|
Post by BAZman on May 23, 2019 22:43:30 GMT -5
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2019 14:00:58 GMT -5
The stations with their respective freight depots ; as I wrote, each depot fits the design and the style of the station. The additional platforms are 3D-printed. The stations are not in the middle of the passenger track, they were moved slightly (11 cm ) to the right, because there will be a hill on the left hand side of the layout, and for the town station it is nearer from the "main street".
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2019 1:56:18 GMT -5
About speech system : a few days ago my "modeller fellow" (who doesn't speak English) came to me to help me for some operations on the layout. First I made a demonstration with my Budd's (the layout is presently operational without any speech functions, I am still thinking about adding them or not), triggering the various train announcements by hand on the pushbuttons of an evaluation system (STK200, for those people who know it). He thought that the voice was too "baritone" (!), and he said he would prefer the female voice (air stewardess like) used in Strasbourg (they have an automated system which speaks concatenated pre-recorded sections of sentences). Unfortunately my layout shows the state of USA railways in 1965, and I think that : - First, there were no pre-recorded messages in use (or am I wrong ? ) - Second, as somebody (sorry, I cannot find his post. Mark ? ) wrote on this forum, the messages were spoken directly by the "station master" who was most time ... a man ! (Will my system be finally considered as ... sexist ? ). But if somebody knows if some (small or big) stations (on the East Coast) had a "station mistress" or a recorded female voice, I would be happy to use such a sound, at least for one station.
|
|
|
Post by markm on Jun 14, 2019 18:46:05 GMT -5
Well I was hoping that an east coast modeler would comment, as I know that the east coast passenger railroad scene was different than here on the west coast, which is what I really know. As far as pre-recorded messages, I wasn't aware of any here and I suspect it unlikely anywhere in 1965 because the first cartridge audio tape (eight-track) was only invented in 1964. I am aware of stories about women taking over the duties of their railroad worker husbands, so a "station mistress" (sounds so nasty) is possible, although likely rare and most likely rural stations. I don't know if a male voice makes you railroad sexist, but at least in the 1960s, U.S. railroads were very set as to what women could and couldn't do. I have to say these discussion have encouraged me to look at layout sound a bit more. While the area I'm modeling really doesn't have much use for station announcements (the stations were flag stops) I'm thinking it would be nice to have background sounds such as crickets and small creek and maybe some traffic sounds. To that end, I've settled on an Arduino-based mp3 player: www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/SimpleAudioPlayerI'll probably add an analog switch and several of the amplifier stages to provide a bit of directionality to the sounds. Mark
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2019 23:11:09 GMT -5
Dear Mark, thanks for the answers. The only thing I can add is that, "IF" (?) I decide to use speech, there will be a relay board (already built) controlled by one line of he microcontroller (I'll build a new board for it, now I saw that the memory in an Atmel 8515-series is enough, so are the 32 I/O lines), which will directly switch the speaker output on the Emic (it's only 300 mW, so the current doesn't need a big relay). And since this will only occur during silences (when the train is out of the station, I select the "next" station where the train will run in/through), there should not be a (too loud) click, at least I hope so : I didn't monitor the output of the Emic yet, if there is a quiescent DC voltage (2.5 V ? ) on the speaker, but I think there is none (probably the output is integrated PWM). Meanwhile another modeller said that I should take care to set the volume "not too loud, just over the train's own noise". Is there a scale factor for sound, too ? On the other side, I am sure that the first time young people will see the layout, used to the volume of discos, they will say "Louder please, we don't hear anything ... " And all people who heard the demo of the countdown (female voice, as it was included at the end in the mp3), to be used when system is in automatic random mode, said "Boom !" when countdown reached zero. So I wonder if adding speech is worth the effort ? The "minimal" source code, only for the train controls, is about 10 pages long ; with all features for sound it grows up to 15 pages (I added the functions, but it is not yet debugged) ... If this feature brings me only negative remarks, I give it up, at least I won't waste my time in building a new processor card for this use, and in fixing and wiring the loudspeakers. At the beginning of my project I wrote that there would be only some beeps for error conditions : I love "the sound of silence" ! Now I begin with the landscape (real "modeller" things again), the 4 bridge piers (custom made 3D-prints in grey polyjet, looks like concrete) and the tunnels (as I wrote, the "halfpipes" behind the portals will be 3D-prints too, about 5 cm in length). At least this is model railroad related !
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2019 3:12:33 GMT -5
Working on the landscape : the "entrance" of the valley. Bridge piers are 3D custom prints ...
|
|
|
Post by Commodore on Aug 19, 2019 6:47:33 GMT -5
From the early 1950's, station announcements on the east coast were made over these tremendous horn speakers, Altec Lansing, etc. ..,They were always booming male voices. This was New York to New Orleans.
David Wolf has me convinced that sound is critical to (really enjoying) playing with trains. I passed on a GS4 that I really wanted because of no chance for sound.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2019 9:41:57 GMT -5
Finally there will be no real train announcements, only system messages (controlled by an "Off" switch ! ) with the name of the next train when the layout is in automatic mode and a countdown every 5 seconds (the delay is random, too), so I can explain to my visitors the next train movement while I walk around, showing some details, and unable to see the Led's on the console. Train announcements in stations would be fine but they look silly if there is no real locomotive sound, and I can't include it because I don't use DCC ... and because I think that such continuous sound would be boring after max 5 minutes (that's MY idea, everybody has his own) !
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2019 8:52:14 GMT -5
Under the bridges : a block of rock has been blasted away, the clearance is exactly the same as with the "rock" tunnel portal by Ztrains. The "wall" was carved by hand into foam and sprayed (Tamiya AS31 + TS80 flat varnish), the boulders are not yet painted, nor glued (parts of Noch 58470) and the "platform" is not yet ballasted. The ground will be covered on most of the surface with Heki's green or brown saw dust (processed 45 seconds in a coffee grinder ... ), there will be bushes under the bridges and on top of the "wall", and trees aside. " Please don't lean out of the windows ... "
|
|
|
Post by markm on Sept 6, 2019 9:27:46 GMT -5
I like the over-and-under bridge arrangement of the 1st image. I can imagine some interesting operations. I do have a bit of concern for the hillside to the right of the RDC. It appears to be steeper than the angle of prose (typically 40-50 degrees). You might want to consider an retaining wall at the base of the slope.
I'm anxious to see this with paint and landscape.
Mark
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2019 11:48:37 GMT -5
"Right of the RDC" : on which picture ? The views are inverted ...
|
|
|
Post by markm on Sept 6, 2019 12:02:26 GMT -5
Image on the left.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2019 12:51:53 GMT -5
Since the hill was CONVEX (You see it at the section), I could remove some foam in the middle with a knife in order to decrease the slope at the lower end and keep the hill "irregular". When the boulders, bushes and trees will be fixed, this will change the overall aspect, too. Mark, when You speak about "intersesting operations", I think that You imagine one train running over a bridge and a second one under the same ... This is not possible, because on my layout only one train can run at a time. And this needed a 6PDT relay, which I had to order at Mouser USA (through Mouser Europe) for 45 € (unavailable at other dealers for less than 130 €); running 2 trains simultaneously would have needed 2 6PDT and 2 8PDT (!) relays, which are very difficult to find for 12V, I found NOW one series of 3 on eBay, but I am afraid that they are ... surplus (You see, I studied the problem) ; and using 2 4PDT relays instead of one 8PDT appeared to be too unreliable, if one relay fails this could cause short-circuits. It would have needed 3 processors instead of 1, too, in order to avoid more complex interrupt/multitasking program structures, always difficult to debug. But if a friend of DCC is interested in using the same plan for his layout ...
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2019 1:33:00 GMT -5
Several (non-modeller) people who saw my pictures asked me if it was real sand (especially the valley, left-hand from the bridges) ; no, it is NOT ; the exact reference is : TOUPRET Solution REBOUCH'Bois, it is a paste ready to use, without addition of water, sold either in tubes of 300 g. (about 9 €) or in pots of 1.250 kg (about 18 €, and easier to use) in DIY stores (but not in model railroad shops). The colour is the original one, I will then apply Heki "grass" and "rotten leaves" over it, leaving some places free. I spread it with fingers (over the foam), rather "roughly", it can be washed away (from the fingers) at least for 30 minutes and is completely dry and tough after 24 h. It is available in France so it could perhaps interest some of our French friends, I don't know if it is sold in other countries. Hope this can help ?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2019 2:53:52 GMT -5
Stand platforms for signals. Since most my tracks are along "slopes" (ascending or descending), I thought about the way to fix the signals. I don't know if it's absolutely conform with USA configurations, but the platforms have about 16.5' x 10' (in 1/1 scale), enough to allow two workers to walk safely around the signal and have room to lay spare parts for maintenance ; and on some platforms there will be a relay box or telephone, too. The retaining wall is 1' thick (in 1/1) and the platform is about 0.1" (in 1/220) over the track platform, approximately at the same level as the ties (Rokuhan tracks). The signals themselves (G-type of NYC) are superglued on blocks and will be "plugged" into the hole of platform (and so they can be replaced easily in case of damage). The "tongue" will be screwed under the plywood and the T-shaped sprues are for 3D-printing. Unfortunately the handrails are a bit "thick" but this is the minimum for printing in polyamide (I am afraid that high resolution resin would be too brittle, and I am don't have the equipment for photoetching in brass) ...
|
|