Thinking about this whole conversation, maybe if Lance had just left out all the stuff about the manufacturers, existing modelers behaviors, advancing the hobby, and simply presented the ideas and their possible benefits, the reception may have been way different..........
I for one would likely not have gotten the feeling I was being "talked down to".....
Sheldon
maxmanActually back when the hobby was "invented", at least the getting them to move by themselves part, trains were operated by battery.
True, but it wasn't even close to being an on-board battery, even in the much larger in bulk scales in use then.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
The very first "model locos" actually used bits of coil for firing them up. The models were miniature demonstrators used by the loco manufacturers to be shown to potential customers. Later on, the engines used either alcohol or paraffine tablets for fuel.
Clockwork driven engines entered the market in the 1890´s, one of the first, if not the first one being Marklin´s famous "Stork Leg" loco.
Battery powered locos did not arrive before the late 1950´s, nearly 70 years after "the hobby was invented". They were never meant to be "serious" model trains, but rather cheap toys with a very short service life.
I actually feel like the replacement for what we have now with wired track would actually be wireless power receivers, and that batteries are just a stopgap before this actually manifests itself.
Just think what the early MR experiences would have been like if Tesla had beaten Edison.
Julian
Modeling Pre-WP merger UP (1974-81)
The Walthers ML-8 is about as close as youre going to get. MR showed it running 18" off its onboard capacitor. Ive gotten an P2k Berk to coast on its TCS KA-2 for 2 feet under no load. Under load that distance drops to a foot or so. (The KA is in the berk for
BRAKIEThat could be remedied as batteries in the shape of fuel tanks perhaps?
Youre thinking like old cell phone battery packs, or hand held radio pack?
BRAKIE Doughless The problem with battery technology is size...and that's the irony right now. The batteries NEED to fit into the kind of locomotives they don't fit into very well. That could be remedied as batteries in the shape of fuel tanks perhaps? Not so long ago everybody said N Scale was to small for on board sound..Today you can buy N Scale DCC/Sound decoders.
Doughless The problem with battery technology is size...and that's the irony right now. The batteries NEED to fit into the kind of locomotives they don't fit into very well.
That could be remedied as batteries in the shape of fuel tanks perhaps?
Not so long ago everybody said N Scale was to small for on board sound..Today you can buy N Scale DCC/Sound decoders.
Good point. That would solve the issue.
But big boys don't have fuel tanks. The locos that drive production apparently, like big boys, GEVOs, or GP9s and F units from 1954, don't really have an inherent need to be self powered.
Unless that market sees an advantage, battery power is longer off than it otherwise would be, IMO. The industry is not going to go through the expense of developing products for guys like you and me who need 2 switchers for their layout. I don't blame them. It makes no economic sense.
- Douglas
DoughlessThe problem with battery technology is size...and that's the irony right now. The batteries NEED to fit into the kind of locomotives they don't fit into very well.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
CNSF I can certainly see the advantages of deadrail, especially as battery tech seems to be leaping forward right now. Honestly, if we were inventing the hobby from scratch today, this is probably the tech we'd base it on. However, the hobby wasn't invented yesterday, and the old system has been refined to yield pretty good results (most of the time - and then you get a mystery short somewhere).
I can certainly see the advantages of deadrail, especially as battery tech seems to be leaping forward right now. Honestly, if we were inventing the hobby from scratch today, this is probably the tech we'd base it on. However, the hobby wasn't invented yesterday, and the old system has been refined to yield pretty good results (most of the time - and then you get a mystery short somewhere).
As a person who operates short wheelbase switchers on speed step 1 over long frogs, I can see the advantages of self-powered locos and deadrail. I may be one of the few modelers who could say that I actually NEED it, moreso than the guy who runs big boys at 50 mph.
The problem with battery technology is size...and that's the irony right now. The batteries need to fit into the kind of locomotives they don't fit into very well. They will all fit into a big boy...but what motivates someone to make the switch to deadrail if his operating plan works just fine as it is.
When they are able to fit real sound and batteries into a switcher, I might be interested, since it would actually solve a problem and not just be a different way to do the same thing.
ATLANTIC CENTRAL The other early form of movement was wind up - German trains, German clock makers......... Sheldon
The other early form of movement was wind up - German trains, German clock makers.........
Makes sense.
maxman CNSF I can certainly see the advantages of deadrail, especially as battery tech seems to be leaping forward right now. Honestly, if we were inventing the hobby from scratch today, this is probably the tech we'd base it on. Actually back when the hobby was "invented", at least the getting them to move by themselves part, trains were operated by battery.
CNSF I can certainly see the advantages of deadrail, especially as battery tech seems to be leaping forward right now. Honestly, if we were inventing the hobby from scratch today, this is probably the tech we'd base it on.
Actually back when the hobby was "invented", at least the getting them to move by themselves part, trains were operated by battery.
I thought it was alcohol with actual flame. I dont remember where I heard that (National Toy Train museum maybe, Im not sure).
CNSFI can certainly see the advantages of deadrail, especially as battery tech seems to be leaping forward right now. Honestly, if we were inventing the hobby from scratch today, this is probably the tech we'd base it on.
Guys,Here's the thing..Advancements in electronic wizardry gave us DCC and it will give us another option, battery power maybe but,who can say?
When that happens any bets saying we will not see DC vs. DCC vs. New fang dangled gizmo topics?
Some will hold to the old methods while others will embrace the newest fang dangled gizmo.
I can understand Lances point after the hobby keeps changing.
It must have something to do with the moon - the question of the future of model railroading keeps coming and going, just like the tide.
If you don´t mind me joining in the discussion, I´ll now get my crystal ball. "I see a tall, dark-haired stranger" - sorry, wrong forum.
In the last couple of years, we have ploughed through a number of issues connected with the future of the hobby, starting with the slow, but presumably inevitable death of the hobby, the sound or no sound question, the DCC vs. DC discussion, the smoke or no smoke drama and, more recently, the questions of bluetooth devices for train control and the dead rail issue.
I find these discussions to be of a rather academic nature, more of a "could be" than a "will be". It´s OK, that there are folks investing some thoughts into what direction the hobby will develop into - and I see Lance Mindheim´s ramblings in that sense - I don´t give a "dang" about it. My trains will continue to run on DC, picking up the juice from the rails, or even AC, as I have some old Marklin stuff I enjoy seeing run on a temporary set-up.
I don´t care what will be in 20, 30 or 40 years from now, as I definitively won´t be around then.
CNSF I found his ideas about printing instead of painting surfaces to be especially interesting - this could be the 'sleeper' among all his predictions. Read that section closely - the possibilities are tremendous, and apply to all types of modeling and craftwork.
I found his ideas about printing instead of painting surfaces to be especially interesting - this could be the 'sleeper' among all his predictions. Read that section closely - the possibilities are tremendous, and apply to all types of modeling and craftwork.
I've had this same idea, and I intend to use it on my current layout build. For pavement and pavement markings: railroad crossings, pedestrian crosswalks, no parking zones, handicap parking spaces, turn arrows, divider stripes, etc . . . not to mention the pavement surface itself. Print out full scale (full N scale, that is), attach with 3M spray mount adhesive, a little touch up, a little matte medium, then stand back and see what's what. Might work. I think it could be at least as good as painting, maybe a little better.
I'll post results as they occur.
Robert
LINK to SNSR Blog
CNSF ...and at the risk of reigniting the secondary discussion here about Lance's March article on scenery and whether or not Victorian mansions are realistic, I'll simply point out that his exact words were "a candy factory, pickle factory, and Victorian mansion", not "candy factory, pickle factory, or Victorian mansion". I've done enough work in my life with computers and data to understand what a huge difference it makes when you use 'and' instead of 'or', or vice versa.
...and at the risk of reigniting the secondary discussion here about Lance's March article on scenery and whether or not Victorian mansions are realistic, I'll simply point out that his exact words were "a candy factory, pickle factory, and Victorian mansion", not "candy factory, pickle factory, or Victorian mansion". I've done enough work in my life with computers and data to understand what a huge difference it makes when you use 'and' instead of 'or', or vice versa.
There you go, introducing logic into the discussion. Next thing you know, you'll introduce facts and the whole discussion will devolve into the equivalent of a howler monkey convention.
Now if Lance had said a Victorian mansion, a sewage treatment plant and a landfill, he might have made his point more accessible. OTOH, nobody would have paid any attention to him had he done that since no one in their right mind would do something like that. I've never heard of anyone modeling either a landfill and/or sewage treatment plant with or without an adjacent Victorian mansion. Come to think of it, I may be the only one to have thought of it.
Landfill:
https://tinyurl.com/zljybzv
Victorian mansion:
https://tinyurl.com/gsr7u38
Sewage treatment plant:
Personally, I appreciated Lance's willingness to stick his neck out and try to guess the future. Most attempts to do that start looking pretty silly as little as ten years later. But that doesn't mean it isn't worth doing. I found the article enjoyable and thought-provoking. I agreed with some things he said more than others - so what? When I noticed this discussion I thought it was a great topic idea, but was disappointed to see how much of it wound up being about Lance rather than his predictions. Maybe there's a good reason for that; I honestly can't say that I've read enough of his stuff closely enough to have formed an opinion about whether he's condescending, overly opinionated, or whatever. So here's what I think - about Lance's ideas, not Lance himself.
The advantages of any new tech have to be enough to overcome the inertia of the established tech, and in this case that could take quite some time. It's just like in real railroading - if the industry was just now being invented, it probably wouldn't be using the air brake system or the current coupler design. But so far, those old ideas have been continually refined to keep them "good enough" that it just doesn't pay to re-equip the entire existing fleet. So, we'll see about deadrail - it's probably more a case of when than if.
I'm in near-total agreement with Lance on the sound question. I always wanted sound for my great pie-in-the-sky layout, but I have no interest in today's onboard sound solution. The simple, limited sound systems of the '70's and '80's have more appeal to me, simply because they sounded better. Lance's line about chest-thumping bass nails it - we feel passing trains as much as hear them. And yes, you can do that with a stage full of rock'n'roll speakers, but headphones just might be more practical in many applications (like whenever my wife is in the house).
I agree with Lance's view on smartphone control, and that at some point, the boomers who've been driving the demand for 50's-era models will have less influence on the market. I found his ideas about printing instead of painting surfaces to be especially interesting - this could be the 'sleeper' among all his predictions. Read that section closely - the possibilities are tremendous, and apply to all types of modeling and craftwork.
As for layout design, it's not unreasonable to guess that smaller, more technically sophisticated layouts will become more common. I think the hobby has always contained a strong cohort of technically savvy people, with the result that each generation of modelers has adopted new technologies. And as our population continues to grow and the middle class continues to wither, building smaller - as modelers always have in Europe and Japan - may be the only option for many North Americans.
Now, as for the future of my own layout, the size and tech parts are settled. The only remaining question is whether I'll get the darn scenery and structures finished before my time runs out.
Yeah my error was to assume it was MR...which I really didn't even take my own statements seriously because I wouldn't expect that from MR. I had no idea at the time that lance was basically repeating someone else...and he says his own gut doesn't tell him that.
That quote and your comments helps make the situation make more sense..at least to me.
Doughless ATLANTIC CENTRAL So which "captains of industry" are telling Lance we are not demanding high enough quality products? Mike Wolf and Bob Grubba? The two who are in the one upsmanship battle? The two who think we should pay ever higher prices for fancy gimmicks while they keep offering us "value added" versions of UP Big Boys? Well no thank you. Sheldon Sheldon, I made earlier comments that got slammed as being a bit conspiritorial by others, but they way you described what was said in the article combined with my observations about how Lance approaches building layouts, smelled like there was some self serving BS being pushed by someone. Now that I read that exact quote about producers and "hobby leaders" being in Lance's ear and not enough customers wanting "superior" products, maybe there is a little truth to that.
ATLANTIC CENTRAL So which "captains of industry" are telling Lance we are not demanding high enough quality products? Mike Wolf and Bob Grubba? The two who are in the one upsmanship battle? The two who think we should pay ever higher prices for fancy gimmicks while they keep offering us "value added" versions of UP Big Boys? Well no thank you. Sheldon
Well no thank you.
Sheldon,
I made earlier comments that got slammed as being a bit conspiritorial by others, but they way you described what was said in the article combined with my observations about how Lance approaches building layouts, smelled like there was some self serving BS being pushed by someone. Now that I read that exact quote about producers and "hobby leaders" being in Lance's ear and not enough customers wanting "superior" products, maybe there is a little truth to that.
If so, I would suspect it is a direct result of the manufacturers having Lance's ear, not something that came down from inside Model Railroader.......
That is why I charactized it the way I did, rather than a publishing conspiracy.
Remember, I worked in this business years ago, I've known some of these people.....
I made earlier comments that got slammed as being a bit conspiritorial by others, but they way you described what was said in the article combined with my observations about how Lance approaches building layouts, smelled like there was some self serving BS being pushed by someone. Now that I read that exact quote about producers and "hobby leaders" being in Lance's ear telling him that not enough customers wanting "superior" products, maybe there is a little truth to that.
PRR8259 I tried Large Scale "modeling" (using the term loosely regarding the various compromises of scale versus gauge involved) more than a decade ago. I became friends with some wonderful people that had neat, really excellent outdoor layouts, and even helped them move several tons of gravel (Roger Cutter, near Bel Air, Maryland, for one). Roger and his club of Rio Grande narrow gauge associates were very pro-battery and were moving toward deadrail at that time. These were folks who had, well, more hobby funding than I'll ever have--and they were spending the funds to go to battery power then, when it was a few hundred dollars per each loco. Funny thing happened: some of them eventually decided the outdoor trains were too much hassle or too much to maintain, and actually dismantled their layouts. (I know gearbox failures were relatively common due to the tremendous forces on large scale train gearboxes--that was why I gave it up--and my older son also stopped playing with it outside--and HO was just much much more cost effective). So here we are, more than 10 years later, and some guys that write for a magazine actually think that battery power is the future? Let me put is simply: This is exactly why I do not read Model Railroader. This is exactly why I don't even touch it to look at product reviews or advertisements anymore. The possibility exists that they might be out of touch with at least some of the people in this hobby. I'm sorry if this reads as harsh, but when I have looked at the magazine in recent years, every single time I was very turned off by the opinion columns in the magazine. I'm sorry, but I just don't agree with those guys on...many things. It seems like this is in many ways becoming a hobby for tech-heads who love electrical gadgets, and less and less people who focus on modeling. I'm only good with track and scenery, not building trains, and will never be a Master Modeler, but I can appreciate the fine work done by others when I see it. John Mock
I tried Large Scale "modeling" (using the term loosely regarding the various compromises of scale versus gauge involved) more than a decade ago. I became friends with some wonderful people that had neat, really excellent outdoor layouts, and even helped them move several tons of gravel (Roger Cutter, near Bel Air, Maryland, for one). Roger and his club of Rio Grande narrow gauge associates were very pro-battery and were moving toward deadrail at that time. These were folks who had, well, more hobby funding than I'll ever have--and they were spending the funds to go to battery power then, when it was a few hundred dollars per each loco.
Funny thing happened: some of them eventually decided the outdoor trains were too much hassle or too much to maintain, and actually dismantled their layouts. (I know gearbox failures were relatively common due to the tremendous forces on large scale train gearboxes--that was why I gave it up--and my older son also stopped playing with it outside--and HO was just much much more cost effective).
So here we are, more than 10 years later, and some guys that write for a magazine actually think that battery power is the future?
Let me put is simply: This is exactly why I do not read Model Railroader. This is exactly why I don't even touch it to look at product reviews or advertisements anymore. The possibility exists that they might be out of touch with at least some of the people in this hobby. I'm sorry if this reads as harsh, but when I have looked at the magazine in recent years, every single time I was very turned off by the opinion columns in the magazine. I'm sorry, but I just don't agree with those guys on...many things.
It seems like this is in many ways becoming a hobby for tech-heads who love electrical gadgets, and less and less people who focus on modeling. I'm only good with track and scenery, not building trains, and will never be a Master Modeler, but I can appreciate the fine work done by others when I see it.
John Mock
Well John, I must admit you have really tried it all.
I have friends in large scale, and I live 6 miles from Bel Air.........
I knew the minute I saw a large scale train outdoors that it was not for me. Remember my motto - "I was once well rounded until I learned what I really liked".
Lucky for me I learned what I liked at an early age.........
What don't I like about Garden Railroading? Summer sun and playing in the dirt, neither is my idea of a good time......
No matter the experiances of you, or Roger, or his group of friends, battery power remains very popular in large scale. But large scale is WAY different from HO and will likely remain so for a long time.
I'm pro choice, I think there is room in this hobby for battery power, direct radio, DC, DCC, sound, no sound, headphones, layout speakers, onboard speakers, advanced cab control, computerized block control, kits, RTR, brass or plastic, victorian houses, grimmy industrial districts, class one mainlines, struggling shortlines, plaster on wire screen or foam.
Tell me what you are doing, but don't preach to me about why I should do it.
Doughless BMMECNYC mlehman DoughlessI never understand why what the future of the model railroading hobby will be is important. I only got invovled when I thought people were overreacting to an article, but who cares what one person's opinion of the future is? Because manufacturers may actually listen to the people with the microphone... My belief is that the manufacturers listen to the people with wallets.
BMMECNYC mlehman DoughlessI never understand why what the future of the model railroading hobby will be is important. I only got invovled when I thought people were overreacting to an article, but who cares what one person's opinion of the future is? Because manufacturers may actually listen to the people with the microphone...
mlehman DoughlessI never understand why what the future of the model railroading hobby will be is important. I only got invovled when I thought people were overreacting to an article, but who cares what one person's opinion of the future is?
Because manufacturers may actually listen to the people with the microphone...
My belief is that the manufacturers listen to the people with wallets.
I have one. And yes its just 1 wallet. I just dont believe that anything that a battery solves is a real problem, and the problems they add are quite real. My Ho scale trains cant drag around a 120Vac extension cord and a wallwart....My O scale might be able to though....
cuyama So appropriate, that xkcd comic deserves a hotlink
So appropriate, that xkcd comic deserves a hotlink
Had a good, hard laugh over this one, cayuma - Thanks!
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
mlehmanDoughlessI never understand why what the future of the model railroading hobby will be is important. I only got invovled when I thought people were overreacting to an article, but who cares what one person's opinion of the future is?
mlehmanBut the future belongs to those who will be around for it.
Yeah and at the ripe old age of 29, I plan to be around for a lot of it.
I do not believe that a battery powered train is a superior product. And it will not be, untill you have the flexibility to run as long as you want.
Provide a battery powered train that will run consistantly for 4-8hrs pulling 40-60 cars at scale speeds, with DCC and sound---that people other than the person running it can hear, because there are these things called train shows, and children like hearing train sounds. Oh and it has to be ready to repeat that feat the next morning. Oh and how exactly do I recharge my locomotives, bring them back to my hotel room? Because leaving them plugged in unattended for 12hrs doesnt seem like a good plan. And the other 30 people in the club need to charge their locomotives too. And Im sure all of them will show up with a fully charged locomotive at the start of the day.
Im invisoning the local fire marshal shutting down the show because of the daisy chained powerstrip nightmare that he will order unplugged. -> No trains running.
No thanks, I'll keep my old inefficient electrical wiring which is so difficult to understand.
I agree with his stance on smartphone throttles.
I agree on the 3D printing front, at least the individual modeler. See end of post.
Color placement section assumes modeling modern day. I dont have color glossy 8x10s with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back expaining what each one was..... <--thats for you guys who have been around for a minute.
I'm lucky to find so many black and white photographs of my prototype.
Real game changers have been and still are:
1. The internet, and photo hosting websites that have been linked here and elsewhere. That is an invaluable learning resource, and reference for research.
2. 3D printing, not for the individual, but for scenic details. There are small businesses using sites (maybe site) like Shapeway to bring an array of scenic detail parts not made by detail part manufacturers. These are affordable, and some will do custom parts and add them to their store. These items are made to order, no inventory anywhere, other than the bulk base material.
mlehman Doughless But just intuitively reading between the lines, the article would be appreciated by the younger technology interested person that would be interested in more technologically advanced products, who might think that present day DCC and onboard sound is the technology his parents would choose. I suspect that's why Tony did NOT write the article. Nothing against Tony, I like reading his stuff, but him, me, and some of the rest of us are old school. Better to have a fresher perspective or at least a different one here for this task. What task? That same thing we often hear a lot of hand-wringing over, the Future of the Hobby...sorta like the title of this thread, don'tcha know? The future is made by the young and inventive. Yet when that future of the hobby is often addressed as something we, umm, more mature folks need to do SOMETHING about, it usually turns on some gem of philosophy that worked for us and must be handed down as the precious thing we always thought it was...and that may be exactly the problem...we can't see the forest for the trees. Let those kids do their thing and welcome it...that's the future of the hobby, even if it doesn't jibe with your experience.
Doughless But just intuitively reading between the lines, the article would be appreciated by the younger technology interested person that would be interested in more technologically advanced products, who might think that present day DCC and onboard sound is the technology his parents would choose.
I suspect that's why Tony did NOT write the article. Nothing against Tony, I like reading his stuff, but him, me, and some of the rest of us are old school. Better to have a fresher perspective or at least a different one here for this task.
What task? That same thing we often hear a lot of hand-wringing over, the Future of the Hobby...sorta like the title of this thread, don'tcha know?
The future is made by the young and inventive. Yet when that future of the hobby is often addressed as something we, umm, more mature folks need to do SOMETHING about, it usually turns on some gem of philosophy that worked for us and must be handed down as the precious thing we always thought it was...and that may be exactly the problem...we can't see the forest for the trees.
Let those kids do their thing and welcome it...that's the future of the hobby, even if it doesn't jibe with your experience.
Now there we are complete agreement. I think I started my first response to this with a comment about the hobby continuing to become even more diverse. That is a prediction I would put money on.
Every time someone starts wringing their hands about getting young people in the hobby, I say I already did my share from behind the counter in the hobby shop 35 years ago.
So which "captains of industry" are telling Lance we are not demanding high enough quality products? Mike Wolf and Bob Grubba? The two who are in the one upsmanship battle? The two who think we should pay ever higher prices for fancy gimmicks while they keep offering us "value added" versions of UP Big Boys?
I really do miss Lee Riley........
I take no issue with those who like sound, or other high tech features. I have no issue with those who prefer high end RTR. I welcome others to approach the hobby as they see fit. And I know my own approach to the hobby is neither mainstream today or completely "old school".
I also have no desire to "save the hobby", or move it "forward", but I will not be talked down to by people who's saleries I partly pay with out comment either. Yes, I have been a Model Railroader subscriber since 1968, still have every issue. Before the forum, I wrote letters to the Editor, a few of which have been published over the years......
And yes, maybe I did over react a little, maybe the OP did as well. But even our level headed Doughless felt a few words could have been more carefully chosen.
mlehman Doughless I never understand why what the future of the model railroading hobby will be is important. I only got invovled when I thought people were overreacting to an article, but who cares what one person's opinion of the future is? I generally agree, but more along the lines of taking in Lance's, Sheldon's, and anyone else who offers an opinion as worth considering. But the future belongs to those who will be around for it. That will be me for awhile longer (knock on wood) and then it won't matter too much anyway -- to me at least. So I agree let's not worry too much about the data point someone offers and more about sustaining an interesting conversation, which I think you've helped contribute to. That's when we're all winners, really, and the hobby is as you point out big enough for us all.
Doughless I never understand why what the future of the model railroading hobby will be is important. I only got invovled when I thought people were overreacting to an article, but who cares what one person's opinion of the future is?
I generally agree, but more along the lines of taking in Lance's, Sheldon's, and anyone else who offers an opinion as worth considering. But the future belongs to those who will be around for it. That will be me for awhile longer (knock on wood) and then it won't matter too much anyway -- to me at least. So I agree let's not worry too much about the data point someone offers and more about sustaining an interesting conversation, which I think you've helped contribute to. That's when we're all winners, really, and the hobby is as you point out big enough for us all.
Thanks for the kind words.
I think the generic term of the future of "the hobby" is probably measured in terms of sales and popularity. The future of the hobby is battery power...if enough people accept it. So the future of the hobby is driven by what everybody else tends to make it. As hobbyists, I don't think we ultimately care about that, unless we like being in the big pool of what the present of the hobby is and feel our place in the hobby slipping away if that changes.
I care about the future of my layout. As I suspect we all do. Its interesting to discuss how the hobby changes as a discussion forum topic, but it really doesn't impact our personal layouts unless we let it.
And I can't see now how my layout will involve battery power in the near to mid future.
BRAKIE riogrande5761 Me neither, but I'm an old phart too. It's mainly a generational thing - you typically see youngsters walking around with earbuds or headphones. Older people, not as much. Actually I use earphones a lot even when railfaning a ear phone in a scanner clears things up and the volume lower. My laptop is headset equipped as is all four of my game consols.. I would be highly interested in wireless headsets for sound equipped locomotives.
riogrande5761 Me neither, but I'm an old phart too. It's mainly a generational thing - you typically see youngsters walking around with earbuds or headphones. Older people, not as much.
Actually I use earphones a lot even when railfaning a ear phone in a scanner clears things up and the volume lower. My laptop is headset equipped as is all four of my game consols..
I would be highly interested in wireless headsets for sound equipped locomotives.
As a mostly non-headphone using creature, Lance's article left me wondering why one of the leading decoder makers hasn't already gone here? I think it's a splendid idea. Virtually everything that used to have a cord now has WiFi or Bluetooth.
Most drones (speaking of another hobby that's somewhat more cutting-edge than model railroading) at the budget end of things use WiFi for control, video, or both. Such apps would actually work even better with your trains, I'd think, as they are less likely to wander off someplace out of range you weren't anticipating.
Then there's a market for MR-spec-ed wireless headsets in a variety of forms, from the one-ear to full-on dual muffs. So long as the decoders makers settle on one type/band for the link, this should be attractive/profitable for vendors to offer. Needs a way to inject crew radio -- maybe even have it built into the headsets, which would also get the antenna up high -- and a mute/F2F option via either manual switch or a over-the-air proximity sensor.
Then you could take technology like a second generation of the Soundcar and build in stereo imaging, reverb, peer-to-peer coms, etc to get the sound effect running throughout the train...