them. Good luck on whatever you decide to do!
I really would like the AC Radial decals for the NS SD80 locomotives. They are under the numbers under the windows like this: http://www.katousa.com/N/SD80MAC/176-5513.jpg
"I can and would draw anything you like, my only problem is I got rid of my ALPS printer long ago, so I can't do my printing at home." =================================================================================== how would you get these printed, especially with the need for "white" decals and the impossibility of printing such without a specialized printer (as the ALPS)? respectfully Gary
While not modeling the BN I do model the SP&S and there has always been a scarcity of decals for that road. Plenty of diesel, although out of production now, and also for boxcars, also out of production now. Never has been any steam or caboose decals other than those produced by a small individual firm a long time ago that I was fortunate to have acquired way back and the caboose decals I had did have the slogan. MT did a small run of SP&S lettered cabooses but SP&S had a variety of caboose styles and that run has been out of production for a long while. There has never been any run I know of for SP&S passenger cars in N scale leaving me to try and cobble together some from some diesel sets and attempts to try and print my own have always been unsatisfactory. Also SP&S steam did have two styles of lettering, one in white, and later in gold. So for me any source where I could get 10 or 15 sets of different decals for my needs, whether passenger, steam, or caboose at a not exhorbitant cost per set would be a welcome thing for me.
Transition era tank car decals- GATX ,UTLX,SHPX etc... Try finding just the dimensional and capacity lettering for these not to mention lessee lettering. Randy (the less talented one)
Hi ModelerX, I hate to be discouraging, but after having worked in the retail hobby business for over twenty years and in three different shops, I must say that one of the biggest sources of dead inventory headaches in the hobby business can be model railroad decals. Just like the market for kits that need to be assembled by the modeler has all but disappeared, there are even fewer modelers who are painting and decaling their models anymore, because so much is available ready-to-run. Most of the retailers I know of have long ago stopped trying to carry an in store inventory of decals and will now only special order them. Many of the big names in decals have ceased to exist, Walthers, Champ, & Herald King to name a few. With so few kits still being available, especially in undecorated form, there is a reason so many items have been discontinued by even Microscale. I realize this is not something the few craftsmen who still enjoy painting and decaling their models will enjoy hearing, but the fact is that the small amount of demand just doesn't justify production of the large minimum quantities of the past, what is needed is the capability to economically print very small quantities on an as needed basis. For a while, it looked like the ALPS printer might be the answer, but it's sales volume in the computer printer industry wasn't sufficient to support it's production, so it's no longer around, either. I'm sure if you were involved in the hobby decal business anytime in the recent past, you must already be aware of this, and may have it all figured out. In any event, I wish you success! Bill in FtL
John, Until now. Take a look at this site. They are sold out but they are out there and available. You just need to find them http://lowellsmith.net/bmre.html Good luck Ryan
I have had several sets done by Rail Graphcs - http://www.railgraphicsdecals.com/ - and have always been happy dealing with them and will do so again. They are excellent quality, will do multiple colors, very reasonably priced and their minimun order is 25 sets. They will even do the artwork for you from proto photos and they have a pretty large database of fonts. They are great to work with. Panzer
Exactly the reason I'm rapidly losing interest in trains,I feel like I'm back in the 70's.I think you can,however,do well in a niche market like freightcars,since ,let's say the cars I specifically mentioned,B&O & C&O hoppers,plus N&W,WM,ETC,were run in units over many other roads,so there should be high interest in them.
I'd like to see some Minnesota Commercial Decal Sets in N Scale. They have so many engines that could be covered with one good set of decals. The B23-7s though to the new B39-8Es.
NOt sure if this is duplicating information known by all but http://www.greatdecals.com/ is a very good place to start to find some of the decals you have been asking about as well as somewhere to get custom decal work done. Definitely one of my saved bookmarks
