For a long time now I keep seeing discussions on how to mitigate noise which I’ve always found curious. Noise from Fastrack or Realtrack, noise from tube track etc on plywood… Lots of interesting tricks and tips and techniques to reduce resonance from the trains riding down the rails…
But I guess I don’t get it. I run PW Lionel and Marx and I really like the dissonance of all the mechanical ‘sound’ I can get out of it. I like the gear growl of my early F3s. I like the anemic diesel horns. I like the initial grind of the whistle tenders. I like the sound of the wiper over the coils on the transformer. I like the buzz of various operating accessory solenoids. And I like the resonance of tube track over plywood. All part of the classic charm and nostalgia to me.
Since I may be somewhat unique judging from the interest in sound reduction discussion - what am I missing here? What’s wrong w/ the ‘noise’ and why do so many seek to mitigate it?
Well, even when I was a kid, 50 years ago, my Dad put my layout on homosote to quiet the noise down a little, from Postwar trains. Today I use homosote to quiet noise because I like the sounds my engines & some cars make. Just a personal thing I guess. I’m on Gargraves track also. I like hearing my diesel engines rev up or down & the crew talk & my comand caboose makes plenty of neat sounds also. I think it’s great to hear the rumble of postwar trains on plywwod when I can but I just like the new stuff for today’s running !!
Im with you pgtr. When was the last time you stood by a moving train and it was quiet? Heck the more noise mine makes the better I like it. Long live train car sounds rolling down train track.
Well, I just a remembered, the subject was “What is wrong with a noisy track” ? I don’t think I covered everything on the question & would hate to see this turn into a subject of “What’s wrong with a quiet track” ? !! But then, I really don’t care !! [(-D] I’m sure there will be those that would like to turn it into a big argument thing, then CTT will care !! [(-D]
I’'ve seen quite tracks and unless you have train sounds ( engine noise ect.) Its very dull. I put one of my williams on a track a freind had with insulation and we could hardly here the engine move around the track lol.
I like them a little quiet cause when the train passes by where I’m sitting I like to hear the clickity-clack of the cars going over a joint in the track.
What’s there not to get ? If you like train sounds you want the track quiet in order to hear the train sounds. Now I don’t get it ! If you have postwar & don’t have or want train sounds then loud is great .
I put down 3 layers of Soundstop in the big room and one in the back room. WHY? Not for noise [did cut down some]!!! Easy to acrve for scenery and rivers. Trains are noisy!!! Real ones and toy ones.
The noise can be a plus if your wife is “always” bugging you to do this and that constantly (I’m not married). I live in the main floor apartment of a house built in the 1850s. My bedroom has my in progress layout. The very nice young couple upstairs had a new kid in June. Their bedroom is right above mine. Not completely on purpose, but I have hardly touched the layout since may. The previous tennant above us started to use meth in the winter and we called the cops on her several times for noise. After one evil look I got from her I made it a point not to start on my layout until she had been evicted in early march because of the noise I could make to set her off.
Boyd touches on an area of concern for some. Whereas at one time the train layout was probably located in the basement for most, today many folks live in apartments, duplexes or condo stype housing. Noise levels may not be such a factor for the train operator, but might be a factor for the neighbors: noise for the neighbors being an annoying low-pitch rumble through walls or floors.
I live in an apartment, so while I argree with others, that I like the “old fashioned simple noise” that the trains make. I love my MPC-era mechanical steam sound tenders and have made alterations so they work very well. But I am also aware of the neighbors. My layout is built on blue styrofoam insulation board, which as Chief mentioned, makes for so easy scenery possibilies, but also helps to cut down on some of the “rumble vibration noise” a neighbor might hear. It’s like the old saying “one man’s music is another man’s noise.”
Irregardless of track type, running your trains at a slower speed will also reduce the noise level. When I run trains late at night, I’m considerate to run them at much slower speeds. I’ve talked with my neighbor and know running the trains a little slower makes far less noise through the walls.
I believe the noise we are trying to silence is that of the sound of the train rolling over the plywood benchwork. It makes a hollow tone, and amplifies over the sound of wheels on rails. By securing our track to cork, rubber, or any other insulating material, we hope to isolate that “hollow board” sound out, so that we can just hear the sound of the train rolling.
I like the noise, its realistic! There’s a surprising amount of energy being dissipated through the tracks so its hardly surprising they can get loud especially at high speed. Last time I ran the trains on the floor I could feel the vibration in the next room, especially the clunks over 027 switches. My wife says she can hear it clearly upstairs in the bedroom and she’s not particularly acute of hearing.
I really like the “roaring” noise too and do nothing formally to mitigate it -given my layout’s placement on a raised crawlspace in the basement. That said, the 027 track sits on a pile of rocks, radon tarp, 1/2 inch foam board, and indoor-outdoor carpet… Also, the small single-power-truck trolleys don’t make as much racket as a longer train.
Well, MOST trains are noisey !! Next time you’re trackside, notice a mixed freight train go by & listen to all the noise it makes. Then, hopefully a newer unit train will go by, like some of the bran new auto carrying cars & you will notice how quiet that was when it went by. Reason being, on the regular older mixed freight cars, everything is loose, especially in the brake rigging, rattling around next to the wheels & other stuff just loose & worn. That’s normal & considered safe, but noisey !! Listen to Amtrak go by, pretty quiet !! There are others too, like The Salad train & some of the bran new silver sides unit hopper trains.
John, I usually see only relatively short trains carrying SUVs from Janesville on ‘my’ neighborhood freight division. Sometimes they make a heck of a racket - Bang, bang, bang - as they pass the depot. I’m told by knowledgeable folks that this is a flat wheel. I need to figure out how to add this prototypical sound to my layout [:D]