Crew talk and tower communication

My Grandson calls em the "Talkie talkie" and uses them all the time ..I seldom do but love when he does as we listen then talk about what and why they are saying it

@Snkbittin posted:

My Grandson calls em the "Talkie talkie" and uses them all the time ..I seldom do but love when he does as we listen then talk about what and why they are saying it

That's a great use as an educational tool.

Yes. They really bug me as well

I use them all the time, they’re better on older engines though with different voices, sequences, and road name/number specific. Most legacy engines now all use the same crew talk and towercom. More variety like the MTH PFA sequence is needed 

Use them occasionally.  They are meant for amusement. If they don't amuse you, don't use them .

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.

Yes, I do like them and I do use them. After all, the train can't move until the crew is ready.

I don't use them and don't like them, especially in steam locomotives.  Steamers rarely had 2 way communication, the engineers watched the signals.

@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

I don't like it either. Except for the crew talking on the Legacy crane and boom car .... I get a kick out of them.

To each his own.

@Mellow Hudson Mike posted:

Mike,

I fall somewhere in between. The PFA feature on protosound engines is great and nothing beats the crew talk on the latest legacy gp-30’s

BUT…

The sounds on my original LionChief 0-6-0T are like nails on a chalkboard to me. And this is mostly because you can’t turn it down or off in some cases.

Don't like it? Don't PUSH THE BUTTON!

Just remember that what talking you are hearing is 100% fictional! It is best that I leave my opinions at that.
"Be governed accordingly!"

@MIKATT1 posted:

Don't like it? Don't PUSH THE BUTTON!

There it is...a genuinely "adult" response... 🤔

Mark in Oregon

@EricTrainMan posted:

I use them all the time, they’re better on older engines though with different voices, sequences, and road name/number specific.

I agree, while I can take or leave the crew talk.

My tmcc 0-8-0,  "Bawston and Awbany fifty twee heeyaw,  We're awf to da clam bake" . Is one of my favorites.

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 crew talk sounds!

@MIKATT1 posted:

Don't like it? Don't PUSH THE BUTTON!