Written by Eric Muller
The Oberammergau-Ogden-Olomana Railway (also known as the Triple O) has operated across eras and continents on a small strip of land on Oahu's windward coast (see Hawaii's Garden Railways – Railways). We've taken the German toy line Playmobil and brought everything from Europe to the Wild West to Hawaiian sugar cane to life. In fact, there are some shapes that kids have devised on their own to bring Triple O to the world. life.
For those not familiar with this toy line, the figures stand 3 inches tall, making them the perfect inhabitants of a nominally 1:24 world. They are durable (though not UV resistant) and my Wild West collection from the 1970s and early 1980s can still come off the shelf and take part in new adventures. They are often joined by first responders, pirates, elves, and anyone who has something. My children, in turn, received the Triple O story, enjoyed it, and incorporated it into their stories.
All parts from all eras are mutually interchangeable, so the smiling plastic triple-O denizens do not claim to be exact replicas of humans, but they do relatively well, such as road maintenance and yard upkeep. Helps create realistic railway scenes. Operations, town errands, or of course pirate raids!
Figures, vehicles, animals, and accessories can be purchased directly from Playmobil (check the non-English pages of the site; sets vary by region). You can buy them seasonally at department stores and garage sales all over the place. I've noticed that Ebay offers new and used sets and figures, but I haven't tried that source yet.
In addition to trucks, we also employed Playmobil to scale up our scratchbuilding projects. I jokingly call this reference point “1:24-ish Playmobil scale.” If you have the space to store these figures and their accessories indoors, and you have a child – and a child at heart – who is less likely to try to swallow the small parts, Playmobil will be a part of your life and a part of your life. can be an affordable way to add Building your own railroad is so much fun!
Two more Playmobil projects
Written by Bill Barnwell
After reading an article about “Kid Friendly Garden Railways”, I was talking with friends about using toys on garden railways. At one point, the discussion got heated, with one side being the scale people, and the other side being me, the “if it works, use it” guy.
I no longer remember who won the argument, but it brought back a lot of good memories. I have used Playmobil on the train many times. Here are two projects he created using some of the Playmobil items.
I built a small country station with a cargo shed and used Playmobil for part of the cargo shed. I had a safari add-on kit that included supports, handrails, posts with floors, ramps, and steps. Learn more about this project here.
We also used some Playmobil for the Grand Coquina Hotel. It is painted in coral and aqua blue to represent the Florida theme.
I use Playmobil items because they are a fraction of the cost compared to other larger products, are modular, and capture the attention of visitors. I'm having a lot of fun using these. I hope you do too.
