Train Bulletin chalkboard in your layout room?

You do know that you can buy chalkboard paint don't you? 

I do have one of these, but I cant find a picture and it is in storage.  Looks very much like the one you posted, except no railroad name. I bought it at a railfan show, it had been removed from a station in Michigan.  Looked very good when it was in the layout room.  Maybe 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 feet.  I tracked down a picture of the station that it came from.  I packed up  a lot of stuff and sold many things when we took a long trip.  I had put this in the sell pile, but my girlfriend moved it to the keep pile, so it is in our storage locker.

Bill

I knew I had seen one somewhere... Schrader's used to sale one, but it isn't offered for sale on their website, even though it is still shown here.  You might give them a call and see if it is still available.

I know the Schraders one uses adhesive letters but I want a painted one like the real ones were. I decided I needed one about 18X24 as it’s not too huge for where it'd hang but big enough to write stuff on (yes, I know the real ones were several feet across). Finding a chalkboard in black with a wood frame and a chalk tray, in the size I needed, wasn’t an easy thing. But I think I finally found what’ll work well. It’s not cheap, but its way cheaper than the custom-made one that I really didn’t like. I ordered this today: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B011M...oliid=I1A0Q2AZ453TV2

I'll just go old-school and hand-letter the markings once it gets here...

Automotive pinstripe tape works great for laying out the grid. Then you could paint/stencil the letters or have adhesive backed ones cut.

Or since your ordered board is ceramic black metal you can buy the die cut magnetic ones from a craft/office supply store and move them around to your liking for the column names, and chalk in the daly schedule.

Great idea, and a nice touch for a room anyway you do it.

I'm already skilled in the art of stencil work (I've re-done my WW2 Jeep's markings a few times), will either be having the letters done by a local sign place but might just hand-paint them (I have a commercial art degree from the days when everything was hand-rendered) like the originals...

Just got this yesterday. It's a 18X24" one, so it can fit on the wall easier.

My plan is hand-paint the lettering this weekend if I can...

It'll probably be a crew board, though, as I model a very short line 3-foot RR and there weren't too many numbered trains to speak of.

Great idea P51!!!  This board will definitely enhance operation sessions!  Thanks for posting!

Lee:

Although not a chalkboard, I went to a local print shop and he made this one for me.

Neal Jeter

WOW, I love that SRR board. I ran my idea by two local sign shops and even a guy who makes WW2 markings for restored military vehicles, and nobody wanted to make some simple words in a RR-Roman-ish-style typeface for me.

Oh well, hand-painted will be historically correct.

How about stencils? They're made in every font imaginable. Nice board. Is it a real piece of slate?

Don

Well, it took a couple of hours, but I got my board looking pretty much like I want. I hand-lettered it as that's how they did it in the 40s...

Well done!

Don

Lee, nicely done !

Dan Weinhold

Thanks, guys.

Just mounted it on the wall, on a 20-pound test wire and a 30-pound rated hook just to be sure. The thing weighs shy of 7 pounds.

The scenery will go up to the bottom edge of the board here, as this is one end of the layout...