Works!

I had a similar idea and have since switched to a pin in the foot/leg of the conductor as he can be placed anywhere in my form scenery. Rolling stock is another challenge but your idea has a lot of merit (great minds and all that?). 

https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/idea-for-mounting-figures-12202241

Thanks, Neil

Yes, you’re right, great minds do…  well, they do something! 

I’m eager to get far enough along with my trackwork to start installing "conductor" magnets. This type of operation is not for everyone, but for a very small branch line like mine it will add another realistic and fun aspect. 

Great ideas

I especially like the small magnets, need to look for those.

I was also inspired by Tom's video and kept looking for the figure set he used.  Unfortunately, they are rather hard to find. While in the local Hobby Town a while back, I stumbled across the Walthers modern rail workers set (949-6013).  It has lots of figures in different poses, including standing on or hanging off cars, giving hand signals, etc.  I'm thinking of painting them all the same so that I can use the appropriate figure whenever I'm taking pictures.  They fit in with my era, modern enough but not in the day-glo orange vest era yet.

Craig

Magnet site

Hi Craig,

Here’s where I found the small magnets:

https://supermagnetman.com/collections/neo-squares/products/m0350?variant=11410285699

There are many other options, too.

Great idea

I like having a scale conductor or switch man. It would be fun to use in an operation session and tell your operators that the conductor prefers to walk as little as possible. Add in modern rules about not getting on or off moving equipment and you will find people working at a slower pace on your layout. Much more prototypical. No throwing turnouts ahead of your train. 

Close Clearances?

Dear Conductor-Operators,

Will there be penalties for overzealous (model) engineers who crush their now-visible riding-the-leading-car-steps conductors between the train and close-clearance buildings/structures/loading-docks?
(Something about a South Park character comes to mind...)

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

PS sounds like we may find a bump in the number of switching platforms, shoving cabooses, and similar modern-era local-switching rollingstock items being modelled...

That’s it exactly!

Prof, that’s exactly what I plan to model on the Milan branch – shoving ballast cars caboose forward. The caboose is a decrepit ex-Santa Fe unit. I’ll even have a penny whistle on board to recreate just what you see in the video below:

  

Nice idea

That looks good.  Where did you find the HO scale guillotine to decapitate them before making your Frankenworkers?

Seriously, a good idea that I might implement in an earlier era.

Close clearance

On tracks with close clearance signs the movement must be stopped so the Conductor can get off.

Keeping in mind what types of obstacles a Conductor must deal with can slow the operation down, add another level of realism and make a small switching layout grow without adding more track.

Safety First!

Tim Garland

Setup for testing the magnet idea

Below is a photo showing phase 1 of my test to see if the magnets will work well. I’ve included the vendor’s card in the photo in case anyone else would like to try this approach. 

After I adhere the metal and magnet via Barge cement, I’ll post a short video showing if attaching the conductor is successful. 

Those magnets are SMALL!

Success!

The magnet riding conductor is a success. You can check out the video below. Don’t mind the rocking car as the truck was not attached when I took the video. 

I’ll be painting the magnets eventually to hide them. 

Magnet men

Your  magnet men have awfully clean clothes.

Jared Harper

Inside a boxcar

Dirt is coming

Don’t worry, Jared, the conductor will get a good covering of dirt and grime.

Craig…

I bet one could hide the magnet in each car, but you’d have to test the pull strength and open each car to place accurately. To me, attaching such a small magnet to each corner of a car is not a big deal. I doubt anyone but the most ardent car expert would even notice. Once painted they will virtually disappear. 

If you notice in the video, the metal I attached to the conductor has both a front and bottom face. This way he will attach to every car and locomotive with the magnets placed either vertically or horizontally (flat). I want the conductor to not only ride on each car, but also on the bottom steps of each locomotive. 

the angled metal tab is genius

Scott,

I had to watch the video to fully understand where you were putting the components, but when I saw the right angle on the figure's toe I instantly got it. That is so cool! 

Although I'm eager to hear "user experience" comments from operators who use these, I'm not waiting around. This idea is so consonant with how I'm trying to encourage my students to think about what they're doing when operating, especially while switching, that I'm going to charge ahead and create figures for the introductory experience that the new class is just about to have. 

I'm very curious to see how manageable it is for operators to pluck the figures off the sides of cars. I'm thinking long, soft-jawed tweezers, since I've already been frowning upon "hand of God" interactions. But maybe fingers will be irresistibly more convenient?

Thanks so much for sharing this.

Jeff Allen 

Got it.

@Jeff

Hi Jeff,

When you say, "students", are you referring to railroad employees in training? 

If so, you may also be interested in the ProtoThrottle I’m developing with Michael Petersen from Iowa Scaled Engineering. A wireless realistic control stand for modelers. A friend of mine thinks the PT would work well for actual railroad simulation training.

Scott

Jeff is a school teacher who has built a layout with his students as a learning tool.  Check out his blogs here.  It's pretty cool.

Thanks, Dave!

Very cool what Jeff is doing. 

Talk about educating and promoting the hobby at the same time.

magnets have been ordered

Thanks Dave for chiming in - yes, I teach middle school math and am finding that a model railroad has an amazing impact on students' enthusiasm and level of engagement for what can be a somewhat dreary subject for some kids. 

Especially when they discover that there is far more to it than racing around in circles, like coordinating the actions of train crews using hand signals. And incorporating "action figures" into the process TOTALLY reinforces the thinking and feeling of being in the scene, on the ground. 

And yes, yes, yes I have been following the development of the ProtoThrottle with rabid enthusiasm! I'm finding that turning knobs and pushing buttons distances the operator from the first-person experience that I'm after. I call it "marionette mode," which although fun in its own right, has been the only option so far. 

I'm ready to get on a pre-order list!

Jeff Allen

Use super glue for figure

Jeff:  just FYI, I discovered using super glue for attaching the metal to the figure works better than the barge cement. The barge cement worked well for attaching the magnet to the car, though. 

I also tried using baking soda to harden the super glue and it seemed to work as advertised.

Idea for marking the spot on the layout

Hi Scott,

I love your idea, and the implementation is excellent.  Nice work.  I have an 8' timesaver switching layout I take to train shows, and I may add this to enhance the operation for the "experts" that sometimes run it.  Funny thing . . . most of the experts are under 14 years old.  I've had kids 10 or 12 years old who really get it, and are VERY proficient switching the layout.  It's great fun to watch, especially when their parents see it and their eyes light up with pride.

The owner of a layout I operate on regularly used pallets, boxes and barrels, placed next to the tracks, to mark the spots of his uncoupling ramps.  The same idea could be used to mark your hidden magnets, and also enhance the scenery clutter.

thoughts

Scott, this is really cool.

I'm wondering though if a small change in thought would create a more flexible system for you...

What if you put the magnet on the feet of the conductor and put a strip of sheet-metal adjacent to the track that would be under the scenery, then the conductor could be placed anywhere along the track?

The magnet on the conductor might be enough to stick to the metal grabs on the cars, otherwise a small square of metal or another magnet on the car would do the trick.