Do you try to blow your whistle at crossing?

It depends.  If I just have the train running in circles for the kids then no, but if I am operating by doing switching cars in and out of industries and building a train then yes I do.

I blow horn at my crossings and when i get ready to take off i blow horn few short blows then ring my bell.  

If I am runing a fast freight/I,ll blow 2 long and short blast or sometimes I,ll justdo a hold it until pass the crossing.

If I am runing a slow train.I will ring my bell with a few whistle blast.

On our club's modular layout I try to encourage members to blow the proper signals for crossings and past passenger stations and before tunnels (not in them). Also ringing of the bell through tunnels, passing standing trains, through crossings and passenger loading areas.  When starting  a train, bell and two shorts before starting their train.  Add this to heavy load sounds when starting can be very dramatic for viewers.  And no jack rabbit starts. I even wait and pump up the train with extra RPMs and then return to idle before pulling out. Pure Theatre!

Conductor Earl 

between layout compression and the scale 150mph many 3railers run at, i can see a basic difficulty in grade crossing signals and the ~10ms or so you have to blow the whistle.

I do, but only every two or three laps, because it gets annoying otherwise! On passenger trains, I sound a long blast to alert the guys in the RPO of an imminent mail exchange.

An automated feature on my layout,using relays,discussed here. The bell function can also be automated at start up.

https://ogrforum.com/d...nt/12411751687197586

Dale H

I do now that DCS has it built in from the remote

I'll do it at times. For a few laps anyway. I have 3 crossings so after a while I stop so as not to avoid my house mates!!

Mostly I just run the trains!

It never occurred to me to do that. However, I do sound the whistle loud and long whenever a train approaches where a guest is standing and the track comes right up to the front edge of the layout. I do that for the added entertainment the sound provides, but do so mostly to warn that a train is approaching. Folks may unconsciously be leaning on or over the track as they peer into the layout, and sometimes clothing may be over or on the track. Also, the noses and little fingers of small children that stand at eye-level to the layout may get bumped or knock a locomotive to the floor. I don't like calling out to people to "watch out," which to me has a negative, "scolding" feel to it (which I will never do,) so the whistles do the trick and seem to even invite smiles.

To me, the lights, the sounds, the movement of the trains and their intrinsic beauty, along with all the other elements present to experience on a layout, all work together to afford some fun.

FrankM.

Absolutely!  How else can I warn 1:48 scale motorists that a train is approaching the crossing?

Curt

Moonson...do you have a website with more pics of your layout?  Would love to see more!

Thanks a lot, ChessieMD, for asking to see more of my layout. It is featured on my website:     www.layoutrefinements.com

You may, also, want to take a look at OGR Runs 163; 168; 221; 224 to see how "Moon Township" has evolved over the years.

Thanks again,

Frank M.

Frank. I can see why ChessieMD wanted to see more of your layout based on that picture. There's something about it that makes you want to get closer in and see all the details (which I've done by blowing up the image). Not that I haven't seen or saved most of your pictures, but this one is particularly intriguing. 

Jerrman

Sometimes I whistle at the crossing.  But as someone mentioned, on a compressed layout - kind of a moot point.

When I run my toy train layout, rather than blowing my whistle at crossings, I prefer to "WET" my whistle..... wink, wink.

Paul Goodness

On my railroad I do whatever I dang well please, whenever.

Thank you,Jerrman.I must admit, yours is one of the voices I am always hopeful of hearing, esp. because of your consistent thoughtfulness and kind consideration, always evident.

Since you've blown-up that photo, you can see that the outer edges of my layout are rather rough-hewn. I'm no carpenter, that's for sure, and I have, from the start in 1994, been eager to get to the layout itself rather than concern myself with its outer edges. That was esp. true when I was initially messin' around w/ having a layout just for personal nostalgia and recreation. Once my wife got involved and guests started enjoying the layout, all that changed. So, I'm left w/ a crummy front edge but don't mind. I'm at play, not at work and can get away w/ short-cuts, huh. But I do much enjoy seeing, via our forum here, how nice and finely tuned many of my fellow hobbyists' skirting and front edges are. I envy and learn but keep what I have.
 (I'll shut-up now so I don't inadvertently side-track this thread.)

I sometimes blow the whistle at crossings, but it is difficult to hit it early enough to get the full sequence if doing any speed at all.

And I say this having a 11' X 23' main loop.

My layout is compressed,also. I run my trains at compressed speeds. I use the DCS handheld soft key and pick a point up the line to blow the whistle, correctly.

When do you ring the bell? Someone, mentioned in tunnels. What else? 

I blow the whistle for guest and whenever I want to **** off SWMBO.  Otherwise I like to hear the sounds of the click clack on the track and nothing else.