lilbluefoxie Posted October 12, 2009 Share #1 Posted October 12, 2009 Anyone know the font used on the original rollsigns? the ALL CAPS ones on the R10-R38 like: WORLDS FAIR TIMES SQUARE < LOCAL-EXP > Im talking about the font before Akzidenz Grotesk and Helvetica came along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BroadwayBuffer Posted October 12, 2009 Share #2 Posted October 12, 2009 Anyone know the font used on the original rollsigns? the ALL CAPS ones on the R10-R38 like: WORLDS FAIR TIMES SQUARE < LOCAL-EXP > Im talking about the font before Akzidenz Grotesk and Helvetica came along. It probably isn't an actual "font" that would be standard with your computer or used as a publication's typeface. I doubt there's even much documented about what was used back then. I'm sure you could a font that resembles it closely if you were making a reproduction ... but I doubt you could ever find the exact one. I could be wrong, though. I should also note, the forgotten-ny guy seems to be big with fonts (including ones used in the subway) as he often describes and writes about them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metsfan Posted October 12, 2009 Share #3 Posted October 12, 2009 Correct, i believe the signs have a unique typeface. I still find it hilarious that they used a typeface called "Akzidenz Grotesk" on a mass transit system! :eek: - A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LRG Posted October 12, 2009 Share #4 Posted October 12, 2009 Correct, i believe the signs have a unique typeface. I still find it hilarious that they used a typeface called "Akzidenz Grotesk" on a mass transit system! :eek: - A Why though? Because it's hard to pronounce??? :confused: It also goes by "Standard" as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metsfan Posted October 13, 2009 Share #5 Posted October 13, 2009 Because it sounds like "accidents grotesque". :confused: - A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LRG Posted October 13, 2009 Share #6 Posted October 13, 2009 Because it sounds like "accidents grotesque". :confused: - A Lmao! Like I said though, it's also called "Standard". If people were to call it by it's real name, they'd go nuts! Even I was in a bizarre state when I first heard of the font. That's basically how it's said, "accidenz grotesque". Weird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric B Posted October 13, 2009 Share #7 Posted October 13, 2009 I heard it translates to "Lithographer's Gothic". As for the old rollsign fonts, when I try to imitate one of them on my page, down by "T", I use a series of alternatives of Compacta, Impact, or Haettenschweiler). I often wonder if it might be the same font as the old Greyhound fleet numbers (which seem to be no longer used), because of the way the end of the "6" was cut (at an angle). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metsfan Posted October 13, 2009 Share #8 Posted October 13, 2009 I know the victorian era signs were very ornamental, or very industrial and easy to read (high contrast clear script). - A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BroadwayBuffer Posted October 14, 2009 Share #9 Posted October 14, 2009 IMO, although those rollsigns were garishly oversized at times, they were much more legible than some of the tiny AG (as I think of it) style typefaces that were later retrofitted into the R-32 thru 40s and others. And going a little off-topic, I think the IND style station signage on both the signs and pillars were also superior to much of the hard to read small print on signs in stations today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilbluefoxie Posted October 14, 2009 Author Share #10 Posted October 14, 2009 The problem with the currrent signs is theres too many words, I would lay them out like this, the first line saying if its local or express, the second line the last stop, and the third line, the boro. (it messed up my formatting) Uptown & Local to The Bronx 242 St-Van Cortlandt Park Bronx (a panel with two routes) Downton & Local to Local to Brooklyn Coney Island 2 Av-Houston St Brooklyn Manhattan write in small text under the logo if its a part itme line, such as Weekends Only. The big change would be no more mentioning of the line names, the colors already express the lines and its not really in the lexicon of the average straphanger, nor the tourist who wouldn't know the names anyway. I see it as the second stage of an evolution past the old days to the Subway being a unified system. the first was to abandon the use of the IRT/BMT/IND names. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rr4567 Posted October 14, 2009 Share #11 Posted October 14, 2009 Because it sounds like "accidents grotesque". :confused: - A but there have been "accidents grotesque" lilbluefoxie: that should be Local 242 St-Van Cortlandt Park Bronx even shorter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BroadwayBuffer Posted October 15, 2009 Share #12 Posted October 15, 2009 I disagree, the line names are more important than the destinations in some respects since most riders aren't riding to the last stop anyhow. Since the (NYCT) created a loosely defined color coordinated system, it doesn't help indicate what line the train will run on particularly outside of Manhattan and would certainly mean little to a tourist. Even in the case of IRT/BMT/IND ... as I understand it, they were still commonplace even into the early 1990s. The old BMT names such as the West End, Sea Beach, and Brighton had been eliminated and replaced with the name of the Manhattan trunk route in the 1960s (Ex: Sea Beach Exp was renamed 70(N) Broadway Exp) indicating the Brooklyn route solely by a letter. AFAIK, they did not reappear on modern signage until the GOH rollsigns such as those seen on the R-32s and obviously they are continuing to be used on station signage and R-160 displays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WB Bus Subway Posted July 16, 2017 Share #13 Posted July 16, 2017 Anyone know the font used on the original rollsigns? the ALL CAPS ones on the R10-R38 like: WORLDS FAIR TIMES SQUARE < LOCAL-EXP > Im talking about the font before Akzidenz Grotesk and Helvetica came along. The Hunter Illuminated Car Sign Company (which I.I.N.M., made those rollsigns for the single R33's and R36WF's) did not have any name designation for the type they used, that I know of. However, Transign, which made rollsigns for subway cars beginning with the R32 / R32A order of 1964-65, called their type family "Transign Standard" (per a 1984 Transign manual). There were, from what I could see, five (or six) "widths" of that font - extended, expanded, regular, condensed and extra condensed - although if they got real small, the extended version was replaced with Venus Bold Extended (as seen on so many '8th's, for example, on 25" wide rollsigns mentioning the lettered routes). I am much fonder of Transign's font family than, say, Hunter's or Teleweld's or Trans-Lite's. A shame there hasn't been an attempt to replicate those typefaces digitally, the way there has with, say, Group W's typesetting as used for their TV and radio stations starting in 1963. (There is a computer-type version of the Standard Medium typeface used for years starting in the late 1960's with the Vignelli coloring scheme - it's called AG Old Face Bold.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.