I invested an hour of bench time spread over a few days to paint up crew figures for various pieces of equipment:
I have five vans (cabooses): three CNR models that I used on my Port Rowan layout, plus two NS&T models recently put into service. The CNR vans had some older white metal figures on the platforms. They were great for what was available at the time – but the North American crew figures from Modelu are much better so I’ve upgraded them.
I’ve also used Modelu figures for my NS&T freight motors but didn’t have a suitable crew member when I finished my most recent model – NS&T 17. Now I do.
On the freight motors, the crew figures are more than just a nice piece of scenery: They help operators identify the “front” of these double-ended locomotives. That’s a useful thing to know when using a DCC throttle.
These photos remind me that I really do need to find some large sheets of 0.060″ styrene to use as backdrop material.
The Model Railway Show 