Hi everyone!
The recent thread in General Discussion asking about your preferences regarding sound has inspired my to start a new thread about what sounds you would like the manufacturers to add to their available offerings.
I know the decoder makers have plans for the future as to what sounds they want to offer. Loksound, for one, has a rather long list of future releases. I'm sure that most everything we could want is included in those plans so I'm not asking to have that particular horse beaten to death. What I really want to know is what are your immediate needs for sound that isn't yet available? In other words, if you were able to say to the manufacturers "Please produce this sound file as soon as possible" what would your choices be?
Personally, I really want to finish my scratch built railcar for which Loksound file #73412 gallopping goose would be perfect. I also perceive a couple of gaps in their EMD 567 offerings. I'm sure I have the wrong sounds installed in some of my switchers.
So, what do you want? Speak out!! There might be a remote chance of the mfrs recognizing where they should put their priorities. At least, we can hope! That's why we buy lottery tickets isn't it?
Take care all!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Hi, Dave
I recently sent an email to Matt Herman at ESU requesting that Loksound would include a peanut signal whistle to any of their sound decoders that would have been used in a passenger locomotive.
Some of my fond memories of watching passenger trains included hearing the two tweets of the cab signal whistle as the conductor was communicating to the head end that it was OK to depart on signal indication.
I would find this sound more useful in my operation that clucking chickens or a circus calliope!
As far as a "prime mover" file I'd like to have would be a dual 567B 12 as found in the E series passenger EMDs.
Thanks for asking... Ed
Ed:
I have never heard the term "peanut signal" before, but I instantly recognized what you meant. Great suggestion!
Your desire for the 567B 12 is exactly the sort of recommendation that I had hoped people would offer.
Perhaps you could make Loksound aware of this thread.
More realistic steam whistles, not just the on/off most sound decoders have today. I have seen videos where what ever decoder has been used, are making more realistic whistle sounds and like the direction this seems to be heading!
NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association: http://www.nprha.org/
As a modeler of Japanese prototypes, if I ever equip a steam locomotive with sound I would expect it to have the proper noises for the big single cylinder feed pump that was standard on all such after WWII. It's a prolonged Ssshh - THUMP, totally unlike any sound I've ever heard an American locomotive make.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
NP2626 Would the "Peanut Whistle" emanate from the caboose?
Yes to that—on several fronts. At a minimum nearly every caboose had a back-up whistle on or near the end railing. This valve could also be used to apply the brakes or even make an emergency application.
I have a few NYC cabooses that have a permanently mounted, twin chime air whistle near the cupola and yet another that has a small, single note air horn (like you would see on an interurban) on the roof. Oftentimes these cabooses were used on local runs or branch lines where a long back-up move was necessary and something a little louder than the shrill little whistle on the end platform.
There was also a "peanut" whistle inside the caboose connected to the air brake control valve to let the crew know when the main reservoir was being charged (IIRC.)
These sounds would best be generated by the Soundtraxx Sound Car decoder mounted in a caboose.
The cab signal whistle I was mainly refering to was the communication whistle that the conductor would use to communicate to the engineer. A series of signal codes:
Rule 16
(a) o o when standing—start
(b) o o When running—stop at once
///
(d) o o o When running—stop at next passenger station
(k) o — o Shut off train heat
(l) - - - - - - - - When running—brakes sticking; look back for hand signals
I remember being on the Capitol Limited when the conductor was using the communication signal while running (I forget what he wanted to communicate, it was 50 years ago) but I remember the engineer following each air signal with a horn blast to acknowledge that he heard the "peanut whistle" and would comply. The conductor said, "that's Charlie up there. I like it that he does that."
I think these would be fun to add to an operating session. As long as manufacturers are filling their decoders with barn-yard and sawmill sounds why not give us something we can use.
I never did get a reply from Matt Herman, alas I sent the email through another magazine's forum. Maybe I'll look through ESU's site and see if there's a way to contact him there.
Ed
NP2626More realistic steam whistles, not just the on/off most sound decoders have today.
Most, if not all, of my Paragon 2 steam engines have a sort of quillable whistle. Not the one where you have to program it in your throttle but if I quickly hit the whistle button a few times it "plays" a pretty neat fade out with a few twists. Sometimes it catches me off guard and I think it's pretty neat to hear it.
I find having a full selection of available sounds a great idea,so that anyone could duplicate any prototype to exact specs.However,I think all these wonderful sounds should be fully re-mappable so that they could be traded off with any existing non desired sounds.
I like my 12 functions DT400 and have no intention of upgrading to a possible 60 functions DT600 or else.I already have Paragon 2 engines that have sounds I can only use with my Zephyr Extra.
I did a caboose for a client who wanted that peanut whistle in it. I used an older loksound 3.5 decoder (the precurser to the 4.0) and loaded a European sound file. A lot of the European sound files have whistles that sound much like those whistles on cabooses. Shut down all the sounds expect the whistle and installed it in the caboose.
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
i have a Fleischman loco that shouts in German to me .i cant shut it down LOL unless I switch to another sound .It also has a cute Euro whistle
Martin
Mark R. I did a caboose for a client who wanted that peanut whistle in it. I used an older loksound 3.5 decoder (the precurser to the 4.0) and loaded a European sound file. A lot of the European sound files have whistles that sound much like those whistles on cabooses. Shut down all the sounds expect the whistle and installed it in the caboose. Mark.
Should be easier with a 4.0, since they have the whistle and horns libraries for seperate download - so you should be able to just swap out the whistle sound. Hmm, might be fun to play with, since you can delete pretty much every other bit of the script, you can create some simple conditionals to blow specific signals, just make sure the loco doesn't move until step 2, or has some momentum, and trigger on step one and direction. The brake squeal script could be used to blow a stop immediately or stop at next station, just set for high sensitivity so you don't have to stop hard to make it play the sound.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Personally, I would prefer a little consistency in the mapping of function keys to sounds. I have a variety of sound engines with a variety of decoders, and I have to remember not only which key to press for which sound, but also which key to press for which sound on which engine. Most of my decoders have coupler clash on F3, for example, while Tsunamis have them at some high function number, so I map them down lower to make them even accessible, but F3 isn't even in the allowed mapping range. The Bachmann "sound value" decoders don't have brake squeal sounds at all.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I'd like to hear a sound file from a diesel with a mechanical problem, such as a tired, old U23B used on the work train.
rrinker Mark R. I did a caboose for a client who wanted that peanut whistle in it. I used an older loksound 3.5 decoder (the precurser to the 4.0) and loaded a European sound file. A lot of the European sound files have whistles that sound much like those whistles on cabooses. Shut down all the sounds expect the whistle and installed it in the caboose. Mark. Should be easier with a 4.0, since they have the whistle and horns libraries for seperate download - so you should be able to just swap out the whistle sound. Hmm, might be fun to play with, since you can delete pretty much every other bit of the script, you can create some simple conditionals to blow specific signals, just make sure the loco doesn't move until step 2, or has some momentum, and trigger on step one and direction. The brake squeal script could be used to blow a stop immediately or stop at next station, just set for high sensitivity so you don't have to stop hard to make it play the sound. --Randy
Only reason I used the 3.5 is that I got them dirt cheap ($40) as compared to over $100 for a 4.0 !
I also had to program in some conditions so when the caboose was mu'd with the engine, the engine horn would blow in forward and the caboose whistle would blow when in reverse. Engine would perform normally when caboose wasn't mu'd to it.
Mark R.I also had to program in some conditions so when the caboose was mu'd with the engine, the engine horn would blow in forward and the caboose whistle would blow when in reverse. Engine would perform normally when caboose wasn't mu'd to it.
Mark,
You should have contacted Soundtraxx with that idea! They might have marketed it as a sound decoder specifically for sounds eminating from the train Oh, but who would ever buy such a thing?
gmpullman Mark R. I also had to program in some conditions so when the caboose was mu'd with the engine, the engine horn would blow in forward and the caboose whistle would blow when in reverse. Engine would perform normally when caboose wasn't mu'd to it. Mark, You should have contacted Soundtraxx with that idea! They might have marketed it as a sound decoder specifically for sounds eminating from the train Oh, but who would ever buy such a thing? Ed
Mark R. I also had to program in some conditions so when the caboose was mu'd with the engine, the engine horn would blow in forward and the caboose whistle would blow when in reverse. Engine would perform normally when caboose wasn't mu'd to it.
Maybe I should have ! This was done before Soundtraxx came out with their rolling stock sound decoder ....
Another one that has not been done is the LIMA yard switchers and road switchers.
I'd like sound decoders with good Hancock air whistles. Tsunami diesels have it, but it's not great to my ear...it's about an octave lower than the ones I remember / recorded on the Minneapolis Northfield and Southern in the 1960's-70's.
Looks like whistles are a recurring theme here. I'm in the same boat. A long time ago I installed sound in a Bachmann Hogwarts Express. The steam engine sounds are generic enough to be acceptable but the North American whistles just don't do the job, and, like Martin, I don't want my locomotive speaking to me in German! (Martin - welcome to the forums by the way ).
Jactal
FYI, Loksound Select and V4.0 decoders allow you to assign whatever sound you want to whatever function. You probably already knew that.
misterbeasley
Having all my decoders operate the same way function wise is why I am sticking with Loksound Select. Eventually I will replace my non-Loksound decoders. Of course, it would help a lot if I were to win a lottery to pay for that! I really hope that when TCS releases their diesel decoders that the function arrangements are similar.
maxman
I really like the idea of having proper sounds for a worn out engine! We already weather many of our engines to look terrible so it stands to reason that they should sound terrible too. Better yet would be to have smoke units that belch black smoke under load, not that that would do our layouts or our lungs any good.
Thanks also to the others who have posted.
WHile it would result in the decoder being worth more than the loco, you might have to go Loksound V4 in the Hogwart's to get the proper whistle. If one is available (and with their huge library of Euro locos, it should be) you can just swap out the whistle sound with the correct one from the library and leave everything else alone. Heck they might even have the actual loco, since it is preserved and operable. Pick an unused sound slot and add some chatter about Platform 9 3/4, in English, not German.
Hi Randy:
Yes, I figured that I would need a V4 to get the whistle, and yes, the loco might not be worth it from a pure monetary viewpoint. However, because it was my first HO train (Christmas gift from my wife) I am kind of attached to the thing. I also like the shiney red paint ! I'm sure many forum members are shaking their heads saying this guy has more money than brains. They are probably right, but since I don't have much money that doesn't put me in a very good light intellectually.
By the way, when I was looking at it recently I noticed that there is a little bit of binding in the rods. When I originally installed the decoder I was probably too uninformed to have observed the problem, so now I have to do some tuning. I will get that sorted out before changing the decoder.
No worries, I still have mine, too. It's what got me back after a long absence. Saw them at a huge discount at Walmart and figured, hmm, I like Harry Potter, and I like trains, why the heck not...