# Seated Passenger Figures



## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

I was wondering should I use S gauge seated people to put in my passenger cars or are they too small and go ahead with O gauge figures?


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## Guest (Jun 4, 2017)

S gauge should look OK, some even use HO.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

S-scale is about perfect for many cars, but where are you finding them?


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

I saw some on Ebay, but most of them are in China.


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## njrailer93 (Nov 28, 2011)

The Chinese ones are what most people use. They do have some o scale ones that I've been looking into


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## Norton (Nov 5, 2015)

The old K-Line, later RMT figures are too big but the GGD and now Lionel figures are smaller and fit in most passenger cars without trimming. Grzyboskis was selling the Lionel figures for 22 bucks at Springfield. Keep an eye out for deals. GGD figures a bit cruder but they claim their latest offerings are better. Someone else will have to comment on those.

Pete


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

I used these I found on Amazon. At 1:50 they should be 4%smaller than 1:48 - but frankly they seem slightly smaller than that, but not S size small. Sometimes I trim the feet off them to fit is some passenger cars. They look good. I put a bunch in my Aerotrain.


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

Thanks Guys, I have a lot of passenger cars to put them in since I decided to bid on those MTH Milwaukee Road cars on Trainz and if I win them even more. Lee I'm goin to look into the ones on Amazon since my wife has Amazon Prime.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

These 50pcs Seated People Passengers Figures Painted Model Train 1:50 O Scale look to be the same poses as Lee got, just cheaper at $6.12 with free shipping. I ordered a few sets.

This is the picture from the $6.12 set of 50.









This is the picture from the $9.99 set of 50.









They sure look like the same thing, just a nicer set of pictures for one.


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

I think they are the same set. I paid about $9 each for mine - two sets.

One thing about O-Gauge people is always ask a site, particularly big ones like e-bay and amazon, for 1:50 scale as well as 1:48. 1:50 is a very popular scale for artchitectual models, and there are alot of people made for that.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I have some Lionel and GG Little People that I haven't opened yet, but I was looking for a cheaper alternative, these end up costing quite a lot for every passenger. The Lionel ones look very slightly smaller, I'll find out when I do the next set of cars. Lionel gave them some better facial features, but close up they look scary!  

The Lionel people are a bit more expensive than the GG folks you get 24 Lionel or 36 GG for about the same prices.

*Golden Gate Little People*










*Lionel 21" Passenger Scale Passengers*


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

I'm going to need them I just won the bid for the MTH Milwaukee Road four car passenger set. Now I got cars to go with my three MTH Milwaukee Road full vista doom cars.


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## Bill Webb (Sep 14, 2015)

Good going Denny. Enjoy.


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

In my opinion, the best figures for O gauge passenger cars are the MTH figures which are S scale. They fit in MTH cars without any surgery, there are a variety of poses, and they are well detailed. You can get 12 painted passengers (usually 8 seated) for $30 which is a bit pricey. You can also get 120 unpainted passengers (80 seated) for $30. Painting them is a PITA, but I’ve done a few hundred.

The Lionel figures are the next best at about $1 each. The painting is not too neat and they may need a little touch up, but they look like they will fit without surgery. On the set I bought, the paint is sticky.

I have gotten a number of the Ebay China sets. Two sets had only one male pose (the guy with his arms folded) and one female pose (the gal looking to the side). These are close to S scale and required a little surgery. They also needed quite a bit of touch up. I’ve also gotten a few of the sets that Lee and John have pictured. Some of these figures are larger than S. If you look at John’s photo, the guy with his hand on the seat looks larger than the guy with his arms folded.

I will be populating my Zephyr one of these days. I’ll put the smaller figures in the cars and the larger figures on park benches.


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

I need to populate my Lionel Chessie cars, my K-Line Golden State cars and my MTH Milwaukee Road and PRR Madison cars. I'm going to need a lot of figures. Someday if I come across them again I'll get the MTH Rock Island set.


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## Spence (Oct 15, 2015)

I bought a few hundred several years ago from China. I don't remember what I paid but they were cheap.


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

If I knew then what I know now, I would never have put the silhouette strip in the K-Line. The cars with clear windows and windows with silhouette figures. I hope I put them in the boxes.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

The $1/ea figures are just too rich for my tastes, I have another 40 or so passenger cars to do. Figuring around 18-20 for each car, that's $800 worth of figures at $1/ea!

The cheap figures are not as nice, but in truth with a tiny bit of touchup typically, the difference is pretty hard to see as the car rolls by. I keep the better looking figures for dome cars, it makes more difference there.


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

GRJ, I still have issues opening the MTH cars. Last time you told me how to do it I was only able to get one open.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Take the bottom screws out, grab the ends, twist in opposite directions. Do this over a soft surface as the roof frequently comes off with some vengeance. 

There are several styles, but that's the above is the most common for RailKing cars. The Premier cars just come apart after you take the screws out. They frequently have a second set of screws to remove the interiors so you can actually seat the passengers.

Here's a page from one of the manuals.


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## PatKn (Jul 14, 2015)

I have used the Chinese figures as well as the RMT Beeple and Circus Craft people. You don't get a good look at the people when inside the train so super accuracy is not required,


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

Yep that's what I did GRJ. They acted like they wanted to come off, but wouldn't. That's my only 'rub' with RailKing passenger cars. Also last time my nerve damage was much worse and I didn't have the strength. Now it's a little better so I'm going to try again.


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

DennyM said:


> I'm going to need them I just won the bid for the MTH Milwaukee Road four car passenger set. Now I got cars to go with my three MTH Milwaukee Road full vista doom cars.


Too bad Trainz isn't like Amazon Prime (free shipping). Between the shipping charges and buyers premium, I paid almost $40 more than what the winning bid was. Plus when I've ordered stuff from Amazon it gets here pretty quick. I may not see what I've won until some time next week. If it gets here by the end of the week I'll be surprised.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

You have just posted the reason that I have never bought anything on Trainz. The whole thing with the buyer's premium just ticks me off, and I tend to avoid places like that. That structure reminds me of a used car lot, always trying to squeeze the last nickel out of the customer!


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> You have just posted the reason that I have never bought anything on Trainz. The whole thing with the buyer's premium just ticks me off, and I tend to avoid places like that. That structure reminds me of a used car lot, always trying to squeeze the last nickel out of the customer!


I agree. Once upon a time they were great, but now . . .

One thing about the 1:50 seated folks I buy is that while they are painted, there are many duplicates - a pack of 50 will have eight guys with the same purple shirt. So I paint only the upper torso a variety of colors before putting them in train cars. Change the hair colors, too.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I try to buy several different assortments to get a wider variety, but lately it's been very tough to find properly sized figures for some reason. I may have to start doing a little paint work on them, but I try to avoid that.


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> You have just posted the reason that I have never bought anything on Trainz. The whole thing with the buyer's premium just ticks me off, and I tend to avoid places like that. That structure reminds me of a used car lot, always trying to squeeze the last nickel out of the customer!


John, the only reason I used Trainz is I've been after those RailKing cars for a long time. Even with what I paid it was still less than what I've seen them go for. Still I don't like their buyers premium, but I knew they were going to charge it and I bit the bullet and got the cars. I'm pretty sure it will be a long time before I do that again. If I do purchase something from them it will be in the fixed price category. By the way I got a email saying the were shipped.


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## Norton (Nov 5, 2015)

Denny, you just gave the reason why some like me still buy at Trainz auctions. You still can pickup items for less than other venues even after the premium and shipping. Lately they have been better with shipping. Buy and pay on Sunday and they will usually ship on Monday and stuff usually arrives no later than Thursday. I am 900 miles from them.

Pete


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

They shipped it Fed-Ex. I hope I don't have the same issues that Emile had. It might get ugly.:sly:


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

Norton said:


> Denny, you just gave the reason why some like me still buy at Trainz auctions. You still can pickup items for less than other venues even after the premium and shipping. Lately they have been better with shipping. Buy and pay on Sunday and they will usually ship on Monday and stuff usually arrives no later than Thursday. I am 900 miles from them.
> 
> Pete


I agree Pete, but I've been after these cars for a long time and nobody had them for $104 for four car set. I just looked on Ebay and the lowest was $160. Even with Trainz shipping and their stupid buyers premium, it was still cheaper.


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

I was surprised this morning to see that RMT has 9 sets of seated BEEPeople in stock. Another warehouse find I suppose. They are O scale (not S) and they are “on sale” for $60.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

It never ceases to amaze! I have several sets of these, but I found that they were too big for most car seats. However, I recall a price of $24.95, not $60!


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

Yeah. That’s about what I paid for the ones I bought. They are too big, but surgery is easy with the type of plastic they are made of. I’ve even cut them down the middle to make two people from one for either side of my Railking RDC3.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Funny you should mention that. I just did an one of those switchers, and I cut the guy in half to fit him into the skinny cab.


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

If I make it to York this October S gauge seated figures will be one of the things I look for.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I'm always on the lookout for passenger car figures. You can get tons of standing figures in all sorts of poses, I don't know why it's so hard to find sitting figures.


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## HarborBelt1970 (Sep 24, 2015)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I'm always on the lookout for passenger car figures. You can get tons of standing figures in all sorts of poses, I don't know why it's so hard to find sitting figures.


At a price like $60 (which is totally absurd, as in I was not born yesterday :cheeky4, both the old MTH Railking passenger figure sets, which include a fair number of seated figures, and even Lionel's recently recycled K-Line seated passenger sets are a bargain at less than half that price. 

As far as I can make out, after a lot of research, neither S nor O scale is well served for seated passenger figures; and 3D printing has not made much difference yet in this respect. If you are prepared to paint them yourself (who's got that much free time?), the MTH Railking unpainted figure sets are good resource in terms of numbers.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

No way I'm going to paint them, that's very time consuming! I have a bag of the RK figures, anyone want to paint them for me?


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

Even before my accident I couldn't have painted them. Now it's all I can do just to get them in the car.hwell:


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

It's not that I can't paint them, it's just that I don't find it rewarding to sit down with a couple hundred unpainted figures and try to make them look like something. I'm sure there are people that get their jollies doing this, I'm just not one of them.


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

Those Golden Gate Little People look to be about the same size as the Lionel figures. I might pick some up. Has anyone tried them in MTH premier or RK cars?


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Yep, I use the Little People in those cars, they're cheaper than the Lionel figures.


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

Thanks John. I just ordered a few sets of GGD little people. I also ordered a few sets of ebay / china figures (same man with folded arms, but a different female figure).

I did my B&O cars, but I also just picked up a matching B&O sleeper and diner set. Plus I still have to do my Pioneer Zephyr.


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## Matt_GNo27 (Feb 7, 2016)

Will the 1:50 scale figures that Lee & GRJ mentioned fit OK in Lionel Baby Madison cars?


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Matt, I haven't tried them in those. They fit into the MTH RailKing Aerotrain coaches just fine.


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

*Body Parts*

Last week, I populated my NOS B&O sleeper and diner. I used ebay/china figures and GGD little people. The diner has no room for legs so they had to go. Luckily this batch of ebay/china figures was made from soft plastic so the amputations were easy.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I find that I almost always have to at least trim the feet a little, and frequently a lot more.


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## Guest (Apr 12, 2018)

The diners look fabulous Bob. No one will ever know they don't have legs.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Joe, they'll be able to tell by all the tiny wheelchairs around the dining car!


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I find that I almost always have to at least trim the feet a little, and frequently a lot more.


I usually have to do some trimming to make Beepeople or china/ebay figures fit, but this is the most I ever had to do. There is zero room for legs on the 2000 vintage diner. My Railking diner made in 2007 can fit seated MTH passengers with no trimming.

I should also add that the GGD little people have an obtuse angle between their back and legs. I had to do some trimming on them to make them “sit up straight”.


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## Midnight Goat (Dec 19, 2017)

Lehigh74 said:


> Last week, I populated my NOS B&O sleeper and diner. I used ebay/china figures and GGD little people. The diner has no room for legs so they had to go. Luckily this batch of ebay/china figures was made from soft plastic so the amputations were easy.
> 
> View attachment 434705


This will look fantastic on a dexter (serial killer) themed layout :laugh:


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