Need a Number Board

the way I would do this from scratch is to laser cut clear/black acrylic.

IPI Gemstones Gloss Clear/Black Opal 1/16" Reverse Engraving Plastic (jpplus.com)

laser/engrave the clear letters leaving the rest black; then cut the shape. With a bit of sanding to fit.

Lionel has them in stock…

thanks!

- Mario

Ref Central Fan ... "Lionel has them in stock."

Yes,  I had checked Lionel parts.  It'd cost me the $12 for the whole assembly + $10 shipping = $22.  Then I'd pry out the "9000" number board to use and discard the LED/housing assembly.  I only need to make a plastic lens to fit into my existing housing assembly.

Ref Alan Rail ... Good idea.  However, being old school, I thought I'd use MS Word to make a black background with white letters then glue that to a clear or white opaque plastic/acrylic lens that fits snugly into the existing number board housing.

The existing number board is 5/32 square x 5/8 inches long with the ends tapered to fit snugly into the tapered metal number board housing.  Checked online and I'd have to buy way more 5/32 square rod material than I'll ever use in my remaining lifetime.

So, perhaps someone on OGR Forum might put a 2 inch long by 5/32" square clear acrylic piece in an envelop and mail it to me.  Two inches length will give me enough length to make a 2nd one if I botch the first one.

Regards,

Tom

@S-Runner posted:

Ref Alan Rail ... Good idea.  However, being old school, I thought I'd use MS Word to make a black background with white letters then glue that to a clear plastic/acrylic lens that fits snugly into the existing number board housing.

I'd done exactly that for a bunch of number boards.  Word has a practically infinite array of fonts, so you can always get a pretty close match to what you need.

I confess, I'd buy it from Lionel if I needed one they have.  Shipping is a non-issue as I am placing orders regularly for parts.

I'd buy first too.

Got a source in my workshop today for acrylic sheet.  It's a divider from a multi-drawer organizer ... ~1/16 inch thick.  I used the one existing "X9000" number board that came installed on my steamer as a template and carefully worked around the edges with an X-ACTO knife to get the desired outside dimensions to fit into the recess of the number board housing.  Then I used MS Word and a laser printer to match up the font and size of the "X9000" number, glued it onto the acrylic, dabbed some black acrylic paint on the edges of the rectangular piece and stuck it into the right side high number board housing.

Photo of the original "X9000" first followed by photo of the custom number board I just made.  Not a perfect match, a bit off horizontal center, but I'm pleased for the 'no cost' result.   The subtle differences will not be discernible to anyone but me.

I do appreciate the OGR forum replies to my original post ... always helpful.

Regards,

Tom

It gets the job done.   I have to take exception with the "no cost", you didn't charge for your time.