Who's people are you using on your tinplate layout?

Sam,

The name that comes to mind is something like, Artista. I can't remember much anymore except they're metal with good paint work with affordable prices. The price of most depends a great deal on the era you are modeling. If I have the name wrong, rest assured someone will let me (& you) know.

Barclays

The new stuff is better than the originals. I use large for STD gauge.

They recommend pee-wee for O and S scale.

For my standard gauge, I use Barclay's - I have one each of the large originals and also the new ones. The new ones are still made and VERY nicely hand-painted in Manorville, NY, USA and are SOLID cast. The only new ones I do not have are the elderly woman and the policeman, but I do have a very nice African-American RR Chef with a roast and a carving knife. He was #13 in a "baker's dozen" order! 

They are really more LGB-size figures, but they go great with standard gauge! 

Thanks all.

Both companies have some nice items.

I use Barclays also.  I like them as they are solid.

I have some older pieces, but some are not solid.  I don't care for these as much as the newer Barclays renditions.  They have a table at York too!

I went over to the U.K version of Ebay and found a wide variety of what I guess are vintage painted lead toy railroad figures. The exception is the same sort of figure of a girl skipping rope that I put in front of a tin house. The U.K site is worth investigating. These were used on a clockwork Hornby layout that I was determined to use that era's components in.

A rare example of discipline on my part.

While crude by todays standards, they really add to the vintage look of the layout.

I'm still working on a bunch of molds for new figures in what I call the "Midi" size....They're "midway" between Standad and O gauge....If you're familiar with the old 54mm Johillco, Timpo and Britains figures, this is exactly what they are....hopefully, I'll have them up on the website in the next few weeks......

Which web site is it?

Steve

www.barclaycompany.com

I use a mix of the old and new Barclay figures.  As far as which is superior it has been my observation that it depends on the piece.  Some of the older Barclay figures in my opinion are more solid than some of the newer ones but at the same time I found some of the newer ones far better than the older ones.  Go figure.  At any rate, I like both of 'em.  I will say that the newer ones are painted far better than the older figures.

Just wondering which of the new figures you found to be "less solid" than the old ones....I cast everything in solid metal now, where the originals were hollow...also, I'm using a far better grade of metal than originally used.....I'm not trying to start an argument or anything, just some "field research" to see where I need to improve the product....

Jeff,

     I appreciate your thoughtful response.  I really do like your figures and I am glad you are interested enough to request additional information so there is no danger of an argument here.  Actually, I should have been a bit more specific in my post.  Your actual figures themselves are really quite solid but some of the "peripherals" included with or attached to the figures are sometimes not so durable or not very well attached.  For instance, the horse  harness on your one horse open sleigh set snapped in two as I removed it from its box.  Everything else in that set was great but the harness in my opinion was kind of flimsy and broke into pieces very easily. 

Also, on your candy cane street light set the little gold handles which protrude from the sides of the light poles seem to break off rather easily.  I have four of these and on two of them the handles broke off rather easily.  I realize these protrusions are small and probably prone to breakage but they are part of the actual pole.  The candy cane poles in themselves are beautifully painted , quite heavy and are a delightful touch on our Christmas layout. 

Lastly, I have several of your ski figures and all are nicely painted and quite heavy but the skis break off very easily.  Its an easy fix to super glue them back on but they do break off rather easily. 

In the old Barclay figures the horse harnesses were made out of a heavier gauge metal and have withstood the test of time.  The same with the skis on the old ski figures.

The situations I have noted in the long run certainly do not detract from the overall quality of your figure line but like everything else in this world a couple of things might need a bit of "tweeking".   

Thanks for taking the time to inquire about my observations.  Obviously, you are an astute businessman.   I hope you have continued good fortune with your product line. 

How long ago did you buy the skiiers? I switched away from the cast skis and over to the stamped tin ones a couple years ago....more expensive for me, but it negates all the gluing....Same with the Harness, I re-did the mold for that a couple years ago, as well. Some of the older pieces I did about 10 years ago, are kind of fragile, as I was trying to work away from a lead based alloy, and was trying out a zinc based alloy....the zinc didn't work out nearly as well, and I went back to the lead base....maybe you got a hold of one of the older pieces....Your experience with the Candy Cane lights is actually the first I've heard.....Shoot me you address vis email, and I'll get a new harness off to you....let me know if you need more skis, I think I still have some of the older cast type left....the tin skis won't work on the figures with the cast skis, because the little pads on their feet are different....

Jeff,

    All of the products which I specified in my earlier post were purchased about 6 or 7 years ago.  Thanks for your offer I appreciate it.

I use flat figures ("zinnfiguren" in German) that I paint myself. Goes nicely with tinplate, although they're not to everyone's liking. Will post pics sometime

Bani

Since it is a toy train layout rather than a model railroad I use Barclays.  Really nothing on the layout is in scale and it looks great.  The other layout I am starting this summer will be hi rail and largely in scale.

Al