Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Where's Waldo?

Well, the rascals are at it again. During the last op session, I overheard Bill Doll ask someone if I would be able to spot the change in the scenery over in the Big Chimney area. I grimaced, but decided to wait until after the session to check it out. Based upon past history, there's no telling what may have happened and I wasn't ready to face some major calamity at the start of the session.

First, though, a little history. Over the last handful of years, a number of the regular operators have made comments about the lack of figures on the railroad. The only place you'll find anything resembling a living thing is in the cabs of the locos. I think they look really neat there. But that's it. In my opinion, figures in action mode, i.e. shoveling coal or running down the street, distract from the realism of any given scene. Figures in sedentary poses are something else, and I suppose I could live with a few of them. So by now I'm sure you know where this is headed.

The next several photos show the handy work of the rascals. Finding them is a little like playing Where's Waldo.
































































































But wait- there's more! Not to limit themselves to mere humans, the rascals also decided to add animals!



























































It seems as though every time I walk into the railroad room I find another lost soul or a wayward animal. There's just no telling where they may be.







































And yes, there are more. And I'm sure I'll be finding them for some time into the future. And no- it's unlikely that I'll find all of them. I'm sure a few may end up like the first two figures the rascals placed on the railroad. Unbeknownst to me, I sucked them up into the vacuum while cleaning the layout. They were the two unwitting accomplices to the campfire scene, and we all know what shenanigans that led to.

So if you ever happen to have Bill Doll at one of your sessions, be sure to ask- continually- Where's Bill?