Model railroading is a multifaceted hobby. With so many scales, and gauges, eras, and kinds of railroads, it is sometimes hard to choose what to do. My favorite aspects of the hobby are building detailed interiors in engine houses, blacksmith shops, mines and mills, and sawmills. I have built plenty of them over the years and may share some in a future Ramblings. But I must be in the mood to do a detailed interior.

My other interest is in adding little vignettes to my layout. Little scenes where people are doing all sorts of things. My On3 Tuolumne Forks layout abounds with these scenes and often visitors pay little attention to the trains and are absorbed in what my little people are up to. So, I thought I would share a few of these scenes with you in this issue and begin with my most recent one.

—Bob Brown, Editor

ABOVE: When I was in Houston, I picked up a bag of O scale figures. Included were several convicts in striped suits. I dug a hole and put them to work digging a ditch for a pipeline. Then visitors began coming down the stairs commenting about the convicts digging a grave. So, when I saw that Miniprints sold O scale skeletons, I bought a pair and now my convicts are really digging a grave, or are they uncovering a former victim?

ABOVE: I found a bag of sheep at a local train show and just could not resist this scene. Note the Gypsie wagon in the background.

ABOVE: When I was a kid in Modesto, Calif., migrants from the Dust Bowl would come into town. I have a class photo of my fourth grade class with two boys in bib overalls with nothing underneath, and they were barefoot on photo day. Common in rural California in the late 1930s. So, I decided to add this overloaded Model T with a broken wheel. Sort of a Grapes of Wrath scene.