Dan had been in touch again – this time about model train people.
They are something some overlook, but as he points out, they really brings a layout to life.
And what’s more, he has a wonderful tip for picking them up very cheaply too:
“Al, one of the responders asked for the people of the B&M as I did for the Santa Fe.
Here they are!
There is a park neat the Winchester Highlands station. Overall view.
Picnic
A vendor
Best ride in the world!
The park is an active place.
You are never too old for a time in the park.
Gazebo time.
A little relaxing near the pond. (In a previous post you saw a train pass the pond.)
A commuter from a previous train walking on the bridge over the tracks.
Worker at the produce transfer house.
Workers at the Goins Lumber yard. (Yes there are two places with my name. Walt’s choice.)
The police and fire fighters are also present at Winchester. Typical fire house in the area.
Someone is getting a new sofa.
Got to get the news papers delivered for the morning coffee.
The afternoon lemonade is ready!
A family stop for food and a rest stop.
Work at Goins Lumber and supply.
Dock worker at a B&M Ft House
Waiting fro the train.
Delivery at Alfonso Mill.
Going to work.
Switch man at LL tower. All turnouts are hand throws. So someone has to throw them.
Loading at Lowell Junction. ( The back drop was done using water color craft paints and dabbing with a brush. The trees are a plant we call Sedum or Ever Lasting. They turn reddish in the fall and last through the winter. When dry they are sprayed with glue and then a mix of ground foam colors.)
Freight station worker at the Lowell Junction Ft,. House.
At the Bag-O-Crete plant and the Bowery in the back ground. Carling Black label.
LJ tower. There are worker inside, too.
RR worker.
It is the people who make the layout live. On the layouts I have either done or done the scenery, there are probably 1,000 little people. I know that on one grand station I did had at least 100 people on the platform.
At train shows, I pick up bags of people that they are selling from layouts that have been decommissioned, (torn down.)
Dan”
A huge big thanks to Dan for sharing his tips on model train people.
That’s all for today folks.
Please do keep ’em coming.
And if today is the day you stop dreaming and start doing, the Beginner’s Guide is here.
Best
Al
PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.
I love the ideas of shade under the trees and everything else. Looks great, never seen it before.
I envision a time where we’ll be able to project holograms of people on our layoutsl People moving around, doing things. Our trains move, so should the people on the layout.
You’re right , gotta have the peeps. With a little effort and imagination they can , as you say sir, bring your layout to life . I like the fellow’s idea of holograms ,thatwould be cool.
I am in total agreement that people bring a layout to life. My one question is why hasn’t someone invented a flat paint for peoples’ clothing? Virtually every model person I have ever seen has very shinny clothing which just isn’t realistic. Just seems to me that there is an opportunity for someone to make a real contribution to the hobby.
Dan- Excellent work! Most modelers don’t pay attention to this detail, but it can really make or break the ‘feel’ of the layout. I can tell from the photos that you give the same creative thought to the placing of vehicles on your layout- another feature that is often overlooked. Well done, thanks for sharing!
love the church & park settings, over all well done.
Dan, great work with the people, I especially like the park scenes. Like many, I don’t have enough open space to do the trees spread out like yours, wish I did.
I find one challenge is that the people I get are in like 6 poses, and I’ve been experimenting with heating them up and re-positioning their arms and legs. It’s tedious. I wish someone would just have figures standing, legs and arms out where one could position them as needed, to be climbing a ladder, bending over a workbench, or the million other poses people are in.
Anyway, great job with this slice of layout scene building!
John from Baltimore
simply marvoules
Dan, I really like your layout. I am about to start mine next year and you have given me some good ideas. Can you share the people sets that you used?
Raymond- in reference to your question about flat paint. I spray just about anything plastic (except windows) with Testor’s Dullcote. It might take more that one coat but it will accomplish what you are looking for.
Great layout, especially the people!
When AI is fully implemented, I’d expect all living creatures to move, shadows will fall as a miniature sun traverses the sky, etc.
Dan…..you are right….. the people make the scene. Great job on the park and the rest
Raymond…. There are flat paints…. Look at Tamiya
Very nice. I’ve always added people to the display. I even found some unpainted ones that must be over 40 years old. I painted them and added them to the mix this year. I just need to work on the scenery more. Mine is pretty basic at this point, but we normally rebuild from scratch every year to give it a new look.
Brian Olson’s comment about holograms is interesting. One thing that most layouts could use is moving vehicles. I’ve seen vehicles stopped on highways and at traffic lights for years! There are some motorized vehicles available, mostly in the larger scales such as HO. Never seen it in N or Z scale. Maybe Brian could elaborate on his hologram concept if he actually has some technical expertise.
very nice work.the tetherball game was anice touch, along with the old cars.
Russ, they are from various manufactures. The Walther’s catalog has all of them.
The ones from the grab bag from the train shows, I have no idea.
I would add a fence between the train tracks and the public areas as it is obviously missing.
Mr. Ron, this is 1950’s. We did not need fences then. We knew better. We also did not wear helmets when rode bikes.
People make the scene.
Small scenes make a huge difference! Got some inspiration here. Thanks.
really cool. tetherbal, love it
keep it going well designed action scenes.
Alan and Dan- I too prefer scenery modeling and very much enjoyed seeing your inspiring vignettes- thanks for sharing!
Great series of scenic photos. A snapshot in time. And yes, people do add to the realism in those pictures.
Thanks for sharing.
Jim AZ
Nice scenic pictures
People and vehicles make scenes come alive!!
I too appreciate the time/energy required to include “real” people in our layouts. And it’s well worth the effort as noted by the many positive responses. A suggestion of my own is to include blinds and curtains/drapery — especially in residential buildings. Not many homes or apartments are without some kind of window covering — their inclusion makes for a huge difference in terms of realism.
VERY nice pictures. Crisp and clear. You can almost feel the heat. Makes me want to grab a lemonade and find some shade.
EXCELLENT LIGHTING source… what did you use?