Let me qualify my subject just a bit first. Way back when the original first run of Kato Union Pacific passenger cars were released Kato decided not to add car names or numbers so it was a do it yourself decaling job. The cars did not feature the correct black outling around the road name so I had a number of sheets custom made without the black outlines with correct car names, numbers, and train names for use on Obs Car letterboards. I spent a fair ammount of time decalling two ten car sets and gave some decals to other members of the then Utah N Rail Modelers group who had purchased these cars. The project was easy as I had the whole complete numbers or names which I could cut out and apply to the cars, also United States Railway Post Office and Railway Express markings. Fast forward to the present and the newly released Walthers Pullman Standard Bggage Cars. I now have 15 of these cars not counting an undec,some in pairs, some single roads, more on the way from 2nd run.I have started the decaling process and here is my gripe with Walthers. Why not on their sheet offer the correct numbers for several cars in that series for each road. Then all I would have to do is cut out complete number or numbers on cars that have 2 numbers on each side and apply. Instead Walthers shows inconsistency on their decal sheet. Numbers for Northern Pacific and Rio Grande are actually good as they are,and Walthers did their research here. Just cut out and use. Southern Pacific is a different story they have done numbers with "SP" first then the number this would be ok execpt the first two numbers of the protype car series that maches the model are 66 and Walthers used 65 correct for a much different looking car. This meant that good old Optivisor usuing me even for one car had to cut the tiny numbers apart so that I had an "SP6" then mate it with parts of another number with a six followed by luckely the other two correct numbers. No fun at all. The UP's feature just numbers. These cars resemble both baggage cars with 56 series numbers and mail storage cars with 57 series numbers. Kato's car is correct car. Now if I wanted to do a baggage car I would need Railway Express Agency to go on one end,but Walthers omits this, so I opted for mail storage cars which do not have this lettering. But try and find number 5's on the sheet for doing the 57 first two digits. They are in short supply.eventhough I have lots of the decal sheets I would rather use one first . Then we get Rock Island, Walthers did a whole batch of three digit numbers meant to be applyed singly, problem the real RI cars were in a four diget series 4360-4384,requiring another cut and splice job. Then there is GN there were only two exactally correct cars like the model, but no Walthers gives us single numbers that we must piece together. Are we having fun yet? So far I have done four cars, I have to do a C&O ,need to research those,C&NW which I have data for,Santa Fe which I know what the numbers are ,NYC,for which I haven't a clue and PRR. Ok! enough of this Blog-Like"Wall of Type" Nate Goodman (Nato). Salt Lake,Utah.
