Continued from another thread:
I stopped by the station tonight and watched the train come in. The ditch lights did blink back and forth for a bit after the train came to a stop, but then they shut off. They started up again when the train started to move, but the train goes through multiple intersections at that point, so the horn/lights are going constantly. The train station is in a heavily populated area with lots of streets.
Also, something I've always wondered: just as the train is about to start moving, there's this awesome "whoooOOP!" noise. It does it again maybe ten seconds later, as it builds up speed. What is that noise? I always thought it was the sound of the brakes releasing, but I heard it a second time after the train started moving. I love that noise.
I think it's because 1) it's a cool noise, and 2) it means the train is about to move (yay).
Last question: when the train comes into the station, I hear a soft bell sound, like you'd hear on the old steam engines that had an actual bell on the top of the loco. I always thought it was the crossing signal throwing sound off the surrounding buildings, but it really does come from the loco. It sounds like it dings in time with the ditch lights (or, at least it appears that way). Is it an electronic bell sound to help warn people the train is moving? Am I crazy and imagining things?
Ohhhhhh, that explains why I thought they flash constantly. When the train comes through town, it's approaching multiple intersections, pretty much one right after the other, so the horn blows almost constantly. By the time it clears one intersection, it's approaching another.In many (all?) cases, the lights are on steadily when running and flash left-right when the horn is being blown. Some may flash all the time, but I would think that would drive the engineer bonkers after a while.
I'm trying to remember if the lights keep flashing when it's parked at the station, though. The way our station is set up, the train blocks Rose Street while it's parked there, no matter which direction it's headed. I'll have to wander over there sometime to see if they're flashing while it's sitting there. Since the crossing gates/bells/lights are going the entire time it's blocking the road, the ditch lights might still be activated (?)
I stopped by the station tonight and watched the train come in. The ditch lights did blink back and forth for a bit after the train came to a stop, but then they shut off. They started up again when the train started to move, but the train goes through multiple intersections at that point, so the horn/lights are going constantly. The train station is in a heavily populated area with lots of streets.
Also, something I've always wondered: just as the train is about to start moving, there's this awesome "whoooOOP!" noise. It does it again maybe ten seconds later, as it builds up speed. What is that noise? I always thought it was the sound of the brakes releasing, but I heard it a second time after the train started moving. I love that noise.
Last question: when the train comes into the station, I hear a soft bell sound, like you'd hear on the old steam engines that had an actual bell on the top of the loco. I always thought it was the crossing signal throwing sound off the surrounding buildings, but it really does come from the loco. It sounds like it dings in time with the ditch lights (or, at least it appears that way). Is it an electronic bell sound to help warn people the train is moving? Am I crazy and imagining things?