We are interested in mounting information signs on equipment, both inside and outside - using magnets. Does anyone have a suggestion for material that can withstand sun, rain and wind? I'm thinking about 18" x 24" in size.

Thanks.

The only material that I have seen successfully withstand exposure to the elements is stainless steel. I believe that TVRM still uses stainless steel signs with painted/chemically etched lettering for their outdoor exhibits.

As for mounting, all of our signs inside the cars were permanently affixed using screws. Personally I would not trust magnets with anything large or heavy if the car is to be moved to any degree.

If you attach the signs with anything that can be removed it will be. People will steal anything!

The bad thing about magnets too is they will trap moisture and dirt with corrosion starting. We had this happen.

Best to affix signs on a post next to the equipment (signs can be moved between posts if equipment gets moved) or hang them under the body edge so they are sheltered.

Moving posts everythime we move equipment is a nightmare.

Any other ideas?

The magnetic signs will work fine. Just don't leave them in one place for so long that the paint behind it degrades. I work with a good sign shop that can make magnetic signs as big as I need them, and they are very reasonable in price. Slap it on for display, take it off for a photo shoot. And if it gets damaged or the information on it needs to change, just send the signmaker an updated PDF and throw the old one out.

One consideration that anyone from the major museums will tell you is valid:

With whatever sign you have, one plus should be its ease of moving, or removability, in case someone needs a photo without the signage.

The older B&O Museum used to have signage on posts sticking out of disused rail cart wheels, which served as a heavy enough base to keep them from being knocked/blown over, but still allowed a determined photographer (i.e. a lot of railfans, myself included) to pick up/roll the sign and move it ten feet or so for an unobstructed/less obstructed photo, then return the sign to its original location. If we railfans can do that so routinely, then I don't want to hear about moving signs when exhibit rolling stock is switched about (which doesn't happen as often as some might think/hope, sadly). The old signage has been replaced indoors at the B&O Museum with larger, more detailed signage (via a grant from the American Railroad Foundation) that can still be moved if really, truly necessary (as they do routinely for hall rental events).

The new, detailed signage at the B&O Museum, if done on a magnetic sheet, would be about 5 x 3 feet--not cheap. Do you simply want to regurgitate basic roster data, or are you elaborating on why this piece is relevant, historic, and/or representative, as the B&O Museum signs do? I suggest that if you're going to do it, do it right and make it worthwhile.

Another consideration: I've yet to find an outdoor-application magnetic sheet sign, even commercially prepared at great expense, that looked like it would stand the test of time in long outdoors exposure. Making a sign (magnetic or stand-alone) that will really endure blazing Arizona/Texas sunshine, tropical Florida weather, or Maine/Wisconsin winters will cost you, and if you go through that effort, why not make the signs excellent--lots of details and history, etc.? The alternative: cheap, expendable, and easily reproduced signage that can be cranked out fresh every spring (save the PDFs or whatever).

When I worked at the Museum of Transportation near St. Louis we placed signs on posts next to the exhibits. Over time moving of exhibits and then the signs became a chore, and the posts interfered with snow removal, and now the signs hang from most of the exhibits that are outside, usually below the floor line, attached to something beneath them. The signs are light metal about 2 1/2 x 3 feet or so, with lettering in the plastic coating on them. We found that self-adhesive letters peeled away from the backing in the sun and weather and this method results in signs that last for years. When we have new ones made the month and year it was made is included in small lettering in a corner so we can monitor their lifespan. The lettering is black and the background yellow for visibility and easy reading. Some signs are still on posts where the exhibit is under one of the big sheds and there is no convenient place to attach them or it would obscure the exhibit, etc.

Another option is free-standing signs, metal stands with bases the the sign can be fastened to, and yet light enough to be easily moved when the object is moved. If the car has platform ends or like a boxcar with an operable door, the sign can be stored there during the move. I've seen these made using old plow discs as the base, also old brake wheels, etc.

Magnetic signs do not necessarily mean magnetic sheets. I have had signs made of a material that is basically two thin sheets of aluminum around a core of plastic. I attached magnets to each corner, or as many are needed, and affixed that to our equipment. The latest ones are 24" x 36" in size and are scans of pages from a 1915 issue of "The Engineer".

The signs are inexpensive enough that if one gets destroyed or damaged it can be replaced without impacting the budget too much, and the professional quality of the signs really makes a huge impact on visitors. They last a long time, we have had some out there in the direct sunlight for going on 4 years and they still look good.

I would recommend that all of the signage match, and it would be great if the signs all featured either the museum's logo or at least matches the museum's graphic design standards. This very simple trick makes a huge impact.

Every museum should be on a first name basis with their local sign shop.

The image is of a three part sign that I had made up to go on the back wall in the Tod Engine House. It is a recreation of a sign that was made for Youngstown Sheet & Tube. I scanned the original, converted it to PDF and she simply printed it out and applied it to the aluminum core board. Yes that is what it cost to have made.

Orange Empire Ry Museum has magnetic signs that are laminated 11x17 paper with magnets inside the lamination on the back of the printed paper.

The paper 11x17 can be printed with the appropriate sized hone-office style printers with various graphics including photos, railroad heralds, etc.

These were developed by John Smatlak for OERM when he was Collections VP.

I agree that a common thread between the signs with a similar presentation of information and a logo is good.

Perhaps a sign with magnets mounted on the back and moving them a few inches from time to time addresses our needs.

Thanks for your comments and suggestions. Signs on posts simply don't work for us - we move stuff too often. Signs below the dock level are too low to read up close.

Apologies for digging up an old thread, I wanted to share a little of what I found on the topic.

I was recently looking into various signage options, and had arrived at the possibility of magnetic signs. For my intentions it seems like they are a happy medium.

It's portable, just stick it to the side of a car. This was the biggest issue I have been trying to overcome, we don't really have much in the way of a set display area, just whatever happens to be in the yard that day. These signs also allow as mentioned for the photo minded people to easily remove them for their pictures.

I have looked to vistaprint for printing. They have number of designs that can be tweaked to your needs and options to design them from scratch.

If my group pursues this option further I'll post some pictures of our signage.

http://www.vistaprint.com/gallery/ACcDAAABACQBAAA=/car-door-magnets-large.aspx?xnav=050+Car+Door+Magnets+GBIS+Product+Page

What a great souvenir. I used to have to take photos of the signs; now I can just take the sign home with me.

Another problem for cars kept outdoors is that the pigment in paint behind the sign does not fade like unprotected paint. So when the sign is moved, a patch of different color paint shows on the side of the car.That's why the signs should be moved regularly so the entire car gets a similar amount of sun exposure.