N Scale sound in locos sound terrible to me

[Steveruger45]

All this talk of Peco reminds me why I like to “roll my own” when it comes to switches. Their turnouts are hideous.
(Attachment Link)

ME code 55 for Rail and Gapmasters to bridge the sections on my modules.

Also Sound is awesome, can’t go without it.

I like the look of those roll your own turnouts.

[Steveruger45]

Are you suggesting we should talk about beer next?   

Why not, that’s also a topic with political/religious like opinions. 🤫

[CRL]

All this talk of Peco reminds me why I like to “roll my own” when it comes to switches. Their turnouts are hideous.
(Attachment Link)

ME code 55 for Rail and Gapmasters to bridge the sections on my modules.

Also Sound is awesome, can’t go without it.

I certainly wouldn’t argue that Peco turnouts are better looking than ME, Atlas, or the reference standard for best looking - hand laid turnouts and track - and if you have the skill set, jigs / templates, time and patience, then hand laid is the way to go. I would point out that Peco code 55 track and turnouts is highly reliable and the snap action turnout control eliminates the need to use those fugly ground throws, which I find much more visually distracting than the Peco track. If ME would produce more than a #6 turnout, l would consider them a more valid option, but that’s not going to happen. I’m not sure what it is about Atlas code 55 that bothers me, but I’ll figure it out eventually. Until then, I’ll withold comment on it.

[jonnyspeed]

No sound, no railroad for me...

It may be a compromise, but so is EVERYTHING else in model railroading. I don't see people skipping window glazing because they don't have operational windshield wipers. To each their own though. Everyone sets their own standards for what is and isn't acceptable. As long as you are enjoying the hobby, that's all that maters.

[Jbub]

No sound, no railroad for me...

It may be a compromise, but so is EVERYTHING else in model railroading. I don't see people skipping window glazing because they don't have operational windshield wipers. To each their own though. Everyone sets their own standards for what is and isn't acceptable. As long as you are enjoying the hobby, that's all that maters.

Yes, rule#1 always takes precedent. It's my railroad.
And welcome to the forum @jonnyspeed!

[Point353]

No sound, no railroad for me...

Are you new to model railroading - at least to N/Z scale - or have you been a long time Lionel user?

[Cajonpassfan]

Are you new to model railroading - at least to N/Z scale - or have you been a long time Lionel user?

Really?!?
What a way to welcome a new member here...
Welcome to the group @jonnyspeed
Otto K.

[Point353]

Really?!?
What a way to welcome a new member here...

If everyone believed in "no sound, no railroad for me", would N (or Z) scale even exist today - or would we all still be running Lionel trains?

[Dave V]

Hey, to each his own.  No one is saying that everyone should have the same mentality.  I've been model railroading in some form or another since my first HO train set in 1982 and for most of my life those trains were silent.  And at the time they were plenty good enough for me.  But now that I'm completely immersed in a sound world (all of my HOn3 locomotives and my single Galloping Goose are sound equipped), I find sound-free trains to be as unappealing as watching TV on mute. 

Silent trains better than zero trains?  For me, that's a solid yes.  But I can understand where @jonnyspeed is coming from.  It would be very difficult for me to go back to a silent model railroad experience.

[robert3985]

If everyone believed in "no sound, no railroad for me", would N (or Z) scale even exist today - or would we all still be running Lionel trains?

@Point353 , Your point is completely moot, since obviously sound capability in N-scale IS (in reality) well-established, and inextricably intertwined with advanced DCC systems and decoders, the development of which "Lionel trains" had nothing to do with. EDIT...okay...I'm wrong about that....  Also, "everyone" in model railroading is NEVER going to believe the same thing about anything...so that part of your comment is off in Bizarro World somewhere...

Just sayin'...    

Luckily for the no-sound faction, you can still buy some engines without sound decoders, or you can turn the sound completely OFF.

Luckily for the sound-only faction, you can buy more and more engines with quality sound already installed, or install your own high-quality decoders and speaker enclosures for just about ANY engine you want to run.  Additionally, you can adjust the sound coming out of high quality sound decoders to be the most ideal possible for your personal N-scale sound preferences.

As for myself, I am much like @jonnyspeed in my attitude in favor of sound in N-scale.  Being able to properly hear my U.P. Athearn Challengers and Big Boys, as well as run them properly (without that funky little wireless remote control) got me to convert in a big way to wireless radio DCC, and completely re-wire my entire layout.

Like jonnyspeed again, I find absolutely nothing wrong (in today's model railroad reality) with buying only engines that have DCC sound, or converting those that don't to DCC sound, since that is what I do and plan to do for the foreseeable future...and I doubt very much my attitude will be detrimental for either N-scale or Z-scale...nor enhance the sale of Lionel trains.

Welcome jonnyspeed to TRW!

EDIT: I did a bit of research after I wrote this comment about the history of DCC, which I found to be both enlightening and interesting.  Here's a good place to start, and although not complete...is still an interesting read: https://dccwiki.com/DCC_History

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[Dave V]

I know I brought this up earlier in the thread but sound really does add yet another dimension to the hobby.  Especially for steam.  I'm learning D&RGW/RGS whistle signals, figuring out when a blowdown would be appropriate, listening to rod-clank on my worn-out RGS engines struggling to hang on through another year of minimum maintenance, etc.  So running a train becomes way more than simply adjusting the speed.

[Point353]

@Point353 , Your point is completely moot, since obviously sound capability in N-scale IS (in reality) well-established, and inextricably intertwined with advanced DCC systems and decoders, the development of which "Lionel trains" had nothing to do with. EDIT...okay...I'm wrong about that....  Also, "everyone" in model railroading is NEVER going to believe the same thing about anything...so that part of your comment is off in Bizarro World somewhere...

Just sayin'...    

Luckily for the no-sound faction, you can still buy some engines without sound decoders, or you can turn the sound completely OFF.

Luckily for the sound-only faction, you can buy more and more engines with quality sound already installed, or install your own high-quality decoders and speaker enclosures for just about ANY engine you want to run.  Additionally, you can adjust the sound coming out of high quality sound decoders to be the most ideal possible for your personal N-scale sound preferences.

As for myself, I am much like @jonnyspeed in my attitude in favor of sound in N-scale.  Being able to properly hear my U.P. Athearn Challengers and Big Boys, as well as run them properly (without that funky little wireless remote control) got me to convert in a big way to wireless radio DCC, and completely re-wire my entire layout.

Like jonnyspeed again, I find absolutely nothing wrong (in today's model railroad reality) with buying only engines that have DCC sound, or converting those that don't to DCC sound, since that is what I do and plan to do for the foreseeable future...and I doubt very much my attitude will be detrimental for either N-scale or Z-scale...nor enhance the sale of Lionel trains.

Welcome jonnyspeed to TRW!

EDIT: I did a bit of research after I wrote this comment about the history of DCC, which I found to be both enlightening and interesting.  Here's a good place to start, and although not complete...is still an interesting read: https://dccwiki.com/DCC_History

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

Shoot first, aim second, Bob.

The intention of my post was to suggest the likelihood that, if the "no sound, no railroad for me" all-or-nothing sort of sentiment was universally held, then we wouldn't have had any N scale model trains until sometime in this century - if at all - and thus we'd still be running Lionel in order to have sound-equipped model trains.

[CRL]

If you’re modeling large steam locomotives in n-scale, the tenders give sufficient room to install speakers of sufficient size to reproduce the predominantly high frequency sounds associated with steam locomotives. Steam locomotives also produce more interesting sounds in general.

My objection to sound in n-scale is in trying to produce the frequency range produced by diesel locomotives. Unfortunately, n-scale diesels end up sounding like a washing machine breaking down and the overall sound of a Diesel engine is simply boring and annoying to me... kinda like disco music.

[jdcolombo]

My objection to sound in n-scale is in trying to produce the frequency range produced by diesel locomotives. Unfortunately, n-scale diesels end up sounding like a washing machine breaking down and the overall sound of a Diesel engine is simply boring and annoying to me... kinda like disco music.

I agree that steam sound is more interesting generally, and one can reproduce the "bark" of a super-power steam loco's chuffs, the wail of the whistle and the bell, as well as the dynamo and air pump, more easily in N scale than the low-frequency throb of a prime mover.

However, first-generation diesels CAN be pretty interesting, especially if they aren't turbocharged.  Listen to a Roots-blown EMD 567 as it throttles up and throttles down.  When doing switching moves with a pair of sound equipped GP7/9's, the sound is nearly as interesting as the chuffs of a steam locomotive.  And the "bucket-of-bolts, bucket-of-bolts, bucket-of-bolts" cadence of an Alco is something you don't hear today.

But I agree that in general, prime mover sound is more background noise than anything - which is why I keep the sound levels of prime movers low.   And I have very low tolerance for turbos . . .

John C.

[robert3985]

Shoot first, aim second, Bob.

The intention of my post was to suggest the likelihood that, if the "no sound, no railroad for me" all-or-nothing sort of sentiment was universally held, then we wouldn't have had any N scale model trains until sometime in this century - if at all - and thus we'd still be running Lionel in order to have sound-equipped model trains.

@Point353 , Yup...I fully understood your contention.  However, the intention of my post was to point out the absurdity of contending that model railroaders would actually have a universally held sentiment about anything...which contention may exist somewhere amongst an infinite number of alternate realities, but not in this one.  The evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of the unlikelihood that any two of us will EVER agree completely about anything...and why should we?

My other point was that the reality we actually live in gives us enough possibilities to satisfy our individual preferences about N-scale sound...basically divided between two main extreme groups (1) No sound, and (2) Sound or nothing....with a nearly uncountable number of solutions between (1) and (2)...which allows a majority of us to be at least fairly happy with our individual preferences vs what's commercially available.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore