01-31-2017, 11:44 AM
Lookin' good, Mike! 
An easier way to align lettering is to use a strip of masking tape as a guide. For a narrower strip, put a piece of tape sticky-side-down on a piece of glass, then use a knife and straightedge to cut off the edges (they get dinged and collect dust and fuzz with the roll just sitting around on a shelf or in a drawer), then cut a strip suitable for use on the item you wish to letter.
I use dividers to measure the width when lettering rolling stock: this allows me to match lettering placement on multiple cars of the same type by simply by placing one edge of the tape against a common edge or detail on the cars. You can also measure and mark individual letter/number locations on the tape before you peel it off the glass and stick it on the item to be lettered, since it's much easier to work on a flat surface unimpeded by irregularities on the model.
The bricks on your structure are a good horizontal guide, but on plain surfaces with no reference points, dividers will allow more accurate and consistent placement than will a ruler. In N scale, being "out" by a small amount is more noticeable than "out" by the same amount in larger scales.
Also, when making words using individual letters, either three-dimensional like you've used, or decals or dry transfers, letter spacing varies with the different combinations of letters. Varying the spacing between characters is known as "kerning", and it can determine if the words or numbers "look right". For instance, the space between an "A" and a "V" should be different than between an "A" and an "M".
Your sign looks fine, so the foregoing isn't meant to be a criticism, but simply a little information on making the process easier for anyone doing a similar task.
Wayne
An easier way to align lettering is to use a strip of masking tape as a guide. For a narrower strip, put a piece of tape sticky-side-down on a piece of glass, then use a knife and straightedge to cut off the edges (they get dinged and collect dust and fuzz with the roll just sitting around on a shelf or in a drawer), then cut a strip suitable for use on the item you wish to letter.
I use dividers to measure the width when lettering rolling stock: this allows me to match lettering placement on multiple cars of the same type by simply by placing one edge of the tape against a common edge or detail on the cars. You can also measure and mark individual letter/number locations on the tape before you peel it off the glass and stick it on the item to be lettered, since it's much easier to work on a flat surface unimpeded by irregularities on the model.
The bricks on your structure are a good horizontal guide, but on plain surfaces with no reference points, dividers will allow more accurate and consistent placement than will a ruler. In N scale, being "out" by a small amount is more noticeable than "out" by the same amount in larger scales.
Also, when making words using individual letters, either three-dimensional like you've used, or decals or dry transfers, letter spacing varies with the different combinations of letters. Varying the spacing between characters is known as "kerning", and it can determine if the words or numbers "look right". For instance, the space between an "A" and a "V" should be different than between an "A" and an "M".
Your sign looks fine, so the foregoing isn't meant to be a criticism, but simply a little information on making the process easier for anyone doing a similar task.
Wayne