ATLANTIC CENTRALExceptional model scenery has been around for 50 or 60 years, and be it onboard or layout based, the use of sound with model train displays is highly subjective.
Sheldon, Its hard for the younger modelers to realize we had great looking layouts 60s years ago that would rival many of today's layouts and many of those layouts was built for operation. Many of us used Doug Smith's car card/waybill method as explain in the December 1961 issue of MR. Today I use a modified version of his method.
As far as sound who can forget Bachmann's toy like steam whistle or diesel horn in a oil tank much like the metod Lionel used. Then PFM had a Sound system 60 years ago. Who can forget the CTC 16 system?
We did well back then.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Enzoamps I am a vertical modeller - my layout is stacked in the closet. No room here at the senior home. My layouts are way behind me. My Lionel was about 1952, my first HO layout about 1957. My career was in pro audio, think live sound and recording. To me the salient issue is WHAT is the prespective the sound represents? Am I to imagine standing trackside? Am I to imagine myself a half mile away? Across the street? I can still hear the train from the next city? Are my caboose sounds really to be more audible than my car garage, parade, and police car sounds? At my rural home, the tractor harvesting the cornfield across the street was every bit as loud as the street sweeper across from my urban shop. The semi truck roaring up my road towards town was just as loud as its counterpart in the city. It shook my home, it shook my business. Personally I would find quiet ambient environmental sounds around the layout more compelling than freight car noises. Just sounds of the city in the background in town, and rural sounds like dogs barking now and then.
I am a vertical modeller - my layout is stacked in the closet. No room here at the senior home. My layouts are way behind me. My Lionel was about 1952, my first HO layout about 1957. My career was in pro audio, think live sound and recording.
To me the salient issue is WHAT is the prespective the sound represents? Am I to imagine standing trackside? Am I to imagine myself a half mile away? Across the street? I can still hear the train from the next city? Are my caboose sounds really to be more audible than my car garage, parade, and police car sounds? At my rural home, the tractor harvesting the cornfield across the street was every bit as loud as the street sweeper across from my urban shop. The semi truck roaring up my road towards town was just as loud as its counterpart in the city. It shook my home, it shook my business.
Personally I would find quiet ambient environmental sounds around the layout more compelling than freight car noises. Just sounds of the city in the background in town, and rural sounds like dogs barking now and then.
On all that we agree. For me, even though I like operation, like you describe, I see sound as a possible extension of the scene, not just an extension of the train.
Today in my travels I was on US40 near Aberdeen, MD. Just 150' to my left, the ex B&O mainline, to my right, the ex PRR mainline. As fate would have it, an intermodal train was headed east on the B&O line. I rolled down the window. I could barely hear the moving train, I could not hear the refrigeration units running on the Tropicana reefers in the stopped west bound train sitting on the siding.....
I was only 150' away, less than 2 actual feet in HO.
As many on here know, I am between layouts, about to begin a new one, much like the old one, only a little bigger.
And I do plan to use my hifi and speaker design knowledge to experiment with layout based ambient sounds.
I'm 62, with any luck I can get the core of this layout built over the next few years and enjoy it until they carry me out of this house.
Sheldon
I tend to play The Ramones sixth album "Pleasent Dreams" so loud, that I could never hear the sound coming from the trains anyway.
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Its all about having fun!
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Those of you who might purchase one of these or a similar loco in the $100+ range, please indulge me for a moment.
If you bought one, would you weather it? If so, would you weather it yourself or outsource the job?
I'm at a place in my hobbying ability where weathering is still something of a risk. Fortunatley if I screw something up, it was likely only an $8 freight car or a $30 caboose. I would be absolutely terrified of screwing up a high-end piece like these cabooses.
Visit the Chicago Valley Railroad for Chicago Trainspotting and Budget Model Railroading.
Eilif Those of you who might purchase one of these or a similar loco in the $100+ range, please indulge me for a moment. If you bought one, would you weather it? If so, would you weather it yourself or outsource the job? I'm at a place in my hobbying ability where weathering is still something of a risk. Fortunatley if I screw something up, it was likely only an $8 freight car or a $30 caboose. I would be absolutely terrified of screwing up a high-end piece like these cabooses.
I would weather it, no question.
BUT, I'm not one for heavy, or overly detailed, or "extreme" weathering. A little dust, a little grime, maybe just a little rust, is enough for me.
Disclaimer, I don't ever think of my models in terms of their cost or any future resale value.
I decided not to weather my Spring Mills B&O caboose. I should have bought 2, it sold for 1/2 the price of the Athearn caboose last year, but now that it is NLA they go for about the same price on Ebay.
My other newest rolling stock is Accurail or older Bowser, but the bulk of it is from the 1980's, therefore dumpster worthy when I kick the bucket.
I have confidence in my weathering ability with airbrush, dry brush and pastels. My oil paint technique needs work, but I am not going to weather my caboose. It will be one of the few things I leave to my heirs that will have resale value.
I would suggest picking up some low priced rolling stock at a train show and practice on them. There is nothing wrong with contracting the job out, either.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
SPSOT fanThese Cabeese are pricey, each more than the price I paid for every one of my locomotives (albeit DC locos, mostly used). But wait, loot at that detail. Again, LOOK AT THAT DETAIL!!!!!
It's been about 10 months now and the Genesis ICC cabooses of a number of types (UP, SP, SSW, Chessie, SCL, Santa Fe) have all been in the stores for a few weeks now. Athearn shows sold of most if not all versions. MBK, usually one of the last to get new items instock, shows about 3/4 of them sold out after less than 24 hours. The sales info seems to indicate these are indeed popular and a success. After all, the price for what you get is generally a good deal less than many decorated brass cabooses.
From the discussion in this topic, many aren't intersted and vocally so. The nice thing about the hobby is the variety of choice; from basic low cost generic models to prototype specific models and in between.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Universal consisting? I'll remember that next time I'm running 4 cabeese on a train.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
As far as railroads go, the caboose was as much a signature item as the locomotive, no? Look at the detail going into a lot of locomotives being made today such as the ScaleTrains, Genesis and others. If I was still into HO instead of N for my main modeling, I wouldn't mind having a few of these. After all to me, if modeling a prototype in an era that still needed cabooses, I would want to have them as detailed and true to the prototype as I could get and If I'm willing to pay that for detailed locomotives than why not the caboose? And I am one who is tighter than bark on a tree when it comes to spending money, I'm sure I've even spent 6 cents to save a nickel.
Ralph
riogrande5761There have already been discussion going on elsewhere regarding the new line of Genesis cabooses, with a lot of complaints about the price. The "light only" version is MSRP $109.98 and the lights + sound version are MRSP $149.98.
This reminds me of adding Soundtraxx SoundCar DCC decoders to 4 of my freight cars to try out the effects. The decoder costs $48 (discounted, I presume) today. You add your own speaker and LED lights. I think there was a 3-pack that saved a bit. So the upgrade costs about $55. Just for a ballpark alternative regarding lights plus sound features.
I added the sound and lights to the caboose and sound only to 33 other freight cars, including a mechanical reefer. Then I created a consist of the locos plus the 4 SoundCar cars, after adjusting each car as desired (volume, etc.).
It was an interesting project but after I ran that train awhile on my small layout I put the cars on the shelf and have not bothered to get them going again. I can't say if I would bother to do it again. It's one of the features to impress the grandkids, I guess.
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
In my case I ordered mine without the sound option. No grandkids to impress and keeps the cost down.
Although I have no interest in these cabooses but from what I have seen they are incredible, nice detail and they look like the real thing, better than any caboose before, including brass.
The people who buy them should enjoy them, they are truly one of the best out there. Great job Athearn.
Dave
I don't remember the Burlington/CB&Q ever having a caboose that looked like these. Did I miss something? Wasn't the CB&Q gone during this cabooses era?
They look beautiful and likely a new level of detail, but Athearn just found my cost limit. I'll pass.
Deane Johnson I don't remember the Burlington/CB&Q ever having a caboose that looked like these. Did I miss something? Wasn't the CB&Q gone during this cabooses era? They look beautiful and likely a new level of detail, but Athearn just found my cost limit. I'll pass.
They had them, these cabooses were introduced in the 1950's. And by the 60's were pretty common on western roads.
I had wanted at least one of the light-only Santa Fe's. A recent email exchange with MTW tells me they aren't getting any; or at least any more. I check MTW more than I should, and these were never in stock; I even had email notication in place when they did come in stock. My guess is that Athearn underestimated demand. Hopefully that means a second run in the near future.
Check around with various vendors. MBK finally got their batch in last week but the Santa Fe sold out in a day or two. They still have some of the UP early versions and some Seaboard and Burlington also.
As to cost, it depends on budget and also whether it is important to have a correct caboose or not. Some seem to find the money when it comes to things important to them in other area's of interest (you name it). There seem to be those who like to just come and say the "may wallet's safe" thing in different ways. Whatever.
I was not happy with MTW because even though i was signed up for email notifications; I was not notified that the cabooses were in stock, albeit for a very short time. As MTW does not take reservations, I thought I would at least have a shot at getting one when I got a notification email. I did find one through another source, although I had to get one with lights and sound. I will probably turn off the sound.
Tin Can, House of Trains in Omaha has at least one Santa Fe but it's the sound version. They discount.
I could link you to it, but I think that's against the rules on this forum, I'm not sure.
Deane
Thanks. I have already ordered one with all the bells and whistles. I have several ATSF caboose projects in process; until they are finished, this will do. Of course, come of these projects are decades old.....
There is a thread in another forum and while it's not clear which Athearn sound caboose, it has no LED's in the marker lights and was just purchased new.
The marketing info under LED Display mentions the marker lights but doesn't specifically say they light.
CB&Q class VERY accurate and numbered correctly
BigDaddyThe marketing info under LED Display mentions the marker lights but doesn't specifically say they light.
I recently picked up some of the beautiful Tangent bay window cabooses. You use a magnet to turn on the markers for the appropriate end of the car and a third reed switch turns on or off the (appropriately dim) interior light:
BnO_I18b by Edmund, on Flickr
I like this so much better than having to use a DCC throttle to control lighting.
Regards, Ed
After posting above that they had reached a price point I would pass on, I ended up purchasing two, a U.P. and a CB&Q.
Trying to figure out what the ICC B&O versions have for lights ? I figure interior but not sure about any marker lights. Can't find anything anywhere that tells what each road version has for lighting . ------- Ken
KemacPrr Trying to figure out what the ICC B&O versions have for lights ? I figure interior but not sure about any marker lights. Can't find anything anywhere that tells what each road version has for lighting . ------- Ken
Here is info from Athearn's own website.
I don't know B&O cabooses but they would follow the prototype on the exterior lights from the details.
I have to ask if there are any model railroading review videos of the caboose yet, as I am interested in the Red Santa Fe one and Union Pacific with the railroad saftey slogans.
From a friend who picked up the B&O version it looks like no working marker lights ! Just the interior light. Thats not much to offer for lighting ! --- Ken
Here is a video that covers Chessie, B&O etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyEJXnwD3t0
At 3:03 it shows the B&O and yes, no marker lights.
I guess you have to decide weather having a model matching the real caboose in most ways is important or not. If not, you can always buy cheap foobies.
In my case, having a proper model copying a real D&RGW 01400 series caboose in plastic would be so nice, the lights issue would be moot to me. The only way I ca have a proper 01400 D&RGW caboose is OMI brass for all practical purposes, and those seem to go for a minimum of $275 and much more.
I don't know if you can get a proper version of this Genesis ICC B&O caboose any other way besides brass. If not, this ICC caboose may still be pretty nice.
Lifting up an old comment, but the question is touching my mind as I buy Genesis quality locomotives these days (and could apply the concept to these cabeese if my railroad used them).
While I am a pretty experienced weatherer, modifying these perfectly pristine models in any way seems like a risk I don't want to take. Too nice to touch. Maybe even too nice to operate.
Maybe that's why producers have different product lines, one line for show, and one line for go.
I guess that is true for categorizing collectible autos, so why not other things. Trailer queens and daily drivers.
- Douglas
From another forum, only the CB&Q, SF, and UP have working marker lights.
I read it on the Internet, it must be true.