Lionel Model Train - Legacy RailSounds Set it Apart
Posted: Wednesday, February 10, 2010
by Jimmy Hardwick
Model Train Mastery
Many of the big names in the model train industry have vanished in the last half of a century. The Lionel model train is not one of them, although it has changed many times and is now made in China as most of the best-known model trains are. Marketing strategies have changed to make the most of the market conditions.
The heyday of model trains has passed, and each manufacturer has to make wise choices to stay viable in a market that has grown smaller. Upgrading of technology has been the key to getting renewed interest in the hobby, and the companies who stayed in the past have fallen by the wayside. Computers are designed to do the work that was once done by hand.
At the lower part of the handheld brain of the setup is a round button that can be easily turned with one finger. This is the accelerator control, which has two-hundred different incremental speed settings. One complete turn of this control will vary the speed from zero to wide open.
All the wiring from the tracks goes into the base and charger; from there, one wire comes to the cab or controller. All the necessary operations of the train layout are handled through the one wire that communicates back and forth to the designated points. This is not just for one locomotive, either.
A sister system with Legacy is RailSounds, which is an all-inclusive provider of the many types of sounds attributable to locomotives. With this feature, each locomotive in your setup can have its own original sounds that match the type of train it is. The Legacy controls the volume to the multitasking sound machine, where you can design your own steam whistles and diesel horns.
The system doesn't stop with just the train sounds, because it has voices of the people who work on the trains and in the dispatch. You choose the voice you want for each of your engineers to give each his own accent. As the engineer and dispatch speak to each other, their dialogue matches what is actually happening on the track.
There are 15 chuff sound levels coinciding with the strain on a steam locomotive. These are matched with 4 chuffs per rotation of the locomotive's wheels. RailSounds also mimics the diesel by correctly providing 8-RPM levels for the 8 levels of a real train.
You may control your bell sound in any way you choose. The system has a standardized play procedure that you can bypass any time. You may want to close your eyes and just listen to imagine you are at the train yard.
There are several good producers of model train products. All things being considered, the Lionel model train is one of the best.
I'm Jim Hardwick, a die-hard model railroad enthusiast. Want to know more about the Lionel model train, and lots of other useful modeler tips? Visit my site ModelTrainMastery.com, where you'll get access to a freight car full of information to help you enjoy the greatest of all hobbies.
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