Whether it is a fraternity getting together for pizza, a couple paying respects at a monument, travelers departing their train, Tim loading the Dixie Chopper, apprehensive onlookers or a remote pond, figures help make the scene pop and add whimsy.
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They do indeed! Very nice pics!
--Greg
Nice scenes everyone.
Agreed, they make a huge difference. (The creepy crawler in the foreground was part of the Halloween theme at our club's Train Show yesterday.)
....like these EXTREME rail fans.......
Peter
Actually, yes, and in both worlds.
AG.
*
They look like nice figures, Sirt.
What brand are they?
Cheers
I must add, though, that sometimes having no figures at all makes its own statement, doesn't it.
FrankM.
Some people make a difference by their absence! 
I must add, though, that sometimes having no figures at all makes its own statement, doesn't it.
FrankM.
Some people make a difference by their absence!
Yes, indeed, and sometimes that absence can be a detriment or a welcome change for the better of all.
Agreed.
FrankM.
You have the best looking people Frank. What kind are they and where did you get them? Handpainted yourself?
Agreed.
FrankM.
You have the best looking people Frank. What kind are they and where did you get them? Handpainted yourself?
Aside from using Artista and Preiser figures, depending on the scene, I mostly use hand-painted figures, imported from England and Australia, by:
Roy Baker
Bakers Railroad Shop
1-845-887-4596
If you want to tell Roy I gave him the credit for the figures you like and contact for you to him, tell him Frank M. of Layout Refinements sent you.
P.S. Though you may have seen these scenes by me previously, here are some of my favorite figures that Roy makes...
I don't want to be a contrarian, and I certainly do not mean to detract from all of the amazing scenes shown in this thread. But, I have to admit that I have mixed feelings about people in the scenes that I model. I do use them occasionally, but they always bother me a bit. There is just no way that one can build or buy models of human beings that are fully-convincing. The famous "uncanny valley" gets you every time.
I recently came across the following quotation from the famous ultra-realistic modeler Alan Wolfson, who never uses people in his scenes:
When people appear in a miniature environment, your attention is automatically drawn to them because it’s so obvious they’re not real; their presence points to the fact that it’s an artificial environment. Without the people there as markers of unreality, you can really get lost in the scene and formulate your own narrative.
I don't want to be a contrarian, and I certainly do not mean to detract from all of the amazing scenes shown in this thread. But, I have to admit that I have mixed feelings about people in the scenes that I model. I do use them occasionally, but ...
I recently came across the following quotation from the famous ultra-realistic modeler Alan Wolfson, who never uses people in his scenes:
When people appear in a miniature environment, your attention is automatically drawn to them because it’s so obvious they’re not real; their presence points to the fact that it’s an artificial environment. Without the people there as markers of unreality, you can really get lost in the scene and formulate your own narrative.
A (lone) figure as a distraction ?... as a "marker of unreality" ?
...or as a guide into a narrative intended by the modeller/author of the story?
I enjoyed reading your perspective, Avanti, and am glad for your thought-stimulating input on the topic. You invite a potentially interesting conversation.
FrankM.
.... markers of unreality....
Hey! What did he just call us?!!
...or did we just prove his point!!! 
Jim
I buy any type of figures.
Most detailed figures are Arttista, Woodland Scenics and Presier from Germany.
From my album #45 -
LAYOUT Curve Module #3 Spring
https://steves3roscale.shutterfly.com/pictures/3622
Power Sub-station for the SIRT South Beach line....
Thinking about this use or non-use of figures further, let me suggest that the presence, number, or absence of figures determines the message and completes the scene. For example:
A couple figures present = not a busy day or place; no figures would = a nearly derelict place; numerous figures would = a popular place of business....
One lone rascal is a different message than an empty doorstep or a line of people waiting to get in, isn't it...
Several customers = a popular plant nursery; no figures would = ?
Here, school is about to be in-session; if there were no figures at all present, school is in-session, or it is Saturday.
To me, figures are essential, unless I want to craft a narrative that is empty of human involvement. FrankM.
I love the scenes/dioramas depicted here with such skill.
But these are for adult viewers--meaning viewers who appreciate and recognize SCALE proportions.
But young children don't recognize scale, and they aren't limited in having "fun" with grossly out of scale scenes. I have painted metal ice-skating figures that were grossly out of scale skating on a tiny Platicville pond from my childhood that provided a lot of fun; and tiny plastic cars that were way under scale that we enjoyed alongside the giants.
So, I applaud the modeling skills of our members, but hope the pursuit of "scale" doesn't limit the play value of trains for youngsters.
A lonely scene of a train crossing the prairie or rugged mountains needs no people. They would detract. But in civilization, they add significantly to the mood that the artist portrays.
i don't see dioramas as stimulation of the imagination as much as they trigger memories that are associated with a given scene. The presence of figures assists that.
i don't see dioramas as stimulation of the imagination as much as they trigger memories that are associated with a given scene. The presence of figures assists that.
What an excellent point to make.
Hi Jerrman, Yes, Roy had a website, but when I Googled it for my reply above (see Nov 5) to Gary Graves, I could not get anything useful. Roy does not maintain the site himself; one of his sons does it for him but doesn't keep it up.
Roy definitely does still conduct his miniature figures business - Bakers Railroad Shop - and had his usual table in the Orange Hall at October's TCA Meet @ York. Also, he is planning on displaying again at the W.Springfield, Massachusetts show in a few months.
For your convenience, I'd recommend: (a) use the phone number I provided above for Roy and mention me as your connection... (b) Refer to the several photos I have in my replies to this thread as something of a "catalog" of many of his figures. If you want me to search my records for more of his figures featured among my work, I'll do so if you want.
FrankM.
I don't want to be a contrarian, and I certainly do not mean to detract from all of the amazing scenes shown in this thread. But, I have to admit that I have mixed feelings about people in the scenes that I model. I do use them occasionally, but they always bother me a bit. There is just no way that one can build or buy models of human beings that are fully-convincing. The famous "uncanny valley" gets you every time.
I recently came across the following quotation from the famous ultra-realistic modeler Alan Wolfson, who never uses people in his scenes:
When people appear in a miniature environment, your attention is automatically drawn to them because it’s so obvious they’re not real; their presence points to the fact that it’s an artificial environment. Without the people there as markers of unreality, you can really get lost in the scene and formulate your own narrative.
I can understand that, when in reference to that guy who did VERY real photos of scenics with model cars. You would only know they were NOT real if figures, no matter how "good", were included. Fortunatly, we 3-railers need not worry about such trivia.
Yup. It just has to be fun. For real.
Did everybody see the layout on the 3rail forum thread, "One beautiful train on a stunning layout" ? Remarkable to me was that I saw only six figures of humans on the entire, vast layout, two at a logging company site and four at what appeared to be a rural RR station. That's a very interesting concept to me, with plenty to consider.
Interesting observation Frank. In my opinion, the presence or absence of figures on an O scale layout is more noticeable than on an HO or smaller scale layout. The smaller scales tend to have structures and scenery dominating the trains, making figures and other details less noticeable. Our O scale layouts usually don't have the space for large structures and scenery, relative to our trains, so people and other details stand out more. I have researched photos of industrial complexes and noticed that it is difficult to see any people in the pictures. The people are indeed there, but in order to get the entire complex in the picture, the photographer had to be so far away that the people barely showed up. Therefore, I think we would notice figures, or the lack thereof, in O scale more than in the smaller scales. Of course this is just a theory of mine and I could be completely wrong.
In my opinion, the presence or absence of figures on an O scale layout is more noticeable than on an HO or smaller scale layout. The smaller scales tend to have structures and scenery dominating the trains, making figures and other details less noticeable.
I think you're right - I never thought about that.
Sometimes it helps to put it into context.
Even his shadow helps.
Even his shadow helps.
The shadow! That's great. I've never seen that done before.
People and animals add a lot of interest to a model railroad. They help to bring a layout to life.
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