… how long it will be before somebody takes digital to the next step?

Digitised  crew? Driver and fireman with contact pads on their feet so that either  at set intervals or from a button press and the fireman swings his  shovel and the driver moves the regulator, maybe the movement intervals  could depend on speed setting; of course this would be coupled with  digitised smoke which as well as coming in puffs  the rate of which  depends on speed setting, but also the colour changes from white  steam/water vapour to dirty black smoke with smuts when the fireman  swings his shovel.

Guard sticks head and hand out of window and waves flag, acompanied by whistle sounnd. before starting

I  can see it being just about possible in 0 gauge, and posibly 00 if  miniaturisation of servo components to fit into crew bodies progresses  enough.

Porters trundling barrows could be another possibility, but I can't see animated pasengers getting into carriages.

At least none of that would be as irritating as the noises from a diesel layout behind one for two whole days at a show

I think this has already been done, Mike, or at least started. I seem to recall reading about a DCC German diesel locomotive in HO scale where the driver was animated to lean out of the cab side window, but I cannot find it at present. It may have been Fleischmann, Roco or Marklin, or possibly one of the ESU branded ones. 

On the other hand, I may be mistaken, or it may have been a demonstration model showing what might come in the future.

There is a Markin HO where the driver only appears at the driving end!

Laurie McLean MMR has been doing animated figures for years.

Google Laurie McLean MMR

 Heres a link - video

What about two identical benches on a platform, one with 'passengers' on it, the other, unoccupied, below platform level on a swivelling axle….
Train pulls in to platform, and whilst bench hidden from view by same, bench is twiddled around to the 'empty' position. TRain pulls out, passengers gone ! [presumably on the train…]

But that would be silly, wouldn't it? But is it any sillier than a bench full of erstwhile passengers who never get onto a train, and sit ther for weeks?

Fanciful Chubber

I like your thinking.  :thumbs

Hi Doug.  What a splendid idea, I had a similar idea with the motorman of an EMU or DEMU,, where the Motorman changes cabs at the terminus station. But, of course it is a bit complicated, and one may end up faffing up the cab.

Simon Kohler at Hornby was big on their digital sound van with a variety of "background" noises.  Not sure if that ever came to market.  Could be better if the vans/coaches had squealing brakes, doors slamming/opening or those irritating beep-beep-beep noises that modern multiple units make when the doors are about to close.

More stuff to irritate the exhibition halls or progress??

Barry

[user=312]Chubber[/user] wrote:

What about two identical benches on a platform, one with 'passengers' on it, the other, unoccupied, below platform level on a swivelling axle….
Train pulls in to platform, and whilst bench hidden from view by same, bench is twiddled around to the 'empty' position. TRain pulls out, passengers gone ! [presumably on the train…]

But that would be silly, wouldn't it? But is it any sillier than a bench full of erstwhile passengers who never get onto a train, and sit ther for weeks?

 Fanciful Chubber

I like this idea - very Thunderbirds!!

Shouldn't be that difficult to do, especially if the coaches hid the platform from view.

The closest I have got is to have passengers on clear plastic stands.  They can be added in small numbers over a period of time and then cleared when the train comes.  In photo or video sessions, it looks like the the passengers get on the trains.  I simply borrowed the idea from my wargames table where figures move by hand and no-one seems to notice or mind!!!

Barry

[user=2006]Barry Miltenburg[/user] wrote:

Simon Kohler at Hornby was big on their digital sound van with a variety of "background" noises.  Not sure if that ever came to market.  Could be better if the vans/coaches had squealing brakes, doors slamming/opening or those irritating beep-beep-beep noises that modern multiple units make when the doors are about to close.

More stuff to irritate the exhibition halls or progress??

Barry

Yes that was released last year Barry seems to have been quite popular as most places list it now out of stock.

short video of sounds




Brian

Thanks Brian - its quite bizarre - not sure what use that could be really

Barry

I would guess its a bit of a fad thing im sure many people bought it took it home switched it on for a few hours until it became annoying and after that it just becomes another wagon until there is a visitor to the layout.

Brian

Soundtraxx Soundcar - cattle, sheep, rail clickity-clack, flange squeal, brake squeal, etc., etc.

More relevant to the UK lineside - train-tech.com - point throws, signal rodding/arms to church bells and bird song. DC and DCC.


Nigel

I like the idea of adding some rural sounds. Of course it would only be for the grandchildren!

Cheers
Evan

With the smoke Dapol created some A4’s in their Black Label line which had synchronised smoke/sound to movement. Looked pretty great but at £400 a pop… not in my budget!

For those of us who are digitally challenged, it should not be too difficult to cobble together a series of "sounds" on a disk/PC and then simply select the one you want at the right time - must as the digital community do with their engines.

Suggested sounds - guards whistle, station announcements, doors slamming, (modern image) door beeps and sliding closed/opened, etc.  A backing track of "hububb" could be used if required.  A challenge to my own argument here could be the silent arrival and departure of a steam train amongst all this other noise.

 :thud

Barry

The N Gauge Layout Has a village called Scarinish (that's on Tiree).. Scarinish means seagull rock..
Also near that point is The War memorial, So there will be modelled a lone piper..
 So the speaker inside the rock will play (quietly) Seagulls/ sea sounds/ Bagpipes.. and if being exhibited at 11:11:XX or Remembrance Sunday, The Last Post at the appropriate time..

The recording will be long, so the tunes played won't repeat inside a couple of hours, and not be continous..

Which reminds me I need to dig out a suitable speaker as that board is under construction..

Other speakers nearer the Action on the layout will play (quietly) appropriate station sounds..
Getting that inside rolling stock is just to much hassle for me..

Meanwhile elsewhere, the distillery will have white smoke coming out with an appropriate smell.. I've discovered that you can get Whisky flavoured vaping fluid… I wonder…

I've also been looking at the smell of peat fires.. but I won't be doing the smell of the rotting seaweed..

Sounds (smells) wonderful

I would avoid cows and pigs perhaps…………………..

Barry