What do you think is the next great feature in O scale?

I'm thinking more interactivity between operator, engine, and train. Think a sensor in the locomotive connected to its coupler that can detect the pull on the coupler and appropriately set the throttle response, sounds, etc. A longer train is a heavier train and the locomotive should work harder! Track and report locomotive fuel consumption: perhaps there's a feature to enable so that the locomotive will stop when it depletes its fuel and must be refueled to continue? A mode that simulates wheel-slip or makes starting a train difficult?

@Slugger posted:

I'm thinking more interactivity between operator, engine, and train. Think a sensor in the locomotive connected to its coupler that can detect the pull on the coupler and appropriately set the throttle response, sounds, etc. A longer train is a heavier train and the locomotive should work harder! Track and report locomotive fuel consumption: perhaps there's a feature to enable so that the locomotive will stop when it depletes its fuel and must be refueled to continue? A mode that simulates wheel-slip or makes starting a train difficult?

Those are all wonderful ideas, especially the mode to simulate wheelslip

How about aroma loads?  Reefers that smell like fresh oranges, or gondolas of manure that smell like xxxx.    John

@The Pullman, @Slugger,  You mean like this on the latest BigBoy offering?  

Listen for it!

Battery power

Do they ship manure in gons....like old Chinese "honey barges"?  Modeling that would REALLY be  "rivet counting".  My interest is much more mundane...l like the current trend of short runs of less common roadnames, and hope to grab a few, and hope that trend continues.

@colorado hirailer posted:

Do they ship manure in gons....like old Chinese "honey barges"?

JT's Megasteam has a scent named Barnyard, and the smell matches.  I think that base is covered.

Not original with me but won’t it be cool that when your passenger train stopped at your station a hologram appeared that showed passengers getting off the train and then different passengers getting on the train with an option to have the passengers dressed for different time periods and

@FJI posted:

Not original with me but won’t it be cool that when your passenger train stopped at your station a hologram appeared that showed passengers getting off the train and then different passengers getting on the train with an option to have the passengers dressed for different time periods and

About twenty years ago either Lionel or MTH had a passenger platform(under roof) with passengers awaiting the train.  When the train departed, all passengers must have boarded as none were on the platform.  I have not seen one operate, only saw the catalog listing.  Perhaps a Forum member has one.  John

@colorado hirailer posted:

Do they ship manure in gons....like old Chinese "honey barges"?

In gondolas from the stock yards and urban collection points to the nearest low area out of town.  Today, the EPA would not allow it.  John

There are too many gimmicks already. Battery power would be a true advancement.

MELGAR

@rattler21 posted:

About twenty years ago either Lionel or MTH had a passenger platform(under roof) with passengers standing awaiting the train.  When the train departed, all passengers must have boarded as none were on the platform.  I have not seen one operate, only saw the catalog listing.  Perhaps a Forum member has one.  John

It's a RailKing platform, I have one stored in my boxes waiting for me to start putting stuff on the layout.

Railking 30-9107 Operating Passenger Platform

Most changes would be at the margin. The only revolutionary thing I could see happening would be the option of a 2 rail conversion kit, but with the tall 3 rail flanges.  Best of both worlds, ability to run on tight curves, but no third rail.

Yep John is correct again. I have one and it is Railking. Pretty cool to see people and wham thy are gone.  Most of the time visitors do not see the change ad I have to point it out.

Lash up capability on LC+ locos, also add the option to operate LC+ locos on battery by simply toggling a switch on the loco.

Lower prices!

Hey I'll throw in one initiated by MTH that I feel Lionel should adopt for their whistle steam - actually have the smoke  come out of the whistle.  I really cannot believe Lionel did not do that from the beginning of whistle steam.  Looks SUPER on MTH stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Same with the pop off valves.  Have actual smoke come out of them in coordination with the blow off sound!  Easily implemented, I would think.

I liked cylinder smoke/steam, but I have not seen it offered lately.  That effect was way cool!

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

JT's Megasteam has a scent named Barnyard, and the smell matches.  I think that base is covered.

Just like that farm field featuring festering fertilizer...

Ah, the 'Breadbasket's" bouquet on a summer's day!

Might want to check with the spouse, though, before adding to the layout's ambiance!

(Oh, wow!  Hmmmm.  Interesting...I just realized the blue and red colors of the manure spreading equipment above!  Subliminal?  Metaphorical?)

-------------------

BTW...Another vote cast for BATTERY POWER!

Undecorated engines/rolling stock and a kit that makes making custom decals easy.

How about signals and switches controlled by Wi-Fi so that a dispatcher can actually control the flow and movement of mainline trains without all the "logic" wiring?  Of course, to work well, that would need motive power that automatically (like a real engineer was inside) adjusts its actual movement/speed to respond to signals and switch settings.

Chuck

@CarGuyZM10 posted:

Undecorated engines/rolling stock and a kit that makes making custom decals easy.

Mr Muffin has been doing some undecorated runs for this purpose. Glad to see this as well!

I like the sound cars lionel is releasing, more of those would be great. A new Lionel control system and/or overhaul of the app is overdue IMO. I really prefer my Ipad over the handheld but can’t get all the legacy features with the app.

I’d like to see the new MTH group continue releasing updates to the app. I’d even pay for the updates.

@donhradio posted:

Hey I'll throw in one initiated by MTH that I feel Lionel should adopt for their whistle steam - actually have the smoke  come out of the whistle.  I really cannot believe Lionel did not do that from the beginning of whistle steam.  Looks SUPER on MTH stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Same with the pop off valves.  Have actual smoke come out of them in coordination with the blow off sound!  Easily implemented, I would think.

It's not hard to drill the hole, but it's a bit harder to keep it from getting clogged with smoke bubbles.  Lionel has done several models that do indeed have the smoke come out of the whistle, I have the CC2 0-8-8-0 that does that, it was an early Vision Line Legacy model.

a shoveling fireman to go with the depleting coal load. a figure oscillating in the cab with the firebox door opening and closing. I also have pondered the station platform with passenger car built on the principal of the cattle/horse corral with instead passengers/subway commuters trooping in and out the car (FJI though the hologram likely a fraction of the effort to produce and get to work reliably)

Forget the steaming whistle,  I'd like to see operator controlled cylinder cocks with sound.  Now that would put on one heck of a show and be lots of fun to play with.        Just imagine it.  Who is with me on this?   

@MELGAR posted:

There are too many gimmicks already. Battery power would be a true advancement.

MELGAR

I agree.  NH Joe

@PRR1950 posted:

How about signals and switches controlled by Wi-Fi so that a dispatcher can actually control the flow and movement of mainline trains without all the "logic" wiring?  Of course, to work well, that would need motive power that automatically (like a real engineer was inside) adjusts its actual movement/speed to respond to signals and switch settings.

Chuck

You could add a sensor to the loco and a bar code, optical or RFID tag to the base to reduce speed when it detects the tag.  I recall there was an electronic system that would read a bar code on the bottom of the car and trigger certain passenger announcements.

Update - it was a system by Z Stuff.  Z-stuff for Trains O-gauge or O-scale trains

I think the next big thing will be an improved throttle interface to improve the user experience.  My opinion is we've kind of slid backwards from the ZW handles to thumbwheels to today's smart phone interface.

Dale

A engineer waiving his arm at spectators.

I'm with Nycfan, lower prices.

More compact electronics, it's frightening when you take the shell or boiler off an engine.

A lifetime guarantee would be nice.

for o scale    2 rails !!!

Bluetooth with a universal app.

I use battery powered tools, a battery powered lawn mower, and drive a battery powered car. I think the next big revolution, and it's already taking root, is battery power for our O gauge trains. With the current state of battery technology, and things like Bluetooth control, it's only a matter of time before all the features we enjoy in our Legacy, LionChief+ 2.0, and DCS locos can be integrated into a cohesive battery powered package. Imagine the pleasure of never having to worry about wiring challenges, the tedious task of track cleaning, and all the other related things that plague us today! That's what I'd call the next "great feature".

and with battery power       we can go 2 rail

@Slugger posted:

I'm thinking more interactivity between operator, engine, and train. Think a sensor in the locomotive connected to its coupler that can detect the pull on the coupler and appropriately set the throttle response, sounds, etc. A longer train is a heavier train and the locomotive should work harder!

Lionel has already done this in the Vision Line Niagara.  Lionel called it "Force Coupler".  They have not released this feature in other locomotives yet.

@marty track posted:

and with battery power       we can go 2 rail

I honestly don't want it.  It would be great to run deadrail, especially for outdoor folks, but I just don't want to deal with batteries and chargers and trying to make boxcars and tenders that hide batteries but I have to keep swapping them out.

As much as I love my dcs systems, there is something very zen about putting a unit on the rails, cycling the handling and watching it go.  Simplicity is an understated feature.

MTH locomotives can rev up whenever you want.

No battery power here, I'm not pulling the same boxcar all the time, and my switcher doesn't need the boxcar in the way.

MTH 2/3 rail,  high rail wheels are insulated for two rail operation.

My vote is forever improving overall quality.  

Something that I have talked to my dad about which I thought would be cool although I don't know if it would ever work just because of obvious reasons would be colored smoke fluid.

@George Werderich posted:

Something that I have talked to my dad about which I thought would be cool although I don't know if it would ever work just because of obvious reasons would be colored smoke fluid.

White smoke would be great

An obvious one would be finding a way to make the stuff cheaper, but given the dynamics of the market (low volume usually equals high cost),not likely to happen.

3D printing technology that those into the scale side of things could order basically custom runs on demand (like you used to be able to do with cars), so if you wanted a specific car or variation on an engine, you can get it built relatively easy (and obviously, this isn't true today). It would be much tougher with engines, given the varieties (don't even want to think of a steam engine), but chassis and motors and control boards are relatively standard.

Battery power does solve some of the wiring issues. In theory command control eliminated a lot of the wiring involved, but in reality there is usually a lot more than connect a wire and go, things like switches require wiring an AIU or whatnot to operate them (with battery power, I assume that remote switches would still require wiring on some sort, IDK if you would want to run them on battery power). Thing about batteries is as they become more energy dense (watt hrs/lb, whatever you use) on the high end, it means they can get more power out of smaller batteries, too. There are theoretical limits , but there is no science that says you couldn't have something the size of a watch battery that could power a train for an hour or more and recharge in let's say 5 minutes, simulating a fuel stop.

With command control, I could hope for 1 system (and this is three rail, folks, I realize with 2 rail there is DCC), simply to stop people from having to buy both, but that is not likely to happen.