Figures to add to passenger car interiors

Plenty of previous threads on this topic if you search "passenger cars figures" in the advanced search function. Here is a recent thread that contains a fair amount off info although it started as one about dome car figures: https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/...assenger-car-figures

You have to bear in mind that the interiors of O gauge passenger cars are really sub-O scale, more like S scale. Finding passengers especially seated ones who fit without having to "amputate" is not easy. Broadly speaking I still think that the old MTH Railking figures (pre-painted) are the best; they also produced unpainted passenger packs with something like 200 figures in each but the time needed to paint these can be long. Lionel's latest passenger packs (pre-painted) are the right size but there is very little variety in the figures. 

Both the MTH and Lionel painted figure options are pricey but they give you instant populations!

Do a "search" there are many, many hints and "how-to's"

One caution on the Lionel 21" passenger car figures.  I bought a couple of sets, and the paint then never dries, and they stick to the packaging or anything you put them on.  You almost didn't need any glue to seat them!  Those were my first and last sets of the Lionel figures, QC is not in evidence for those figures! 

I like the RailKing figures, but they're the most expensive of the ones I see short of buying individual Arttista figures.

if you do not want to pay a lot for your people here are a couple of ideas;

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.htm...86.c0.m14&_rdc=1

http://stores.ebay.com/WEHONES...trksid=p4634.c0.m322

Golden Gate Depot also makes packs of seared figures, I believe they are in stock too. 

I have used a mixed approach, lower end Chinese ones from eBay on the seats furthest from the windows and nicer GGD, K-Line, or Railking ones closer to the windows. This fills out the car at a slightly lower overall cost. 

Depending upon how busy you want your passenger train to be there are a ton of options. To get the “rush hour” effect takes a lot of little people, 60 to 70 per car. 

When you narrow it down to the sitting figures for passenger cars in O-gauge size, the list gets a LOT smaller.  Your second reference has 30 people for $17.98, about the same as GGD Little People, and the GGD passengers are done better.

CincinnatiWestern posted:

To get the “rush hour” effect takes a lot of little people, 60 to 70 per car. 

None of my trains run at rush hour!   I use from 12 to 20 passengers in a normal car, probably around 30 in a dome car or a 2-level car.

Smaller than O-gauge figures fit well in passenger cars like the N&W dome car, so amputations are not as necessary as when using O-gauge figures. The figures on the deck of the Blue Comet are O-gauge.

John,

Sounds like your passenger service has a huge operating loss, hope the freight operations are good to keep the trains running on time. 

fdodge posted:

I'm looking to enhance the interiors of MTH Premier SP Daylight smooth sided passenger cars with people figures. Any suggestions of how to do this with taste and quality?

This will be a first time experience for me. Any help/suggestions appreciated.

Frank

With respect to taste and quality, Arttista and Preiser are among the best but also the priciest averaging about 5-6 bucks apiece. 

If you are not in a rush, keep an eye out for them at train shows and auctions where they can be had for half the price or less. Put them in prominent positions next to the windows and use the others where less noticable.

Pete

All my passenger cars are full of MTH plastic figures that I painted myself. They come in 120 ct. bags for about $25. each. About 85% of them are sitting. Different men, women, and children dressed in 1940s-50s style clothing. These MTH figures fit without amputations. 

I painted them assembly-line style, about 15 at a time.

I think I'll send the bags of RK figures to Joe to paint, looks like the way to go.

CincinnatiWestern posted:

John,

Sounds like your passenger service has a huge operating loss, hope the freight operations are good to keep the trains running on time.

I'm trying to emulate Amtrak.

 I bought a lot of Menard's boxcar, hoppers, and flatcars.  Our operating costs on the freight lines are very low, so we can fill in the revenue stream with freight.

Before you glue the people in the car, paint the floors and walls with a contrasting, but complimentary, color.  This will eliminate the monochromatic look of the solid color plastic interior.  A darker shade of flat paint will also reduce the reflection of the interior lights on the plastic surfaces, resulting in more realistic, subdued lighting.  I do not recommend painting the seats for good glue adhesion.

John

Thank you for the info and insight, and I really appreciate the humor also.

I work pretty much 7 days a week and my wife runs the trains, so I may farm out the figures to make her happy.

I like the idea of painting floors and walls, and I think I can pull that off.

You can do it!