"Crew Talk"

Man .... how cool is that?! Sounded great! This guy "Rich" sure gets around.

 

Jim

Big Jim,

To clarify, are you saying that knowing jack-squat about railroading is a prerequisite to play with trains?

 

No Kevin, that is not what I said at all!

Now, go back and read what I did say and quit trying to stir up you know what!

Jim,

No kidding, I really don't get what you were trying to say.  "Talking foam", are you referring to "foamers" which is an affectionate term to people with toy train on the brain?

 

Sorry man, I re-read what you wrote, are you saying the two idiots are the people in the recording studio recording the dialog for the crew talk?  Not trying to be dense here.  Are the idiots the guys playing with the crew talk equipped toys or are they the people on the recording?

Relax Principal RailRookie...it's all good. No harm no foul. My wife along with pretty much the entire female population lovingly refer to guys, more specifically husbands, as idiots. It is a term of endearment.   

Kevin,

Let me try to explain it this way and have everything in context.

First read the quote from another poster that I used:

quote:

But it is not really "crew" talk

Now read why I said that was true:

quote:

Exactly! It sounds like two idiots that don't know jack-sprat about railroading sitting in a room talking foam to one another!

Kevin,

Crews, towers, etc. do not talk like that on the radio. They don't use those words and they don't sound (as in, "clear as a bell") like they are sitting across from one another reading from a script.

I have said this before, there are web sites out there that carry railroad radio channels. Manufacturers and everyone here can access them. Take the time to really listen to some of them and you will understand why this so-called "Crew Talk" is inane.

Don't like the chatter?  Turn it off.  Seems like a pretty simple solution. 

 

There's WAY too much angst and complaining in this hobby...the antithesis of what a hobby is all about.

Actually, no, you can't get the evenly spaced short whistle blasts.  I have both the CAB1/base and the Legacy/base, it's not possible with either.

 

Jim.
I understand your point.  It would be fun if the dialog between crew members was more accurate with rr terms and expressions.

Jim.
I understand your point.  It would be fun if the dialog between crew members was more accurate with rr terms and expressions.

 

quote:

Actually, no, you can't get the evenly spaced short whistle blasts.  I have both the CAB1/base and the Legacy/base, it's not possible with either.

I did it yesterday at my LHS using the new Lionel N&W J #612 and a Cab1 controller. Don't know why you can't.

I sat there for quite a while and "called for signals" ( four taps = four short toots) , but, nobody ever waved me ahead or backed me up.

 

This was one thing that couldn't be done with DCS by tapping the whistle button and it is one reason I would never buy DCS.

Marty,

I tried it with the new Legacy J and an old Cab1 controller. Have always been able to do this with my regular TMCC J. Maybe I'm not understanding what John is trying to do.

Yeah me too so I am not sure either.

I never mistook cab chatter for real; still give it a go from time-to-time.

 

In fact, nothing about any of my O gauge trains seems real; they just have somewhat of a basic likeness...

 

Real railroad equipment is massive; especially, the powerful locomotives; and our models are tiny, in comparison; you could even say... toy-like.

 

A few might think their expensive models are close... I doubt it!

 

BTW, all my model locomotives, are equipped with sounds; but, to me, none of those sounds... come close, to what I've heard, being around real locomotives.

 

If the manufacturers could, accurately, capture an exact likeness; including, the sounds, they'd have to be building real locomotives.

 

Time to face the facts, wannabe engineers/rail barons, you're just playing...

 

 

Rick

 

 

 

 

 

I'd love to see a video of you getting the real short multiple blasts using either CAB1 or Legacy.   Attached is the MTH audio, feel free to try to duplicate that with the Legacy or TMCC controller.

 

Yes. These types are the ones that chased my son away from the hobby. I hope that someday he will come back. Still leaves a bad feeling with me. Isn't this supposed to be fun and relaxing?

Chatter: I don't like it, I don't use it.

 

Angst in model railroading, especially O-gauge: if you fill a room with cranky old men,

you'll get a cranky old hobby. (In Walter Brennan's voice: If them thar young whippersnappers don't like it, well, that's just too bad! Dagnabit!)

 

Truthfully, we could use a big dose of mellowing out, dude. It gets on my nerves, too,

though I'm also an old f**t.

 

Of course, we cranky old men are the ones with the money.

 

Did they "chase him away" or was it a matter of your son allowing them to get his goat? 

 

Anyone that truly enjoys the hobby will continue to do so even with any Negative Nancys putting their own opinions in.   If one allows outside influences like that to drive them out, then they may not have been fully absorbed into the hobby to begin with, or was possibly in the early stages of transitioning out of it already.

 

It was ultimately his decision to leave, not by direction of those "types" you refer to.

Yes, of course it is his choice but he saw a lot of negatives and was on the receiving end enough times and he decided to move on. I just think that it should have been different. My opinion of course.

 

Apples to grapefruits in your analogy Kenn.  External forces can play a hand, but it's up to the individual on whether or not they will allow those forces to get the better of them or not. 

 

Unlike a marriage, you actually can disassociate yourself from those that are being negative in the hobby without having to leave it altogether as it can be a singular enjoyment or share with a select few without having to be carte-blanche, all-inclusive to others.

 

Come to think of it, you can do the same in a marriage too (disassociate from the black sheep of the family, or ignore those annoying in-laws).  

 

I work in the IT industry, so working with complainers comes with the territory. 

 

Yeah, that's what I said after my first marriage.  And yet here I am, married again. 

Two locos I thought had intelligent crew talk/ tower comm were the Lionel PRR J1 from 2001 and the N&W Y6b from a bit later.  It was actually accurate for both locomotives and just garbled enough to sound about right.  Much, if not all of the newer stuff is waaaay too childish sounding...I mean what does Lionel think we are? ...a bunch of kids!

I am. 

After reading this thread accuracy and realism applied to toy trains sounds like a recipe for disappointment, as they will never be realistic enough to please all the people all the time. The bottom line is this about talking toys whose importance seems to have gotten slightly overwrought I remember my sister's Chatty Kathy. Eventually the chatter got on her nerves.  More tempests that fit in a thimble. As a kid I was glad just to have a circle of track...and in that regard, not much has changed. I think the name of this tune is be thankful for what you got rather than disparaging what you cannot have. The list of the unfulfilled  "realism" in toy trains is infinite from reading various threads..Have we forgotten that toy trains are childlike even in the most dazzling demonstration of hi-rail..? Aggravation in trying to make something that it will never be by complaining about it seems to be a sort of black hole or heat sink...seems to promote more of the same. I guess I am a Luddite. Air whistles are just o.k by me.

 

I think Allen is close to the truth. But not completely. More accurately is that the majority of the content hobbyists and modelers are busy having fun enjoying their hobby. This forum and most blogging is a way to express one' frustration when some aspect of the hobby is causing frustration by not conforming to one' expectation. Realistic or not. It can be beneficial. And like the crew talk, you can always turn it off. Maybe not Allen. It is part of his job. Not talking about deleting the thread either. And what is really funny is complaining about complainers. LOL. This is not the hobby. And most people are not motivated to contribute to forums unless something either really irks them or they are really excited about sharing something that they made and feel good about. Would like to see more of that. But unlikely. If everyone was satisfied with the way things are, we would not get the great innovations ( like them or not) that keep this hobby interesting and engaging. My two pennies. Fred

And on the crew talk. I think the early Train sounds with random semi intelligible crew talk best. But did not like having to blow whistle to trigger it. Tmcc Tower Comm with engine ID second best. Got worse after that. Usually only generic "Stand by" or "you are clear for departure" But I do not have any high end stuff either so I really not sure about that end of the spectrum.

I'm just glad I'm not that dissatisfied with my talking locomotives and passenger cars.   Yep, they're probably not very realistic, but the visitors love it, and a big part of the enjoyment of the hobby is sharing it with others. 

 

Do I wish I could change some aspects of it?  Sure, but until that day, I'll live with what I have.