I’m not keen (spending money or effort) on upgrading individual locomotives with sound to generate locomotive bell, whistle, and horn signals. I believe the benefits of these sounds are high since they are communication devices. Other locomotive sounds are largely irrelevant to me. I would want it easily portable to use while following my train or use on someone else’s layout. The requirements would be:
The size of a small cell phone, be completely self-contained (with battery & speaker), and in no way connected to the layout.
Have option to change the tone, etc. for each type of sound to represent different types of bells, whistles, and horns.
Be push-buttoned operated while in a holster belt
Possibly combine it with radio features for verbal communication with other operators.
Cost less than $150 without the radio option.
Where can I find such a device, or do you think there would be sufficient interest to make its manufacture financially viable?
You have an interesting idea. I personally like the sound in each engine and am slowly converting my engines to sound. At a layout I visit, they communicate with voice, I wonder if they would like this.
I can only speak for myself, but I had another $150, I would do two more on my engines for sound, that I could then opporate in a prototypical maner from my throttle.
I don’t really understand the originator’s purpose…it seems that he is unikely to get what he wants for a mere $150. On the other hand, he could get something that he doesn’t have to be tethered to with the decoders he could get for the same $150, no batteries required.
Also, I wonder what sounds are “irrelevant”? Really, they all are on a model railroad. Or, using the same logic, only one (pick one) is relevant, and all others irrelevant. In other words, this is begging the question. What would be the point of having, say, the whistle, but no steam hiss, no chuff, no nothing else except a whirring sound as the engine travels down the track between level crossings?
Sorry I can’t help…I am not aware of such a device, but I wanted to question the rationale for it.
I use Bachmann’s EZ Command DCC system, so naturally my Bachmann locos don’t have sound. For that I use a device from MRC called the MRC synchro sound box for diesels. It also comes in a steam variation.
This device can be connected to your DCC system and can be operated from your DCC controller so you don’t have to hold an additional item. The unit itself is the size of a pack of cigarettes. It has a separate speaker which can be mounted out of sight under or on the layout and it has adjustable volume and the exhaust sound changes with your throttle setting and costs under $80. I’m quite happy with mine. I can program different bells, whistles, horns. It also has the sounds of air lines parting, air brake release, dynamic brake, sander, reverse gear shift, air pump,brake squeal,coupler lift bar and flange noise.
Sorry if I wasn’t clear. The unit would include the speaker and would be completely self-contained, and include both diesel horns, steam whistles, and bells sounds. I could use it on any layout, whether DCC or DC. Other sounds (exhaust, engine, coal shoveling, etc.) are irrelevant to me. I find them distracting and unrealistic. (These “noises” would be unheard from any distance, or do not correspond to locomotive effort.) That’s me.
How about a cheap MP3 player fixed to a set of mini speakers designed for a walkman? Download the sounds from websites you’ve googled on your PC, put them as individual tracks on the mp3 player.
That won’t do Devils. I envision a unit with (1) three buttons that can be operated by feel rather than sight, and (2) a speaker that can be heard a short distance to communicate with the train crew and others, thus a headset is totally out.
the easy way to do it is just put a sound decoder in your device. I might use a sound-only decoder like a Soundtraxx DSX. You could then just hook it up to track power and assign it an address, controlling the sound from a DCC controller. This would be a very simple thing to make and cost less than $150.
As for voice comms, just carry a cheap walkie talkie.
Mark, I doubt there is anything on the market right now. You may have build it yourself to get what you really want. Combining an MP3 player in a walkie talkie and then adding some preset buttons for the individual sounds might work. Well beyond anything I would think of doing though.
Another possibility is downloading the sounds onto a cell phone, then setting the sounds to different buttons. I am fairly new into the world of cell phones so I don’t know if that would even work.
I’ve got no experience with this company, but it will only cost you six dollars and forty-nine sense to try this product.
Somebody else (and it may even be the same place) makes one of these EPROM sets which allows you to record your own sound into the chip. If you find it, let us know. I’d like to record screeching train brakes coming into a subway station, and then trigger them with an IR detector at each end of the station.
They’ve got several different modules, including a “4 Train Sound” one. It doesn’t say what the 4 sounds are. The web page is kind of limited, but they do have a “Contact Us” button for inquiries.
I had a few questions about the Train Set Electronics products, so I e-mailed them. They responded promptly with the following information:
Yes you can record your own sound or you can pick one from our site. No microphone required it has one incorporated in the module.
Here is a suggestion an RSMO is a little bigger and has a louder sound than the RSM.
You cannot control the volume is based on the recording level.
Here is another suggestion:
The RSMO come with an Reed Switch a magnet and a billboard. Install the RSMO in a train car. (It has an reed switch attached to play button). Glue the magnet to the billboard. Place the billboard within 1-1/4" from the train car (reed switch). When the train car with the reed switch passes by the magnet it start playing the recording, it will stop in 20 seconds or less based on the duration of your recording.