Figures in Coaches, DMUs etc

[Sea Mills]

I am interested in how many of you put figures in your models.   I have just put a few in one DMU after a lot of messing about and a scratch on the body whilst getting it off.  I'm not sure it is worth it in view of their visibility, or lack of it.   Is it worth the effort?  What do you think?

David

[martink]

To get a reasonable visual payback for the effort involved, I put loco crews in my steamers and am thinking about drivers in diesels & DMUs, and possibly a few guards in goods brakes. 

[BobB]

If you do not put people in coaches you are consigning your stock to being ECS (Empty coaching stock) movements. Why, do we demand absolute realism in our stock only to let the pacific or class 4 or 5 diesel pull a load of empty coaches around an otherwise wonderfully detailed layout ? Maybe while the stock is moving you can not tell if their are passengers, correctly coloured seats and partitions;  but when you want to post a picture on this forum (or perhaps wait for a picture from the exhibition that you've plucked up courage to display your layout) then the absence of a populated carriage will be so obvious that you will be rather embarrassed.

For dmu's and emu's then there is the problem of the motor intruding (but Dapol's solution with the 121 indicates a way forward) but for loco hauled stock there is no excuse whatsoever. For DCC you have to open up to put the decoder in. Another half an hour to paint seats, tables etc. and glue down a selection of passengers is no great hardship (but admittedly an unjustified expense) so that more realism is evident.

Well, it is up to you, but for me, no passengers means you do not need the train !

(Ducks for cover after fitting the hard hat awaiting responses !)

[scotsoft]

I have so far only added passengers to one of my passenger cars, they are a bit gaudy but when moving you can see they are on board 

cheers John.

[guest311]

If you do not put people in coaches you are consigning your stock to being ECS (Empty coaching stock) movements. Why, do we demand absolute realism in our stock only to let the pacific or class 4 or 5 diesel pull a load of empty coaches around an otherwise wonderfully detailed layout ? Maybe while the stock is moving you can not tell if their are passengers, correctly coloured seats and partitions;  but when you want to post a picture on this forum (or perhaps wait for a picture from the exhibition that you've plucked up courage to display your layout) then the absence of a populated carriage will be so obvious that you will be rather embarrassed.

For dmu's and emu's then there is the problem of the motor intruding (but Dapol's solution with the 121 indicates a way forward) but for loco hauled stock there is no excuse whatsoever. For DCC you have to open up to put the decoder in. Another half an hour to paint seats, tables etc. and glue down a selection of passengers is no great hardship (but admittedly an unjustified expense) so that more realism is evident.

Well, it is up to you, but for me, no passengers means you do not need the train !

(Ducks for cover after fitting the hard hat awaiting responses !)

of course the other side of the coin is all the passengers sitting in carriages in the carriage sidings, or going for a ride through the wash or refuelling point.

personally I feel it is up to the individual, and there is no right or wrong about it.

[Jack]

I've often wondered this. Then if you're watching real trains go by, can you actually see the passengers? With some modern coaching stock it's hard to look in through the glass when the train is in the station.   

[macwales]

Hi

I have put a few figures in a Dapol Class 158 as visitors to my layout seem to look for people in tha carriages but I found I had to cut the figures in half (very painful!) to get them in without heads scraping the ceiling! This did not matter to me as they were cheap figures (from China - Ebay) that I had repainted to look less bright.

I will also attempt to put some in some Dapol light bar lit coaches when I get time. They do look good in the lit up compartments, especially if, like me, you have a close up sideways eye level viewing opportunity.

Cheers

Mac

[moogle]

It is a personal choice but I always think of how much you can see the interior anyway.
That all depends on how big the windows are and if the coach is lit or not.
I've put some in mainline coaches as they had large windows but in suburban's and 4 wheelers I never bother as the windows are so small!

[Newportnobby]

With some modern coaching stock it's hard to look in through the glass when the train is in the station.   

I agree. I got arrested last time I did that, though

[Jack]

With some modern coaching stock it's hard to look in through the glass when the train is in the station.   

I agree. I got arrested last time I did that, though

...but was it the toilet window you were trying to look through.

[Newportnobby]

With some modern coaching stock it's hard to look in through the glass when the train is in the station.   

I agree. I got arrested last time I did that, though

...but was it the toilet window you were trying to look through.

Now you're being silly They are frosted so you can't.............oops

[Caz]

Ah ha, now I know who the peeping tom was 

[Matthew-peter]

For me I put drivers in and when I get enough figures I will be populating my carriages, I like knowing they are there even if others dont kind of thing so gives me a bit of a boost, also why I like weathering locos, stock and units, although weathering is a bit more obvious.

[Sea Mills]

Interesting views.   I must not be very observent as I can't recall whether the excellent N Gauge layouts on the exhibition circuit, such as Horseley Fields, have figures on board.   Putting figures in makes them more realistic in some contexts and less so than in others (a driver at each end of a DMU?).  By the way, can you take the Mk 1 coaches apart to put figures in?

David

[Ollie3440]

I am slowly in the process of populating my stock. So far I've added to a mix of mk1, mk2, mk3, gresley, stanier, Collett, autocoach plus a few units. On some of my coaches I even have a few blokes window hanging. I've had a few comments, when I've had sheaf at a show, from visitors who have noticed them

Ollie