Incredible melodic metal opera based on Dracula,naturally.

I officially began my UK Themed Black Douglas Vale today and only music will be played during train activity. 

Quote from: Newportnobby on February 20, 2026, 12:34:47 PMI have to say maybe 99% of N gauge diesel horns just sound like a sparrow farting IMHO.
Having said that, the first time I heard a real Deltic horn I actually laughed because, compared to the loco power and sound, the horn was just pathetic
Imagine total loco sound on James Street

It's not helped by the fact they are not kept in tune. The Deltic horn though is I agree particularly funny because it's near inaudible when the engines are giving it some welly.

I have mixed feelings about sound. On "follow the train" kind of close up layouts I find it's a really nice feature, and I can see why the US folks jumped on that and DCC first because it fits the "todays train, all the movements" world and view. A sound fitted 08 shunting a plank layout and good use of wheel squeal and buffer clank effects works so well.

I am much less gone on sound for a lot of the "trains in the landscape" kind of layouts where the landscape noise is missing and the train would (especially in an N scale world) be a distant rumble. Maybe with good ambient sound as well (and not the damned seagulls on loop). Good ambient sound is almost imperceptable unless you listen for it.

Volume levels are IMHO mostly down to speaker choice. The newer speakers are much better than the ones they used to fit (I actually gave one of the Bachmann folks a CT cube speaker to play with in N and when they finally tried it over their usual in the DMU they were shocked how much better it was). Some stuff actually overdoes it even in N. I've got a full sound minitrix ICE and on max volume you can hear it half way round the house because the sound fitting was done right.

I have only just stumbled across this thread... A Minimal Wish List does much to concentrate one's mind! I'd go for:-
 
1) LOCOMOTIVE - BR Standard Class 4MT 4-6-0 (single and double chimney): a very useful model with a wide regional appeal.
2) COACH - Bulleid BCK Diagram 2405 - one can then pair it with the existing Bachmann/Graham Farish r-t-r BSK(semi-open) Diagram 2123  and make a useful two-car Set (Set Nos.63 to 75).
3) WAGON - any twin-tank 6-wheel Milk tank, for variety...

...and I am a Western Region (Eras 4/5) modeller, with a an interest in the Southern Region, but it seems to me that a GWR/BR(WR) modeller is very well served at present, and, yes, a "King" and a "County" (Hawksworth) would be nice, but the SR/BR(SR) is, as usual, very much the poor relation in comparison to the GWR/BR(WR) and is missing so much in r-t-r!

Quote from: Newportnobby on February 20, 2026, 12:34:47 PMI have to say maybe 99% of N gauge diesel horns just sound like a sparrow farting IMHO.

That raises more questions than it answers...

 

Quote from: Newportnobby on February 20, 2026, 01:13:03 PMThis popped up on a compilation - the original Nirvana. I seem to recall them and The Small Faces were amongst the first to use 'phasing' on their records but could be wrong on that

Never heard of this one. Much better Nirvana.

"London's calling" by The Clash would be ok though, except I probably wouldn't get up

Quote from: Bealman on February 20, 2026, 08:45:09 PMOne of them doesn't beep, it says, "Fire, fire, alert, fire fire" in a weird female voice.

Marginally better than it singing 'London's burning', I guess

Correct George!

Ooh, I've got that on an Island sampler somewhere. Could be "You can all join in"

Two of ours have lithium batteries, which it says last 10 years. To be fair, when they failed and I pulled them down, I'd written the installation date on the side as being 1/1/15, replace by 1/1/25, so they've done what was advertised. I haven't replaced them yet as they're $60 each.

One of them doesn't beep, it says, "Fire, fire, alert, fire fire" in a weird female voice.