Model "Men At Work"... Post your favorite scene with figures working!

rray Oct 14, 2020

  1. rray

    rray Staff Member

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    Since the weather is turning cold, and it's officially Model Railroading Season, we have all started to dust off our work area, clean up the layouts, and decide on what projects to start or resume.

    Now is the perfect time to reminisce upon what we have done so far and share pictures of our work. Lets start this thread with scenes where we have "Men at Work" on out layouts. Please add quotes or backstory to make it fun! Don't be concerned if your scene is not finished, or otherwise photo ready, instead focus on the quote or backstory to carry you along, in other words, everyone has something to contribute to the fun! :D

    Cletus and Gus are loading cattle for their final reward in Chicago, when Gus slipped on a cow pie and fell right into a smouldering steamer. Some days you wish you just stayed in bed:
    1 Working the Stockyards.jpg

    Not all jobs are our career choices, but someone got's to do them. Lucky Simon got a job at the Drive In Theater, and thought his Friday night's were going to be great, watching free movies and hanging out, but he got assigned the ticket booth. Oh joy, he gets to watch carload after carload of his friends all going to the movies, while he is stuck in this tiny booth all night. Help... Let me out, I can't take it no more!
    2 Orbit Drive In Ticket Booth.JPG

    Andy is up on the roof. Seems the barn has a bad roof, and all the hay bales stored up there was moldy, and had to be thrown out. Now it's time to fix the roof, but that's a lot better than shoveling paddock pies with the boys below:
    3 Big Red Roof Repair.jpg
     
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  2. nscalestation

    nscalestation TrainBoard Supporter

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    Great idea Robert, I'll play.

    These scenes come from my AsiaNrail modules. This demolition crew is almost finished with the old building that had stood here. Next will be the other abandoned to the right when the paperwork and contract comes through.

    [​IMG]


    After work the boss takes the crew out for a celebration of a job well done.

    [​IMG]
     
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  3. minesweeper

    minesweeper TrainBoard Member

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    I am sorry but being sunday, all workers are at home. Not so easy to see, but the cement mixer is all wrapped up and ready for tomorrow.....
    Or in workdays, being Italy, I can say the workers are on strike, or I can blame the stop on the freezing temperatures (it is March here and we are @ 4000ft+ in the mountains)...
    ...in any case nobody working today.
    IMG_20200223_182342.jpg

    Really, I still have to put the figures in the layout, but do not like to create dynamic scenes and scenes that simply do not work at night. The men @ work here would be one of such scenes.
    You can see the details on my layout's thread.
    https://www.trainboard.com/highball...ian-ho-scale-modular-layout-wip.115210/page-5
     
    Last edited: Oct 14, 2020
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  4. Bookbear1

    Bookbear1 TrainBoard Supporter

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    Layout 3-40.JPG Layout 3-41.JPG Junior is momentarily distracted from the candy display in the drug store window by the colorful language he is hearing from the city utility crew investigating a sewer leak.
     
    Last edited: Oct 15, 2020
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  5. Candy_Streeter

    Candy_Streeter TrainBoard Member

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  6. Hytec

    Hytec TrainBoard Member

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    Candy, your detailed realism is always precise, and beautifully created. Thanks you for sharing your abilities.
     
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  7. Shortround

    Shortround TrainBoard Member

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    My scenery modeling was mostly done when I was in grade schools and Farmers Club for Youths. The figures were purchased and the rest was scaled to them. They were seasonal and holidays like Christmas Cribs, Easter, Thanksgiving (my birthday) and Harvesting for the County Fair.
    Thanks for the other postings.
     
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  8. rray

    rray Staff Member

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    This thread is not about posting your best pictures, rather it's about telling your best stories, explaining what the people are doing, and coming up with a fun story to share with any and especially grade school and early models. When you were a kid, the scenes you modeled were always to tell a story, the story YOU wanted the world to know. Please dig up something old and caption it for us. All in good fun! :D
     
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  9. minesweeper

    minesweeper TrainBoard Member

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    scenes like the last two from above were the favorite pastime of my older kid, even now that he is 13, he could stay hours looking at construction work (whatever the weather or any other consideration)
    We always stopped for a long time at model shows to see the RC bulldozers @ work (even taking time off the trains :whistle:).
    Someone with his name is in charge of renovating the station in my layout during the 70s (try to read the poster in the picture :barefoot:), he really appreciated the citation.
     
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  10. RBrodzinsky

    RBrodzinsky November 18, 2022 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter In Memoriam

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    Early morning road crew near CalTrain

    DSC_4521 crop.jpg
     
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  11. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member

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    Great modeling everyone, I have gotten a bunch of ideas out of this.
    This image shows the signal maintainers at work checking that the crossing lights are working properly. On a side note; We try to operate a couple times a month till the whole covid thing, I was out doing something, and ended up leaving the power on to the crossing signal systems, well 4 months later I went out to the MRR barn and yep those lights were still flashing, and all the LED's were still working.
    DSC00749.JPG
    And here we see power being serviced on the pit at world HQ for the QA&P.
    QAPDepot.jpg
    Here the MofW crew is preparing to replace a frog. New switch ties at the ready.
    003 (2).JPG
    This is a great idea for a thread.
     
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  12. Mike VE2TRV

    Mike VE2TRV TrainBoard Member

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    I like your engine servicing area in the second photo. Lots of detail to look through, and some fine modeling work.
     
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  13. minesweeper

    minesweeper TrainBoard Member

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    It had been a long day, Massimo, the duty mechanic foreman was about to go home when the evening local brought back the heating van for repairs.
    IMG_5949.jpeg

    Getting in the pit will look if there is anything that can be done tonight before the local goes back on the rails tomorrow, we may need to raise the car. Three options here:
    - recall a grungy repair crew for extra hours: best way to make new "good friends" :sneaky:
    - call the main depot to bring a working heating van with the first train by tomorrow morning: easy peasy :cool:, if they have a spare one
    - leave tomorrow's passengers with a freezing train, they will really be happy... :censored::
    what will happen.....?
     
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  14. minesweeper

    minesweeper TrainBoard Member

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    Rray, this thread is really a great idea, thank you for starting
     
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  15. SP-Wolf

    SP-Wolf TrainBoard Supporter

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    Time for new shoes:

    [​IMG]

    Thanks,
    Wolf
     
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  16. Hytec

    Hytec TrainBoard Member

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    Preparing the evening meal for the logging crew.

    [​IMG]
     
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  17. r_i_straw

    r_i_straw Mostly N Scale Staff Member

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    Trying to re-rail the caboose.
    index.jpg
     
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  18. minesweeper

    minesweeper TrainBoard Member

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    Very early morning at Pescasseroli station.
    The station personnel is getting the itineraries and the block system ready for the next incoming train,
    Cabina.jpg
    the station master gets his red cap on and is going to the platform to receive it.
    Today the first train in the morning also brings the reserve heating van (refer to previous post) so the repair crew did not have to be recalled and passengers will be anyway happy and warm.
    The heater building up steam pressure on the reserve heating van was less happy, but at least warm.


    After the van is released the station master will give the train the green hand signal to proceed south, and will supervise the switching of the van to the northbound local.
    DU.jpg
    Just on the left side of his office, the Dispatcher is busy getting traffic moving.
    disp.jpg

    One small caveat: the station was not yet on the layout when pictures were taken.
     
    Last edited: Oct 19, 2020
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  19. r_i_straw

    r_i_straw Mostly N Scale Staff Member

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    Central Unit of the Texas State Prison in Sugar Land. The inmates are working hard today. Leadbelly made one of the first recording of Midnight Special, an old folk standard about prisons in the south, and changed the lyrics to reflect his personal experience at this facility. And then there was the movie with Goldie Hawn, Sugar Land Express.
    [​IMG]
     
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  20. Hytec

    Hytec TrainBoard Member

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    Finally cleaning up after the trestle collapsed a while back.

    [​IMG]
     
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