# Theater Marquee



## cstak (May 14, 2012)

Anyone know of a manufacturer that makes indoor/outdoor marquees?


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## Bob Pero (Jan 13, 2008)

Check this site out 

http://www.building-your-model-railroad.com/lighting-effects.html


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## cstak (May 14, 2012)

Thanks, I'll check it out.


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## armorsmith (Jun 1, 2008)

Cstak, 

I read an article a long time ago about making a theater marque out of plexiglass and fiber optics. The fiber optics were the chase lights going around the marque. The lettering in the marque was 'routed' into the surface of the marque, but not through. The marque was then edge lighted and the rough surface of the cut letters light up while the clear surfaces of the plexiglass were painted black or white (too many nights sleep since then). The article was done for HO as I remember, but it might be a basis for a 'G' scale project. Instead of the fiber optics, small LEDs might be the ticket (no pun intended) and just larger letters . I wish I could remember which magazine it was in, or even the time frame. Lighting the LEDs in a chase pattern might be a challenge for one of our electronic geniuses. 

Maybe someone who was in the smaller scales, or still is, might have access to an article data base for MR or RMC (I am fairly certain it was one of those two). Good luck with the project, it sounds like a neat challenge. 

Bob C.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

I read an article a long time ago about making a theater marque out of plexiglass and fiber optics 
That's what I remembered too. It must have been MR, as I didn't subscribe to RMC.


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## blueregal (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By cstak on 14 May 2012 02:24 PM 
Anyone know of a manufacturer that makes indoor/outdoor marquees? 

These animated signs are O/Ho scale but some could be close to G scale use they have a drive in theater and a movie theater sign in their inventory, but shop around you can find them less expensive than the manufacturer's site. Like Hogtrainz and such there are a lot of sellers of these even on Evil Bay. Regal



Animated-signs


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## Rod Fearnley (Jan 2, 2008)

P.77 MR 2011 has a picture of a theater in a Walthers advert. I think that is where the original model that you are talking about was copied from.
It would make an interesting subject for a model.


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## armorsmith (Jun 1, 2008)

Rod, 

I think the fiber optic would be far too small for our scale, but there are small enough LEDs that would work there. The 'lighted' marque lettering by edge lighting the plexiglass should work for any scale, just a case of 'how big is the lettering'. I might think about trying it, but if I start another project I think SWMBO would lock me up and throw away the key. 

Bob C.


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By armorsmith on 19 May 2012 03:50 PM 
Rod, 

I think the fiber optic would be far too small for our scale, but there are small enough LEDs that would work there. The 'lighted' marque lettering by edge lighting the plexiglass should work for any scale, just a case of 'how big is the lettering'. I might think about trying it, but if I start another project I think SWMBO would lock me up and throw away the key. 

Bob C. 

Gee... Just think, then you'd have lots of time to work on it! Right?


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