I have seen in the books that Lionel offered a box set of figurines for their layouts that were 3" tall. I am curious to know what size people do you use for pre-war layouts if trying to keep to the time period. I found the Barclay site and they list their 3" figures for standard gauge and their “pee-wee” for the O gauge. I am working on adding to my Father’s 262 engine and passenger set by only getting items form the early to mid-30’s. So I am trying to figure out the correct size “people” to search for to add to the display. I know that the pre-war items did not always think about correct scale for O gauge, rather what the kids liked and what sold.
The plasticville people are about 1.5 inches tall and were marketed for both O and S scale. They are a bit large on my layout which is S, but look OK with O. Here is a picture of a few on a Wayside Station.
And on a 779 Drum loader
As you see they are a bit big for S but do well on an O scale layout
I’ve got PostWar 027 scale. The Operating Brakeman car has a man about 1.5 to 2" tall on it. I’m guessing the scale is approximately 1:36, assuming a 2" figurine = 6’ man.
kcoyle, I think you said it best with your last sentence; that there wasn’t a single or proper size, its just what the kids liked. Prewar Lionel only offered the 3" tall figures, but I’ve seen many prewar layouts with different sized figures that look great. Town and Country Hobbies’ website has a nice selection of pewter figures that are 1.5" tall and would look great on a prewar layout. My opinion is that as long as your figures are made of metal (pewter, lead, etc) that would be in keeping with the toys available prewar. Size and shapes are up to you.
