I find myself turning the sound off, so my most recent purchases are DC only. I add a silent decoder, and i'm happy.
Wow, I have been talking about this for years.
I live near the B&O and PRR Northeast corridor trackage, my work travels take me within ear shot of the tracks on a regular basis.
And I always notice the track sounds more than the locos when I hear a train passing in the distance........
And so it is on my models as well. I like the excitement and action of Class I mainline railroading, and my layout is designed for multi train operation even without a "crew".
Double track mainline, deticated display routes for multiple trains, as well as "operating session" capabilities for 8-10 operators/trains at one time.
The last thing I want is anywhere from 5-10 of those sound systems going at once, even in 1000 sq ft room.
And I too love the sound of the metal wheels on a 50 car train as it makes its way around the layout.....
So that's why I skipped DCC and sound and put my time and money into signaling and CTC ......
And I do like the idea of whistles and horns at crossings........I have plan for that........
Sheldon
Doughless Yes, but I'm finding that harder to do. When I mute, the BEMF buzz comes through, so I have to leave some of the sound on to conceal the shortcomings of the motor control part of the decoder. Of course I operate at 20 mph and pull 8 cars, so I hear the buzz. If I pulled a 30 car train at 40 mph, all of the mechanical racket might make me think that the decoder is actually running silently.
Yes, but I'm finding that harder to do. When I mute, the BEMF buzz comes through, so I have to leave some of the sound on to conceal the shortcomings of the motor control part of the decoder.
Of course I operate at 20 mph and pull 8 cars, so I hear the buzz. If I pulled a 30 car train at 40 mph, all of the mechanical racket might make me think that the decoder is actually running silently.
Doughless,
I guess I have silient decoders because my locomotives are extremely quiet when the sound is turned off.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
DAVID FORTNEY I bought a nice new/old Rivarossi cab forward thinking I would add Dcc and sound. But as I was running it to break it in it occurred to me how nice it was just listening to the wheels on the tracks and the smoothness and quietness of the engine....Don't get me wrong, I love sound but no sound at times can be very soothing.
I bought a nice new/old Rivarossi cab forward thinking I would add Dcc and sound. But as I was running it to break it in it occurred to me how nice it was just listening to the wheels on the tracks and the smoothness and quietness of the engine....Don't get me wrong, I love sound but no sound at times can be very soothing.
I totally agree, David. I tend to enjoy sound for short spells then I just turn it off. I have found that I really enjoy the clickity-clack of the wheels going over the track joints - just like on the prototype. It's soothing and rhythmic...
I do not buy sound engines or decoders. I like quiet and I have been less than impressed at the sounds I have heard. However I would enjoy sounding the horn at grade crossings.
I consider the miniature "clickety-clack" of HO sectional track to be just a scale version of the real thing, and it's absence on longer stretches of flex track representative of more modern welded rail. I will add off-track sound as I complete my rail laying this winter, but not as an internal modification to my engines. The clamor of the workaday world is noise enough to many of us, such that we hunger for the peace of quiet tranquil time after we close our front door. I sometimes watch the evening news with captions and no sound, so as to enjoy that blessed silence without compromising my ability to keep informed. With a model railroad, while scaled electronic sound may add atmosphere for some hobbyists, I prefer to use my own imagination to enrich the operating experience. Living just a few hundred feet from a CSX mainline, my imagination is reinforced (and pleasantly so, I may add) nightly as a mixed freight and an automobile dedicated freight make their way through suburban Tampa as I rest.
Three silent cheers for solitude
Cedarwoodron
- Douglas
Love steam engine sound. Not that useful when i'm testing out newly laid track, though. Sometimes silence is golden.
Stu
Streamlined steam, oh, what a dream!!
So, you guys are paying a pretty hefty premium when buying locomotives that have sound decoders, and then turning them off and complaining that the sound is annoying ????
Why do you buy them in the first place?
I love the addition of sound effects myself...
I turn mine off. After about 15 minutes of running the layout it gets old. Sometimes I let a train run laps while I'm doing other things I use the sound on my switcher in the yard and that's the only one that stays on.
Wayne
I bought a nice new/old Rivarossi cab forward thinking I would add Dcc and sound. But as I was running it to break it in it occurred to me how nice it was just listening to the wheels on the tracks and the smoothness and quietness of the engine.
I have now decided to turn off the sound of most of my engines for awhile.
Don't get me wrong, I love sound but no sound at times can be very soothing.