Renumbering an MTH -9 SP locomotive

I’ve renumbered MTH and Atlas diesels. I use wet 600 grit sandpaper and work slowly to remove the original numbers or letters on the body. Then a light coat of gloss clear coat goes on the area as decal prep. I think I’ve followed with a second light misting of gloss over the decal followed by a light misting of matte coat. For number boards I’ve both painted and then applied decals or for lighted number boards you can print the numbers on paper, reverse the background to black, print, cut out and apply (thanks to Gunrunner John for that idea). These techniques have worked for me:

I put the printed number boards on the inside on the GP30. It looks OK when they’re not lighted, but I’m not happy with the appearance when the lights are on, so I may redo them on the outside and use clear tape to simulate glass. I model Santa Fe 1988-95 and changed the numbers from the early 70s era number series to era-appropriate numbers ATSF assigned after rebuilds in the 1980s. If you don’t want to tackle it, someone who paints professionally can do the job for hire.

RM