diff --git a/model/AnimModel.cpp b/model/AnimModel.cpp
index cafb3a93e..52a879ac2 100644
--- a/model/AnimModel.cpp
+++ b/model/AnimModel.cpp
@@ -505,6 +505,8 @@ bool anim_type_shared_by_instances( TAnimType a ) {
 // instanced path (one shared submodel tree across all instances) cannot serve.
 bool submodel_tree_blocks_instancing( TSubModel const *Sub ) {
     if( Sub == nullptr ) { return false; }
+    // a text display shows the text of its instance, a tree shared by all instances can't do that
+    if( Sub->eType == TP_TEXT ) { return true; }
     if( anim_type_unsafe_for_instancing( Sub->b_Anim ) ) { return true; }
     if( ( ( Sub->iFlags & 0x4000 ) != 0 ) && ( false == anim_type_shared_by_instances( Sub->b_Anim ) ) ) { return true; }
     if( submodel_tree_blocks_instancing( Sub->Child ) ) { return true; }
diff --git a/model/Model3d.cpp b/model/Model3d.cpp
index 66fc08c94..44f5f6255 100644
--- a/model/Model3d.cpp
+++ b/model/Model3d.cpp
@@ -898,8 +898,7 @@ std::vector<TSubModel *> const &TSubModel::text_letters(std::string const &Text)
 {
 	// the sequence is prepared once for each text the display shows. the texts of the model instances don't change,
 	// so drawing a display afterwards costs a single lookup, however many instances and passes take turns
-	auto const prepared{m_textlayouts.find(Text)};
-	if (prepared != m_textlayouts.end())
+	if (auto const prepared{m_textlayouts.find(Text)}; prepared != m_textlayouts.end())
 	{
 		return prepared->second;
 	}
diff --git a/model/Model3d.h b/model/Model3d.h
index 27565c206..a9ef8af12 100644
--- a/model/Model3d.h
+++ b/model/Model3d.h
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
 #include "model/material.h"
 #include "gl/query.h"
 
+#include <string_view>
+
 #define EU07_USE_GEOMETRYINDEXING
 
 // Ra: specjalne typy submodeli, poza tym GL_TRIANGLES itp.
@@ -159,7 +161,12 @@ public: // chwilowo
     // text display (TP_TEXT) data, filled on first use
     std::unordered_map<char32_t, TSubModel *> m_letters; // sub-models of the available characters, by unicode code point
     bool m_lettersready { false }; // whether the character lookup was built yet
-    std::unordered_map<std::string, std::vector<TSubModel *>> m_textlayouts; // sub-models of consecutive characters, for each text shown
+    // transparent hasher, so the text layouts can be looked up with any string type without a temporary std::string
+    struct text_hash {
+        using is_transparent = void;
+        std::size_t operator()( std::string_view const Text ) const noexcept { return std::hash<std::string_view>{}( Text ); }
+    };
+    std::unordered_map<std::string, std::vector<TSubModel *>, text_hash, std::equal_to<>> m_textlayouts; // sub-models of consecutive characters, for each text shown
     TSubModel *Parent{ nullptr }; // nadrzędny, np. do wymnażania macierzy
     int iVisible { 1 }; // roboczy stan widoczności
     float fVisible { 1.f }; // visibility level
diff --git a/rendering/opengl33renderer.cpp b/rendering/opengl33renderer.cpp
index 33346fad2..c24f750c8 100644
--- a/rendering/opengl33renderer.cpp
+++ b/rendering/opengl33renderer.cpp
@@ -4152,6 +4152,23 @@ bool opengl33_renderer::Render(TModel3d *Model, material_data const *Material, f
 	return result;
 }
 
+// opaque characters of a text display, laid out in a row the same way as the translucent ones
+void opengl33_renderer::Render_text(TSubModel *Submodel)
+{
+	if (TSubModel::pasText == nullptr)
+	{
+		return;
+	}
+	::glPushMatrix();
+	for (auto *p : Submodel->text_letters(*TSubModel::pasText))
+	{
+		Render(p);
+		if (p->fMatrix)
+			::glMultMatrixf(p->fMatrix->readArray()); // move on to the place of the next character
+	}
+	::glPopMatrix();
+}
+
 void opengl33_renderer::Render(TSubModel *Submodel)
 {
 	glDebug("Render TSubModel");
@@ -4302,9 +4319,17 @@ void opengl33_renderer::Render(TSubModel *Submodel)
 			}
 			}
 		}
-		if (Submodel->Child != nullptr)
-			if (Submodel->iAlpha & Submodel->iFlags & 0x001F0000)
+		if (Submodel->Child != nullptr && (TSubModel::iAlpha & Submodel->iFlags & 0x001F0000))
+		{
+			if (Submodel->eType == TP_TEXT)
+			{
+				Render_text(Submodel);
+			}
+			else
+			{
 				Render(Submodel->Child);
+			}
+		}
 
 		if (Submodel->iFlags & 0xC000)
 		{
diff --git a/rendering/opengl33renderer.h b/rendering/opengl33renderer.h
index b472849bc..1b4897386 100644
--- a/rendering/opengl33renderer.h
+++ b/rendering/opengl33renderer.h
@@ -314,6 +314,7 @@ class opengl33_renderer : public gfx_renderer {
     bool Render(TModel3d *Model, material_data const *Material, float const Squaredistance, glm::dvec3 const &Position, glm::vec3 const &Angle);
 	bool Render(TModel3d *Model, material_data const *Material, float const Squaredistance);
 	void Render(TSubModel *Submodel);
+	void Render_text(TSubModel *Submodel); // opaque characters of a text display
 	void Render(TTrack *Track);
 	void Render(scene::basic_cell::path_sequence::const_iterator First, scene::basic_cell::path_sequence::const_iterator Last);
 	// renders the per-track sleeper instances (TTrack::m_sleeper_local_transforms) via GPU instancing.
diff --git a/rendering/openglrenderer.cpp b/rendering/openglrenderer.cpp
index ef54f32c9..180dba771 100644
--- a/rendering/openglrenderer.cpp
+++ b/rendering/openglrenderer.cpp
@@ -2794,6 +2794,21 @@ opengl_renderer::Render( TModel3d *Model, material_data const *Material, float c
     return result;
 }
 
+// opaque characters of a text display, laid out in a row the same way as the translucent ones
+void
+opengl_renderer::Render_text( TSubModel *Submodel ) {
+
+    if( TSubModel::pasText == nullptr ) { return; }
+
+    ::glPushMatrix();
+    for( auto *p : Submodel->text_letters( *TSubModel::pasText ) ) {
+        Render( p );
+        if( p->fMatrix )
+            ::glMultMatrixf( p->fMatrix->readArray() ); // move on to the place of the next character
+    }
+    ::glPopMatrix();
+}
+
 void
 opengl_renderer::Render( TSubModel *Submodel ) {
 
@@ -3112,9 +3127,15 @@ opengl_renderer::Render( TSubModel *Submodel ) {
                 }
             }
         }
-        if( Submodel->Child != nullptr )
-            if( Submodel->iAlpha & Submodel->iFlags & 0x001F0000 )
+        if( Submodel->Child != nullptr
+         && ( TSubModel::iAlpha & Submodel->iFlags & 0x001F0000 ) ) {
+            if( Submodel->eType == TP_TEXT ) {
+                Render_text( Submodel );
+            }
+            else {
                 Render( Submodel->Child );
+            }
+        }
 
         if( Submodel->iFlags & 0xC000 )
             ::glPopMatrix();
diff --git a/rendering/openglrenderer.h b/rendering/openglrenderer.h
index 9779388c7..3a3538a6c 100644
--- a/rendering/openglrenderer.h
+++ b/rendering/openglrenderer.h
@@ -237,6 +237,9 @@ private:
         Render( TModel3d *Model, material_data const *Material, float const Squaredistance );
     void
         Render( TSubModel *Submodel );
+    // opaque characters of a text display
+    void
+        Render_text( TSubModel *Submodel );
     void
         Render( TTrack *Track );
     void