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Another means of adding chalk markings

Charlie Duckworth
 

Mrs D asked me to go by Blicks Art Supply today and pick out some colorful pens for our grandkids. In the large assortment of colors there was a white.  I added it to the pile and after getting home I pulled out a couple freight cars to add a few extra markings.   The pen is made by Gelly Roll with the size being 5.  The marks are the opaque white ones you see below.
--
Charlie Duckworth 
Omaha, Ne.
O Fenton Wells
 

Thanks Charlie, I've been looking for something as I havent been happy with the white pencils
Fenton

On Tue, Dec 1, 2020 at 5:45 PM Charlie Duckworth <omahaduck@...> wrote:
Mrs D asked me to go by Blicks Art Supply today and pick out some colorful pens for our grandkids. In the large assortment of colors there was a white.  I added it to the pile and after getting home I pulled out a couple freight cars to add a few extra markings.   The pen is made by Gelly Roll with the size being 5.  The marks are the opaque white ones you see below.
--
Charlie Duckworth 
Omaha, Ne.



--
Fenton Wells
250 Frye Rd
Pinehurst NC 28374
910-420-8106
srrfan1401@...
Robert Allan
 

Thanks for the tip on these Charlie. Did you put any kind of protective coat on them afterwards? I've been concerned that they might react to that.

Bob Allan
Omaha, NE
Jim Betz
 


  How do you do these and -change- the handwriting from car to car?
Some cars would have been marked by the same person but others
would not have.  You certainly don't want all the cars on your layout
to have the same handwriting.
                                                                                        - Jim
                                                                                                      
Charlie Duckworth
 

Bob
not yet, I’ll airbrush a flat coat over them and let you know.  I also want to see how to remove them. 
--
Charlie Duckworth 
Omaha, Ne.
Tim O'Connor
 


I have used the Gelly Roll pens for years. 05 is the smallest size. I think the larger size looks
better on loads of steel plate for example. I bought them at Michael's and on Amazon.


On 12/2/2020 9:42 AM, Charlie Duckworth wrote:
Bob
not yet, I’ll airbrush a flat coat over them and let you know.  I also want to see how to remove them. 
--
Charlie Duckworth 
Omaha, Ne.

--
Tim O'Connor
Sterling, Massachusetts
Michael Gross
 

Looks very good!
--
Michael Gross
Pasadena, CA
Chuck Cover
 

I am wondering if anyone can tell me how common chalk marks actually were?  I know there are some prototype photos with clear chalk marks, however, are they the exception or the norm?  What percentage of our models should have chalk marks?  Are chalk marks most common on box cars?

 

Thanks

 

Chuck Cover

Santa Fe, NM

Benjamin Hom
 

Chuck Cover asked:
"I am wondering if anyone can tell me how common chalk marks actually were?  I know there are some prototype photos with clear chalk marks, however, are they the exception or the norm?  What percentage of our models should have chalk marks?  Are chalk marks most common on box cars?"

To answer:
1. The norm.
2. Virtually all cars, with increasing number of marks between repaints as old marks remained on the car and were gradually obliterated over time.  Only a brand new car fresh out of the shop or builder would lack them.
3. All types of cars would have them.


Ben Hom
Steve SANDIFER
 

Also remember that this is chalk, and it washes off and in many photos is light or smeared in appearance – a plus for pencil vs. ink.

 

 

J. Stephen Sandifer

 

From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> On Behalf Of Chuck Cover
Sent: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 11:19 AM
To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io
Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] Another means of adding chalk markings

 

I am wondering if anyone can tell me how common chalk marks actually were?  I know there are some prototype photos with clear chalk marks, however, are they the exception or the norm?  What percentage of our models should have chalk marks?  Are chalk marks most common on box cars?

 

Thanks

 

Chuck Cover

Santa Fe, NM

Tim O'Connor
 

Chuck

Michael Gross's model here showing a mixture of chalk ages and colors, which was completely typical

And a Reading gondola shows chalk marks of different ages overlapping each other, also typical


On 12/2/2020 12:28 PM, Benjamin Hom wrote:
Chuck Cover asked:
"I am wondering if anyone can tell me how common chalk marks actually were?  I know there are some prototype photos with clear chalk marks, however, are they the exception or the norm?  What percentage of our models should have chalk marks?  Are chalk marks most common on box cars?"

To answer:
1. The norm.
2. Virtually all cars, with increasing number of marks between repaints as old marks remained on the car and were gradually obliterated over time.  Only a brand new car fresh out of the shop or builder would lack them.
3. All types of cars would have them.


Ben Hom


--
Tim O'Connor
Sterling, Massachusetts
Garth Groff and Sally Sanford
 

Friends,

How about these scribbles? At least they were done in chalk and not spray paint.

Yours Aye,


Garth Groff  🦆

On Wed, Dec 2, 2020 at 12:28 PM Benjamin Hom <b.hom@...> wrote:
Chuck Cover asked:
"I am wondering if anyone can tell me how common chalk marks actually were?  I know there are some prototype photos with clear chalk marks, however, are they the exception or the norm?  What percentage of our models should have chalk marks?  Are chalk marks most common on box cars?"

To answer:
1. The norm.
2. Virtually all cars, with increasing number of marks between repaints as old marks remained on the car and were gradually obliterated over time.  Only a brand new car fresh out of the shop or builder would lack them.
3. All types of cars would have them.


Ben Hom
Tony Thompson
 

Ben Hom, responding to Chuck Cover, wrote:

To answer:
1. The norm.
2. Virtually all cars, with increasing number of marks between repaints as old marks remained on the car and were gradually obliterated over time.  Only a brand new car fresh out of the shop or builder would lack them.
3. All types of cars would have them.

    Full agreement, and I know Richard Hendrickson had reached the identical conclusions. Incidentally, he pointed out that though white chalk was by far most common, both yellow and blue were sometimes seen.

Tony Thompson
Jim Betz
 

Hi all,
  Weren't chalk marks used for "local routing" such as from a yard to an
industry or from one track to another during yard sorts?
  Many of you are saying "very common" - I don't dispute that ... but
there are lots of pics of freight cars without any marks on them (that
are visible?).  I suspect 'local weather' would have a bearing on this
topic - and time of year ... ???  L.A. would be different than Seattle?

  At least one person has asked "how many of our cars should have
them?" ... I don't think "almost all" is the right answer - for instance
if a cut of cars was dropped off in a yard and the entire cut was
going to some other place as a "block" then it would get (at most?)
one or two cars with recent chalk marks.

  How do you feel about a number like 50%?  More?  Less?
                                                                                                   - Jim
Douglas Harding
 

In the days of computers, perhaps no chalk marks. In the late 40s, chalk marks everywhere. When looking at pictures we need to keep era in mind. Too many times we are looking at modern era photos when attempting to model a time gone by.

 

Doug Harding

www.iowacentralrr.org

 

From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> On Behalf Of Jim Betz
Sent: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 3:23 PM
To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io
Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] Another means of adding chalk markings

 

Hi all,
  Weren't chalk marks used for "local routing" such as from a yard to an
industry or from one track to another during yard sorts?
  Many of you are saying "very common" - I don't dispute that ... but
there are lots of pics of freight cars without any marks on them (that
are visible?).  I suspect 'local weather' would have a bearing on this
topic - and time of year ... ???  L.A. would be different than Seattle?

  At least one person has asked "how many of our cars should have
them?" ... I don't think "almost all" is the right answer - for instance
if a cut of cars was dropped off in a yard and the entire cut was
going to some other place as a "block" then it would get (at most?)
one or two cars with recent chalk marks.

  How do you feel about a number like 50%?  More?  Less?
                                                                                                   - Jim

Bob Chaparro
 

I experimented with various marking tools for making white chalk marks in HO scale, using two fine point paint markers and three pencils:

  • Sharpie paint marker
  • Pen-touch paint marker
  • General charcoal white pencil
  • Prismacolor Verithin pencil
  • Supracolor II Soft pencil

Generally, these are available at Michael's, Aaron Brothers and Dick Blick stores or through their websites.

I found the pencils easier to use than the paint markers and they did a better job of simulating chalk marks. The point of the General charcoal white pencil tended to crumble a bit so my recommendations are limited to the Prismacolor Verithin pencil and the Supracolor II Soft pencil.

I previously compared the Prismacolor Verithin pencil to a regular Prismacolor pencil and found the Verithin pencil gave better results so be sure to look for the Verithin version of that pencil brand.

The marks were easily removed within five minutes using isopropyl rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab, so mistakes are easily eliminated.

Bob Chaparro

Hemet, CA
Andy Cich
 

The attached image is a page from a Pennsylvania Railroad Chicago Switching District instruction manual dated January 1, 1952,

 

Would the marks described be visible as “chalk marks”? Or would the described marks be too small to see on a model?

 

 

Andy Cich

 

From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> On Behalf Of Bob Chaparro via groups.io
Sent: Wednesday, December 02, 2020 3:33 PM
To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io
Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] Another means of adding chalk markings

 
Tony Thompson
 

Jim Betz wrote:

  At least one person has asked "how many of our cars should have
them?" ... I don't think "almost all" is the right answer  . . .

   Sorry to differ, Jim, but photos of cars IN SERVICE clearly show that "almost all" is correct.


Tony Thompson
Dave Parker
 

I'm with Tony.  Throw out any photos with obviously fresh paint and (especially) no routing cards or other notices (or fragments thereof) tacked in appropriate locations.  Those photos are probably staged.  Truly in-service cars are often littered with chalk marks of varying age (and thus brightness).
--
Dave Parker
Swall Meadows, CA
Douglas Harding
 

The chalk was a 1” stick, so the markings could be seen at a distance. Railroad chalk is still sold and used in a number of commercial applications.

http://cspforestry.com/products/dixon-railroad-chalk-72-chalk-sticks.html

 

Doug Harding

www.iowacentralrr.org

 

From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> On Behalf Of Andy Cich
Sent: Wednesday, December 2, 2020 5:22 PM
To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io
Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] Another means of adding chalk markings

 

The attached image is a page from a Pennsylvania Railroad Chicago Switching District instruction manual dated January 1, 1952,

 

Would the marks described be visible as “chalk marks”? Or would the described marks be too small to see on a model?

 

 

Andy Cich

 

From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> On Behalf Of Bob Chaparro via groups.io
Sent: Wednesday, December 02, 2020 3:33 PM
To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io
Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] Another means of adding chalk markings

 
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