I have a 2006 GP30 UP 844 with TMCC and RS5 and the crew and dispatcher specifically address the loco by cab # which is very prototypical. It seems the newer RS are very generic and don't talk by mentioning the cab #. Is this a cost savings by Lionel? Love this engine! Anybody else notice this?
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I don't think I've ever heard Lionel's official take on the "dumbing down" of Towercom/Crewtalk dialog. But I suspect it's just more in the way of cutting corners during production.
Without roadname/roadnumber specifics in the dialog, a spreadsheet bean-counter figured out they could re-use the same dialog sequences on dozens of locomotives over and over again -- thereby eliminating costs associated with recording voice talent each time. Nowadays, we need to pony up inflated VL prices to get roadname/roadnumber-specific dialogs. 
You're gonna find folks going either way on this in terms of preference. Some folks don't like Towercom at all, so they don't care about the feature being "dumbed down". Some days I actually prefer the old RS4 unintelligible sounds -- especially once the train is in motion!
But then again... if you're gonna have the feature, I'd say do it the right way as best as it can be done. So in that respect, I'd say the latest Towercom implementation on Lionel's regular product line is a step backwards.
David
I agree David, and with the pricing of Legacy equipped models you would think Lionel could have the talk specific to the model.
I know some folks don't care for Towercom, but kids love it and we have to do everything to attract them to the hobby.
Dan
I agree, the Road specific dialogue was one of my favorite things about the older Lionel engines. Now its a hunt to find the old engines with them.
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