DCC Sound - Making a Model Train Real
Attention to detail is the key when building a model train set.
Without it, the set doesn't resemble the tableau the creator is going for.
But details vary depending on what the designer wants, the time period the model train is being designed for and the authenticity he or she desires.
The most important piece, beyond the train and engine components, is a DCC sound card: the soul of the set.
Imagine putting hours of work into the train set.
Attaching grass, planting (gluing down) trees and shrubs, screwing in the track, carefully placing houses and shops near the depot, adding a mountain and a tunnel, turning the train on and silence, the creepy kind that scratches at the ears unnaturally.
The lack of sound makes the set a lame-duck version of what it should be.
A train is a noisy machine, has been since its inception.
Inserting a DCC sound card dramatically changes the model set.
Suddenly the atmosphere becomes lifelike, a visceral sensation of the timepiece created.
A train set is homage to a lost society of engineers.
The sophistication of sound cards makes it possible to turn the tableau into an actual microcosm.
A scene from the 1890s or a town reminiscent of the late 1920s comes to life when noise pollution is added.
Don't think of noise pollution in negative connotations; it is a by-product of society.
The sounds of the locomotive engine chugging along, the abrupt sound of its whistle as it comes into the station or depot, traffic noises, like horns and idling engines can be added to the town, creating new realms of vividness.
DCC, I keep mentioning it, but what am I talking about.
Digital Command Control, all modern model trains run off these chips.
They are installed into the locomotive and stationary chips are placed on the board of the set.
These chips control the engine, the station and the tracks.
Sound chips are placed in the locomotive or stationary chip as a complementing plug-in.
Once mounted, sound becomes second nature to the train set.
The installation of a sound chip will forever change the model train set, in a positive way.
The hours of enjoyment will grow exponentially as bells ding and whistles blow over the fabricated landscape.
It's not impossible to create a train set without sound, but why miss out on the extra excitement one simple chip can add.
Without it, the set doesn't resemble the tableau the creator is going for.
But details vary depending on what the designer wants, the time period the model train is being designed for and the authenticity he or she desires.
The most important piece, beyond the train and engine components, is a DCC sound card: the soul of the set.
Imagine putting hours of work into the train set.
Attaching grass, planting (gluing down) trees and shrubs, screwing in the track, carefully placing houses and shops near the depot, adding a mountain and a tunnel, turning the train on and silence, the creepy kind that scratches at the ears unnaturally.
The lack of sound makes the set a lame-duck version of what it should be.
A train is a noisy machine, has been since its inception.
Inserting a DCC sound card dramatically changes the model set.
Suddenly the atmosphere becomes lifelike, a visceral sensation of the timepiece created.
A train set is homage to a lost society of engineers.
The sophistication of sound cards makes it possible to turn the tableau into an actual microcosm.
A scene from the 1890s or a town reminiscent of the late 1920s comes to life when noise pollution is added.
Don't think of noise pollution in negative connotations; it is a by-product of society.
The sounds of the locomotive engine chugging along, the abrupt sound of its whistle as it comes into the station or depot, traffic noises, like horns and idling engines can be added to the town, creating new realms of vividness.
DCC, I keep mentioning it, but what am I talking about.
Digital Command Control, all modern model trains run off these chips.
They are installed into the locomotive and stationary chips are placed on the board of the set.
These chips control the engine, the station and the tracks.
Sound chips are placed in the locomotive or stationary chip as a complementing plug-in.
Once mounted, sound becomes second nature to the train set.
The installation of a sound chip will forever change the model train set, in a positive way.
The hours of enjoyment will grow exponentially as bells ding and whistles blow over the fabricated landscape.
It's not impossible to create a train set without sound, but why miss out on the extra excitement one simple chip can add.
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