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Do people like this stuff? The announcements and particularly the tower communication always sounds terribly cheesy to me. How many times do I need to hear the same thing?

"All clear on track 1, moving out" lol

I understand nobody is forcing me to use them, but I'm genuinely curious if most people like and use them.

Last edited by PRRick
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I personally do not like all the crew talk and startup sequences on the modern trains. I find them annoying. Even when I watch those videos and reviews I move past this stuff. When I want to run trains….I want to turn up the throttle and have them go. I guess that’s why I only have and run prewar standard & O along with postwar and some early MPC.  There is something for everyone in this hobby and I’m glad we can all find those features we can enjoy.

@PRRick posted:

Do people like this stuff? The announcements and particularly the tower communication always sounds terribly cheesy to me. How many times do I need to hear the same thing?

"All clear on track 1, moving out" lol

I understand nobody is forcing me to use them, but I'm genuinely curious if most people like and use them.

Can't stand them.

@PRRick posted:

Do people like this stuff? The announcements and particularly the tower communication always sounds terribly cheesy to me. How many times do I need to hear the same thing?

"All clear on track 1, moving out" lol

I understand nobody is forcing me to use them, but I'm genuinely curious if most people like and use them.

Rick,

I genuinely appreciate you taking the time to post this.  It means that you're not narrow-mindedly dismissing them, unlike so many people.

When most threads that touch on this topic get posted there's usually a rather vivid dichotomy in the comments -- they're either loved or hated.

No one has to turn on either CrewTalk or TowerCom.  These features could stay quiet for for the life of the product if you don't like them.  The power is in your hands.

However some people detest them so strongly that they wouldn't buy a product that has them.  Even worse, and this happens perhaps too often, some of those people appear to question the sanity of someone who finds them appealing.

We need to remember that our beloved OGR forum is not only about those who've moved on from toy trains to those that are more realistic -- that it's also about those who love the toy trains from which they evolved.

Are CrewTalk and TowerCom toy features?  Definitely.  So are smoke, and whistle, and lobster claws, and many others.

Are people who like them crazy?  Definitely not.

Social media, in all it's forms, and including this forum at times, is increasingly being used to divide people.

Thanks for being open-minded, and taking the time to try to understand, and not divide.

Mike

Last edited by Mellow Hudson Mike

I use  the General Code of Operating Rules (GCOR) 6th edition April 7, 2010 as applied to my railroad. Section 2.0 deals with Railroad Radio Rules. Radio generally did not exist in the  era where hand signals, flares and lanterns were used.  There are later transitional exceptions, such as the PRR. So, for me, it comes down to whether I want to operate within a certain era and the what the practices at that time were.  Mark     

I like it to some extent.  I like legacy best where one can select individual sequences.  I have a Lionmaster Challenger that I read has Rich Melvin's voice as the engineer.  Where its really good is for non-model railroader guests.  They really react to it.  I recently had a senior guy over who had done post-war with his kids years ago and was amazed to discover modern sound systems.

Bill

@Big Jim posted:

Just remember that what talking you are hearing is 100% fictional!

AMEN!

None of the Crew Talk in model locomotives from Lionel or MTH bears any resemblance to how radio communications are really done in the railroad industry. Most of it is quite laughable. And I say that, even though my voice is used in the Lionel NKP Berks and a few other locomotives. The "scripts" are written by people who have never worked in the industry and are not familiar with what railroad radio communications really sound like.

It's an interesting gimmick, and I'm sure it adds play value to the products. But don't get the idea that it's prototypical. Not even close.

I'm amazed at all the animosity for an optional feature, 7

John,

You need to look at the other side of the coin. I have no idea what you did for a living, but, I do know that you dabble in electronics a bit. How would you feel if someone tried to explain to you how to build a circuit using the wrong names for every component and the wrong procedures for putting the circuit together?

While not crew talk per se, my favorite announcements are in the MTH subways and, although I'm not familiar with the announcements in the modern Lionel subways, I imagine they are just as good if not better.

I have what I believe is one of the 1st MTH Proto 1 subways,  which is the D train. The 1st announcement is for 161st Street and Yankee Stadium. It's the perfect subway for my layout with its Popsicle Stick Yankee Stadium:

20190831_053217

IMG_1219

Crew talk in other modern O Gauge trains is something I rarely activate when running trains by myself, but I think it's a nice feature because visitors often like it when they hear it.

Arnold

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Last edited by Arnold D. Cribari

I have an automated layout control system built around an Arduino, and I use the crew talk sequences extensively.

Since the system is commanding engines to start, stop, decelerate, or accelerate, I also trigger an appropriate dialogue to accompany that change.

Of course it's not prototypical for something like a steam engine, but it's neat to hear the 'tower' command something and then see the engine respond.

Keep in mind that not everyone in the hobby, like myself, is aware that the crew talk is fictitious.  We have no reason to believe it is not valid.  I could use the ADPCM tool to change the audio to something more interesting, like the standard BORG greeting or various lines from the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz.

Speaking of the various sounds loaded on PS3 units, I did want to attempt to start a general discussion on the quality of MTH engine sounds verses ESU LokSound where you can freely customize each sound to your hearts content with their software.

Anthony

Last edited by A. Wells
@Lou1985 posted:

I don't use it on my Lionel or MTH locomotives. However several of my Lionel models will play some form of crew talk when they are shut down. The most annoying one is my Legacy ATSF 3751 class Northern. It'll say it's going to get beans or some other silly thing.

Press ENG and use the bottom middle keyon the CAB2, it doesn't do the crewtalk that way.

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Press ENG and use the bottom middle keyon the CAB2, it doesn't do the crewtalk that way.

Unless I am misunderstanding you, if you press and hold that key it will play the "shutdown dialog".  Pressing ENG  and just tapping that key will shut the engine down without the dialog.  Same with start up.  ENG Push and hold the startup key, dialog. Tap and just start up.

Last edited by MartyE

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