I'm Curious/Athearn New Release

Eagle2 Dec 3, 2014

  1. Eagle2

    Eagle2 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    I've seen blurbs about Athearn releasing a mechanical reefer with sound, but haven't yet seen any details. Has anyone heard (pardon the pun) anything firm about what they mean by "with sound" - like how it's done?
     
  2. vmctee

    vmctee TrainBoard Member

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  3. Mike Kmetz

    Mike Kmetz TrainBoard Member

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    It replicates the sound of the refrigeration unit cycling on and off.
    Seems like a silly thing to do.
     
  4. Spookshow

    Spookshow TrainBoard Member

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    If it's anything like the HO car, I hope it comes with a bottle of aspirin -

    [video=youtube;DuSY7jh6YlM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuSY7jh6YlM[/video]

    Cheers,
    -Mark
     
  5. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Might be interesting, for a few minutes. But for hours on end.....?
     
  6. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Maybe of some use in a cut of reefers at a show with the sound turned down but that would be about it for me. I find the sound units in most everything loud and annoying when my reason for being in the hobby is to relax away from the loud noises of work and life on the street. The quiet hum of my small locos and the sound of the wheel sets clicking over a rail joint are enough. I'm sure the technophiles will be all over it, but for me I enjoy my quiet time with just the sounds of little wheels running on metal track.

    So this old dinosaur will be continuing to experience happiness laying my head down by the tracks quietly making choo choo sounds and getting hit in the eye by a pointy pilot when I get my head too close. I don't even want to guess at the sticker price for one of these either.
     
  7. Kenneth L. Anthony

    Kenneth L. Anthony TrainBoard Member

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    How about a bunker refrigerator car with the sound of ice melting? Would be sound unit need to have different settings for the sound of block ice melting and crushed ice melting?
     
  8. SD75I

    SD75I TrainBoard Member

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    Aztec did one years ago and I thought it sounded pretty cool. Of course I didn't have it on for a long time. Maybe 4 in a train of 40 cars and always moving!
     
  9. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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    Hey !!! I have an O L D DC locomotive that sounds just like that...LMAO...:teeth:
     
  10. tdriver113

    tdriver113 TrainBoard Supporter

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    I've worked in the HVAC/ Refrigeration field for 28 years now, No one likes hearing that noise very long.
     
  11. Carl Sowell

    Carl Sowell TrainBoard Supporter

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    Kenneth,

    you hit the nail on the head with the bunker car idea. In the late 50's and very early 60's, I worked on the PFE ice dock in El Paso. This was before we had any mechanical ice machines, with all work being manual, like tongs, sankes, picks and don't forget the bags of salt. Nothing like icing a 100 car train of cantaloupes bound to the East coast from California. You could smell that train coming from 2-3 miles away. Usually a 4-6 unit consist of F-3's/F-7's in Black Widow scheme, what a sight. But, back to the different sounds for crushed ice and melting ice, let me say that I slept a few minutes, graveyard shift, listening to the ice melt. Could have been aided by the beers we consumed (ya think). Those old wooden ice decks can be very comfortable when listening to melting ice. I am not sure any mfg's can replicate the melting sound. LOL !

    Carl
     
  12. TT

    TT New Member

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    Sound or no sound, I am just happy to get FGE RPLs. :love:
     
  13. Ike the BN Freak

    Ike the BN Freak TrainBoard Member

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    Well being it cycles on and off, it would be for a few minutes at a time
     
  14. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    :headspin: Thanks for posting the thread about these new-fangled ideas the manufacturers are tossing at us. I can understand a locomotive sound being interesting for a while... but... other noises can create a real headache when added to an enclosed area (like a small train room). As a curiosity... for a short period of time... something like this could add some 'flavor' to a layout... but realistically the expense added to even one of these pieces of rolling stock is not worth those few moments of interest. Modelers could wire speakers into their buildings or scenery on the layout with various sounds and have a similar experience without quite the expense of having several different sound equipped cars. I'll pass on these items for sure... and I doubt any other manufacturer will do them either once the evidence is out that they are too expensive and most modelers will avoid them.
     
  15. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    My thoughts also. Over the years I have been to a lot of shows both by clubs and by others. The flashing lights of welders and the sounds of a machine shop, aircraft sitting on the end of a runway propellers turning, sounds of crickets and cattle, the sounds of steamers, bells, whistles, and air horns sounding, along with smoke issuing out of factory stacks, even on one the sounds of surf and seagulls. All contribute to the wow factor at shows and capture the viewers attention. But after a frustrating day at work, shopping, or dealing with the cable guy about why only half your stations come in and why your high speed internet is snail speed internet, I just want to run trains and not be deluged by a plethora of sounds. And don't get me started on that danged smoke from the large scale guys.

    Okay stuff for entertaining the Grandkids but I would have to have another control console with a lot of switches to turn things off and have just the nice quiet hum of diesels and the sounds of the wheels on the rails.

    And the eventual price of all this not for me. I balk now at the $30 of a freight car, and $40-$50 price of a passenger car. Be danged if I will spend that money for a noise making reefer, I would rather spend that money on a Heisler, Shay, or Climax thank you.
     
  16. k-59

    k-59 TrainBoard Member

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    On the plus side nobody has tried realistic smell yet. I mean I like the smell of a few diesels going by, but I'd never run stock cars!
     
  17. Eagle2

    Eagle2 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Or trash containers for the more modern modellers!

    I think I fall on the side of Joe and John above. This is an interesting idea, and might be fun as an occasional novelty, but perhaps not as a routine feature and the cost for one piece of N rolling stock is a deal-breaker for me.
     
  18. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Eau De Stockyard for that realistic aroma with a little mini fan wafting it about. Of course various scents, etc. can be obtained at the local hunting supply store like essence of skunk, and others. Reminds me of the time when one of the intrepid Robin Hoods of the local hunt camp used Fox scent to mask his scent. Property owner's dogs went ballistic on him and he barely made it inside the lodge.
     
  19. swissboy

    swissboy TrainBoard Member

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    Even when I demonstrated a sound equipped Diesel to one of my grandchildren, it took just a short time that he asked me to turn it off. And this is a kid who really loves model trains.
     
  20. LOU D

    LOU D TrainBoard Member

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    You now,I didn't sat anything on the recent thread about it,but two seconds after I heard the Atlas S2 with sound Paul posted,I'd had enough of it.That would drive me WACKO..We go nuts complaining when a locomotive makes the slightest bit of noise,then we put stuff like this in it..Not me..I listen to the radio or watch the TV I have over the layout when I'm in the train room,and trains are usually running.I don't even like metal wheels,too much noise.If I want sound,I have an MRC sound unit for steam or diesel,only use it when I'm switching..Now,G scale sound,outside? Yeah,that's cool...Live steam? Even better..LOL!!
     

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