Thinking of changing scales

[katoftw]

Classification lights versus directional lighting. Which do HO  scale models come with?

Edited March 27, 2019 by katoftw

[cteno4]

1 hour ago, GDorsett said:

Please pardon the text wall.

 

Thats ok we appreciate people that can express themselves in more than a dozen words at a time.

 

jeff

[Kiha66]

So would shunting lights be when the loco is running with only one tail light lit?  I've seen a lot of people add this function to the kato HO DD51 and was wondering what the prototype use was.

[GDorsett]

On most prototypes, there are two sets of lights. You have full, semi, or non directional headlights and you have marker lights, as they're called in Japan. On mu sets, I believe the reversing of the head/tail lights are automated by the direction/cab in use of the car train.

On a locomotive, lights will typically dim down when at a standstill or approaching stations. Semi directional lighting will have both ends turned on dim, and the direction that locomotive travels will brighten that end. Non directional (on older locomotives such as the DE10/DD50 families and most older EFs) must be turned on/off manually by the engineer.

 

Tail lights on cabooses and coaches generally stay on at all times and are manually changed when the train reverses direction.

 

The small class lights of a locomotive have two purposes. They will both be on when running light (no cars) or when pushing for an extended distance (such as the push-pull KinoKuni joyful train) and act as tail markers. When shunting, only one light will be on, as the locomotive will be reverse direction frequently. Some small shunters only have one light on either end as all they are is yard hostlers. Wish I had a picture handy to show. So far, I have not seen any MU sets using shunting lights.

Unless you run light frequently or do shunting with a locomotive, said lights are unnecessary in a model. That said, a lot of people like having them available and they're much easier to install into the bigger HO models than the N.

[GDorsett]

On models, directional lighting is just an LED that goes with a certain current direction. When you reverse the current and go the other direction, that light comes on. All moden models have this and most sets (such as coach trains and MU) in N have directional tail lights.

At least one Kato has controllable marker/class lights (the EF510), but neither the DE10 or the DD51 models do. I don't know about the Tomix locos. 

[Kamome]

I’ve only recently purchased an HO Tomix loco and it doesn’t have shunting or tail lights added. This seems to be a common modification/addition in Japan for DCC modelers. 

 

[GDorsett]

That thing sounds good. Wow.

Still want to know where people find all these really good sound programs. Haven't been able to find any. I have someone who can load them onto cars, but I just can't find the program!

[cteno4]

Man that sound is great!

 

jeff

[Martijn Meerts]

13 hours ago, GDorsett said:

That thing sounds good. Wow.

Still want to know where people find all these really good sound programs. Haven't been able to find any. I have someone who can load them onto cars, but I just can't find the program!

 

They sound like fairly typical sounds, not really specifically Japanese. ESU has a lot of sounds available on their site. Obviously they're meant for their own decoders, but it should be possible to get sounds out of it and onto whatever decoder you use. The files aren't sound files, but files meant to be opened in their decoder programmer software, which is a free download. I've actually programmed a sound decoder for a H0 Kato E5, used the base sounds of an ICE, and only really added some Japanese jingles and station announcements and such.

 

 

Guess I'm overly critical on the sounds though, because to me it's too loud, and it sounds too plastic 🙂

 

[GDorsett]

That's what I've been digging through to look for sounds. Trying to find a good sound for a DE10 or DD51, but tueir cylinders are very small when conpared to most diesels so it sounds more like a truck to me than a big throaty train. Difficult to find.

[Martijn Meerts]

Should be quite a few smaller diesels in the sounds library, maybe a German v60 or Köf. It's not going to be exactly like a DE10 or DD51 obviously, but few people will notice anyway, and it's a good way to get started at least.

 

[DanielMackay]

Kamone, first time I've been tempted by a sound card is what you capture here. Most impressive.

 

[Kamome]

10 hours ago, DanielMackay said:

Kamone, first time I've been tempted by a sound card is what you capture here. Most impressive.

 

Not mine. Some witchcraft known as it YouTube. I was just highlighting the shunting light additions that HO DCC modelers often do in Japan. I’m hoping this is actual footage of a sound install and not real loco sounds but over the video.

[GDorsett]

Some of my American locomotives sound fabulous, but I just can't find files for Japanese ones.