ProtoThrottle

[ScaleCraft]

Most of my RC stuff has a handpiece that looks like this. Called a TX-8, four buttons with a shift key on the right side, changed function of the four buttons to three sound triggers and lights on/off:


The newer ones are TX-24, no idea how he ever came up with 24, but same case, 8 buttons (two rows of four) and no shift key.

Been using them for 25 years. Still going and going and going.

My forte' was radio/battery/sound fully on-boards, and you have no idea how challenging that could be in oh, an 0-4-0 Porter or a Climax.

Started with NiCads, eventually went to NiMH, never, ever used any type of Lithium technology. Not worth the fire insurance premiums.

[2railjon]

Kids have no interest in trains anymore? LOL!
I have neighbors children and nephews and nieces who come to visit, and the first thing they say coming through the door is: “Uncle Jon can we see the trains?”.
In this day of video games and cell phone madness it pleases me that children are still drawn to the train room with wide eyes and in awe. I know the 2 Rail purists don’t care for sounds, I don’t care. The children love it. To watch their faces light up as I let them press the bell, whistle buttons and hear the laboring engines chug on. My layout is a mixed conglomeration of DCS, TMCC. DCC, and plain old DC. Where there’s a spark of interest, there hopefully is a fire of passing on our passion.
Good times.

[rogruth]

Jon,
You must have much smarter kids in your neighborhood than I.
Does your son show interest in your trains?

We have a train show in Savannah in January every year.I noticed this past year that there were some trains set up for kids to play with.
And play they did. These were all 3 R layouts. Kids did not want to stop but when asked to allow another to play they would let the next
in and many went to the back of the line to go again. There were also some HO and N scale layouts set up. The kids would look at these
with the scale speed running trains and head for the O stuff. Unfortunately IMHO there is not enough model/toy train style activity in
this area for youngsters to get into.

I don't think model railroad in its many forms is dying but that it is thinning out a lot. I also think the Lionel LionChief control system is a
way to attract kids. They look at the controller and know what to do. And they will be able to expand their control systems much more
easily and quickly than I.

[ScaleCraft]

When I started the outdoor railroad 25 years or more ago, less than 10% of folks wanted sound, and most of those used factory installed LGB stupidity. More than 90% wanted no sound.

My early engines still don't have sound.

Because I was in business, I installed Sierra (by Soundtraxx) on newer conversions. Liked the Sierra. They quit making it because it wasn't dcc. We could care less. I still pick up the odd Sierra board.

When I run, often I tun the volume all the way down, other operators asking what happened to the sound.

Don't need the remote access to do all that stuff. No running volume up and down remotely. No "left classification light on, right classification light on"...seriously...one bozo wanted TURN signals!

[ScaleCraft]

There's a TX-24.

[rogruth]

Looks almost self explanatory.
I also like the size.

[ScaleCraft]

It is. One of the early marketing names was "Simplicity RC". Self explanatory, no screens, no settings, no programming. Just DOES. Zip-Lock baggie, drop it in, run in monsoons. BTDT.

[Chris Webster]

one bozo wanted TURN signals!

Our local $100 million dollar streetcar has those....

[ScaleCraft]

Yeah, but THIS guy was serious....Botchmann 1:20.3 K-27. INSISTED that he not have to remove the engine from the track to install dcc, and wanted control of individual class lights. The electronics (PRC, of course) were a nightmare....open and shorted surface mount transistors....RoHS compliant solder, but not RoHS compliant circuit boards...meaning repair lifted tracks...but the non-removal of the engine?

Big old Ames Super Socket in the tender. Of course it's in the way of mounting balanced weight batteries.....two vertical screws under the plastic coal pile, from the TOP, and one in the water hatch.

First, you cannot seal the coal pile down to keep water out. Second, the screws are the cheapest garbage Kader could find...and the heads rusted out using the engine out of doors, and you can't get them out.

Ames Super Socket With Integrated Production Electronics is the full name given.....and just take the first letters of that. Short version is Ames Super Socket, same letters....