Walther's Cornerstone Palace Theater Vs Miller Engineering Theater Sign

Bob, I have both on my layout.  FYI, Miller did the electronics for the Walthers theater.   Both good items.  If you need pictures, let me know.

Marty,

Thanks for the info. did you use any special technique to put the letters on?

Bob, Dotty did that with her steady hand.  She cut the letters out one at a time and carefully applied them.   Both theaters are spectacular with the lights running.  Great buildings both.  I built the buildings and electrical work, she did the letters.  Here are a few very quick clips to show the moving lights.  Early on I purchased a theater made by a company named BJ Traction.  They had fiber optics that went through small holes and went to a lighted pin wheel device.  It was nasty.  I was ambitious one night and drilled out 105 holes for LEDs.  I split it into two circuits and the LEDs look like chase lights.

Pennsy,

I was thinking of adding the Woodland Scenics theater to a small spur addition when I found an opportunity to add the double signed Miller marquee.  For the space I had, the theater wasn't quite right.  This solution allowed me to save some cash and cover a large hallway speaker box.  

I had to make it two dimensional and allow for a large wire hole in the upper right.  Had to do it in pieces to work around the speaker wire and figure a way to hide the wiring for the signs.  Far from elegant, but it works covering that space.  BTW, that black and white is Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Margaret Mitchell, David Selznik, and Olivia DeHavilland.  Naturally, I chose my two favorite movies. 

The Miller sign is very easy to work with.  You get three full marquee signs- GWTW, Casablanca, and True Grit.  Also, six vertical theater signs for the one in the upper left.  They are peel and stick, very easy to mount and keep straight. 

I preferred to mount it flat, but, it is very flexible and can easily be adapted to the curves you often see them with.  There are dozens of chase patterns to choose from.  I have nearly 20 Miller signs on two different layouts.  If you have several Miller signs, I highly recommend the 10 sign adapter panel and power plug.  No sense in changing batteries all the time, just cut the battery pack and wire the controller to the powered panel.  This version includes plugs for both signs so you only need to run one red and one black wire.  Also, that panel you see is for aux power.  The Miller panel is mounted way below this 60 inch height and near the power source.

The last pic is from the other side.  You can see the marquee in the upper right.  The little white dot to the right of the Freedom Tower is actually the moon.

Hope this helps you decide.

Jerry

Jerry, good looking layout.  Well done.

Thanks Marty, always lots more to do....BTW, you've helped me with a few engine problems in the past.  Both were defective and had to be replaced, but, we tried.  Fortunately, all my guys have been running like champs ever since.

Your stuff is always cool, so, where did you get that really cool Charles Ro sign?  I've never seen that one before.

Jerry

Charlie had Chris Miller make them up.  He has them for sale at the store.

Marty,

Thanks for the PIcs and the clips. Drilling 105 holes! That must have taken quite a bit of concentration.

Jerry,

Thanks for the Pics. That is a very innovative application that you came up with.

You both were quite helpful. I think that I'll stick with the Walthers version.; though I'm tempted to take the vertical sign out of the Miller kit and mount it on the wall of the adjacent 5 story building. I'll post some pictures when I make up my mind.

Thanks again.