Hi Joe:

Great editorial in the May 2013 issue. I agree - we can do more with layout sound. Beyond the basic rumble of the train, I have some ideas for your readers:

1 - In the pre-radio days, cabooses would benefit from a sound effect for the whistle conductors attached to the train line to signal the crew in the locomotive. Any railroad's operating rule book will have a list of Air Communicating Signals - like the whistle signals the engineer uses. One rulebook in my collection (CNR - 1929 - Rule 16) lists a dozen such signals, allowing the conductor to tell the engine crew to start the train, or that the train will be stopping at the next station, or to perform brake tests, and so on. With two-person crews, a conductor could have a controller - something less than a throttle, that allows one to select the caboose's address, then have two sound functions (long whistle and short whistle)... plus functions for marker lights. In fact, it would be great to see someone manufacture a caboose with these features built-in, and have the manufacturer work with DCC suppliers to create such a "conductor's controller". Such a DCC-driven sound module would be useful in the last car of a passenger train, too.

2 - Whenever I'm trackside and see a commuter train (in my case, GO Transit in southern Ontario), I'm cognizant that half the time it's running in reverse, with a control car in the lead. This car is fitted with headlights, class lights, red rear end marker lamps (for when the locomotive is leading), a horn and a bell, and possibly grade crossing flashers. A full-length GO Transit train includes a dozen 85-foot cars - over 1,000 feet long, or almost 12 feet worth of passenger equipment in HO scale. That means that with sound only in the locomotive, the horn and bell are a LONG way from the front of the train when operating in reverse. It would be great to see control cars - such as the Bombardier bi-levels manufactured by Athearn - equipped with a DCC sound module with bell, horn, and light controls. The modeler could consist this with the locomotive and set CVs so the appropriate lights came on, depending on the direction of travel. One would have to also assign the horn/bell sounds to the appropriate end of the train.

Again, Joe - great column!

- Trevor Marshall, Toronto Canada