For lettering and livery unless you have a natural eye for hand lettering and lining (its not a skill that is that far out of reach for many people especially if you plan to weather your stock) I would recommend using transfers.

  The production of quality transfers is a specialist job as much of the cost is in the setting up for a print run so the volume produced needs to be reasonable to keep the cost down.

  They also have a shelf life (I find about five years for them to be at their best) so turnover needs to be reasonable for them to remain fresh. Because of this you are far better obtaining transfers direct from the producers.

  There are basically four types of transfer commonly available and which type to use is very much down to personal preference.

  PRESSFIX. The individual characters are printed as a mirror image onto a transparent backing sheet and coated with a tacky adhesive. The required character or block of lettering is then cut out from a backing sheet using a sharp knife point and lightly positioned on the model.

  Once the location is correct the transfer is firmly pressed into position. The backing film is then wetted with water using a small paintbrush and this separates the backing film from the transfer and activates the transfer adhesive.

  The excess water and adhesive is then moped off the transfer using a cotton bud and during this operation the softened transfer is gently pressed into any plank lines and formed over surface detail.

  Once dry these transfers adhere to the model very well and are very flat on the surface and there is no slight shadow of a carrier film. A light coat of varnish or weathering mix over the lettering is recommended just to protect against rough handling.

  METHFIX. These are similar to the pressfix type but the adhesive is not initially tacky and is activated by methylated spirits. I find that these are not so easy to use but are often preferred by the professional painters.

  They do have a very long shelf life and I have successfully used some that must be more than twenty years old.

  WATER SLIDE. These are the traditional type that was used in Airfix Spitfire kits etc. With this type a carrier layer (varnish) is first printed onto a carrier film and then the transfer character is printed on top.

  A section of backing sheet containing the characters required is cut out and placed into a saucer of water. When thoroughly wetted the transfer can be slid off the backing sheet onto the model and moved around into its precise position until the water evaporates.

  The transfer should then adhere to the model. For best results the paint used on the model really needs to be gloss or at least satin and a varnish coat is required to protect the transfer.

  There is also a tendency for the character to be surrounded by a shadow like outline of the carrier layer but this is less of a problem with modern higher quality precision printed transfers.

  DRY RUB DOWN. These use the same principles as the Letraset rub down transfer lettering sold in newsagents and art shops. The characters are printed in reverse on a clear film.

  The film is laid onto the model with the required character in position and a soft pencil is rubbed over the character transferring it to the surface of the model. These transfers can be difficult to apply over raised detail and can tend to break up if not rubbed over with an even pressure.

  They require a protective varnish coat and are best applied to a matt paint finish. They can be deliberately distressed to very effectively represent faded and peeling paintwork on weathered wagons and buildings.

  The production process is probably the most cost effective for small volumes and so some of the more obscure and specific liveries and lettering are only available in this form.

  I would recommend the following three sources for your transfers :

  Historical Model Railway Society (HMRS). This range of transfers is produced in Pressfix and Methfix types and are sold by the society to help raise funds for their charitable work in archiving and making available historical railway information.

  Transfers are available from their website:
https://hmrs.org.uk/transfers.html
(via a click and add to shopping basket then check out with bank card system) Be aware that the initial price you see may be for the 4mm scale, 00 gauge sheet, when you have added the sheet to the basket you will be required to enter scale (7mm) and type (pressfix) the price will then update (7mm sheet is around 3 times the cost of a 4mm sheet). Illustrations of the transfer sheets are on the web site

  Illustration of GWR goods vehicle insignia sheet, one sheet will provide lettering for dozens of projects. Link below will take you to home page and then look for and click on the transfer icon.
www.hmrs.org.uk

  The transfers are also stocked by a number of specialist retailers such as Tower Models, 44 Cookson Street, Blackpool, Lancs, FY1 3ED, Tel 01253 623797. www.tower-models.com.

  This company produces a very wide range of high quality water slide transfers and promote themselves as the livery people (a description that I would not argue with). Fox Transfers, 138 Main Street, Markfield, Leicestershire, LE67 9UX, Tel 01530 242801/01530 245618.
www.fox-transfers.co.uk

  This company produces a range of rub down transfers and specialises in small sheets dedicated to providing a full set of lettering for some of the more unusual prototypes.

  They are particularly useful for some of the specialist wagons that had large blocks of loading instructions in small letters. Powsides, Poplars Farm, Aythorpe Roding, Dunmow, Essex, CM6 1RY, Tel 01279 876402.
https://www.powsides.co.uk

  Although the choice of which type of transfer to use is very much down to your personal preference. My personal recommendation for getting yourself started is a sheet of pressfix transfers for your chosen period to suite your first model.

  So if you are modelling a wagon in the BR era between 1948 and 1970 a sheet of Historical Model Railway Society No 25, BR revenue wagon, will cover virtually all the wagons you are going to build over the next five years and also provide a useful source of quality lettering for other modelling projects. The same is true if your first model is a loco in the LNER period etc.

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