Gaugemaster GM971 On The Footplate Figure Set B - OO Gauge

On the Footplate (3) — OO Gauge Figure Set B

Empty locomotive cabs are one of those things that can quietly undermine an otherwise brilliant layout. You've got a beautifully weathered Britannia or a well-detailed Black Five sitting on the tracks, and then you peer into the cab and — nothing. No driver, no fireman, just a hollow space. It's a small thing, but it matters. That's exactly the gap these figures are designed to fill.

What's in the Pack?

The Gaugemaster GM971 On the Footplate (3) Set B contains three individually posed, pre-painted figures covering the key crew roles you'd expect to find around a working steam or early diesel locomotive. You get a locomotive maintenance crew member — ideal for shed and depot scenes — alongside a driver and a fireman caught in a distinctly active pose. The poses differ from those in Set A (GM970), so if you've already got that one, these are a genuine addition rather than a repeat.

Each figure has been sculpted using archive reference material, which shows in the clothing detail and the posture. The fireman shovelling pose in particular sits convincingly inside most OO cab interiors, and that's not something you can say about figures that were designed as general-purpose pedestrians and repurposed for the footplate.

Pre-Painted and Ready to Go

All three figures come pre-painted straight out of the box. The paintwork is tidy — appropriate colours for working railway crew, with enough definition to read well at viewing distance. For most of us, that's absolutely fine and saves a good chunk of time. If you're a figure painter who wants to go further, you can always touch them up or add your own weathering, but they'll look perfectly at home as they are.

Worth noting that they're compatible with Hornby, Bachmann, and Peco rolling stock without any awkward scale mismatches — they're true 1:76 and behave accordingly.

Where They Work Best

• Locomotive cab interiors — the primary purpose, and they do it well
• Engine sheds and maintenance depots — the crew member figure earns its place here
• Coaling stages and water columns — anywhere you'd find a crew doing routine checks between turns
• Diorama and exhibition layouts — small details like this are exactly what judges and visitors notice

Part of a Wider Collection

If you want to build a fuller scene, Set B pairs naturally with GM970 (Set A), which includes a wheel tapper and two complementary crew poses. Or, if you'd rather get all six figures in one go, the GM950 pack brings both sets together. For the price of a pint or two, you can make a serious difference to how your motive power depot looks.

Era compatibility runs from steam-era through to the early diesel transition period — broadly Eras 3 to 6 — so they'll fit comfortably on the majority of UK layouts.

Product Details

• Product Code: GM971
• Scale: OO Gauge (1:76)
• Number of Figures: 3
• Figure 1: Locomotive Maintenance Crew Member
• Figure 2: Driver
• Figure 3: Fireman (active/shovelling pose)
• Material: High-quality plastic/resin
• Painting: Pre-painted, hand-finished
• Assembly Required: No
• Era Compatibility: Eras 3–6 (steam through early diesel transition)
• Compatible Brands: Hornby, Bachmann, Peco and other OO gauge manufacturers
• Companion Sets: GM970 (Set A), GM950 (6-figure combined pack)