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Things are slowly coming together for
X201. All of the original markings have been sanded and ready to be primed
for the red paint. I recently used a heat gun and a razor blade to remove
the ACI labels, Consolidated Stencils, and Wheel Inspection decals. The
remaining glue was sanded away with a D/A sander.
I then used the D/A sander to smooth
out the painted "SOUTHERN" letters and "X201" numbers. The paint used for
the letters and numbers was more of a paint-coated "tape" than just
brushed or sprayed on paint. I wanted to have this area as slick and
smooth as possible since I plan to use vinyl decals for the new letters
and numbers. I used a grinder to smooth the welds between the body panels
in the location where the numbers and letters will be applied.
As for the vinyl decals, I had Reidler
Decal in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania produce the correct lettering on quality
3M decal paper. Reidler is a company that produces logos and lettering in
vinyl for freight cars and other uses in the railroad industry. I measured
the details of the individual letters and numbers on the caboose and drew
them in an AutoCAD file. I them emailed the CAD files to Reidler who
produced the final product. I am very pleased with the quality and
appearance of the decals. I will post more comments about the decals after
they are applied.
Next step is to sandblast and prime the
platforms and steps.....
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