Prototypical Braking Sound For ESU LokSound

From the LokSound 5 manual: 

13.4. Adjusting the braking sound threshold

The LokSound decoder is able to play a wheel-synchron brake sound. To play a brake sound, there are several conditions necessary:

• The braking time in CV 4 is set sufficiently high (at least value 20 or higher
• The loco drives with high speed at the time of the braking command
• The loco receives the driving command “Speed step 0” 

The LokSound decoder will now start to play the braking sound at the time determined in CV 64. The higher the value in CV 64 is, the sooner the braking sound will be played. The default value 100 is approximately equivalent to speed step 48 of 128. The braking sound should stop when the loco stops. You are able to do some “fine-tuning” with CV 65, if the loco stops too early.

CVs 64 & 65
What are the values of CV64 and CV65? CV64 determines the speed when the squeal comes on and CV65 determines the lower speed when it should turn off. It defaults to 20 and 1 respectively in many (if not all) of the sound files. The "Loco drives with high speed" statement just means that the starting speed has to be higher than the value in CV64 for the squeal to start. A low value in CV64, say around 10 and a value around 3 in CV65, on a scale of 1 to 255, sounds prototypical (to the author anyway). This also cuts down on the amount of squealing going on. Of course, set these to the values you prefer.

One additional point to consider is you do not want a loco’s brakes to squeal if it is just coasting to a stop without brakes. To accomplish this add a duplicate line for the original F8 but this time add the condition "not F10" to the conditions column and "Disable brake sound" in the Logical Function column. The result is that the squeal is heard only if the brake F10 is applied. See fig 1.

Fig 1 Adding not F10 and Disable brake sound

Automatic (Train) Brake

A side effect of adding the additional line shown in fig 1 is that if you have implemented the automatic (train) brake (the author explains how to implement it in this article utilizing F12), the brake squeal will be suppressed when you apply it. Some may consider this as nice but it’s not prototypical. To turn on brake squeal for the automatic brake once you have implemented the “Disable brake sound”, add the condition “not F12” to the duplicate line added above. See Fig. 2.

Fig 2 Adding not F12

All of the above implies you are using F8 for drive, F10 for the independent brake and F12 for the train brake. Change things accordingly if you are using different functions.

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COM port problems and JMRI

Billybob Experimenter is back again with methods to check what may be wrong with operating system COM port problems. This came about after a member of the groups.io forum reported that he had lost computer connectivity to his layout. The member had not yet reported much concerning his hardware so it was a little difficult to diagnose the problem. 

The following are Billybob's comments.

Looking under the JMRI Edit menu and selecting Preferences then Connections will only report the identity of the COM port that JMRI is attempting to use.  That does not really "check" the COM port.

JMRI does not have any specific way to "check" a connection.  Usually, one can use the "Power Control" tool to (try to) turn "DCC track power" on and off.  If that control actually changes DCC track power, then the COM port is properly communicating with the DCC system.  If not, then you have one or more of any of a number of common problems.

The advice below is of a general nature.  The use of Windows "Device Manager" to check the status of the connection to the device is operating-system-specific.  Other operating systems require different methods to check operating system  connectivity status, and are not discussed here.

1) The device is no longer using the COM port it had previously used. This is VERY common for some interface devices, and entirely unlikely with other interface  devices.

• Under Windows O/S, use the Windows "Device Manager".  Check under "Ports (COM & LPT)" for your device.  If there is a problem between the operating system and your hardware, it will become evident by looking there.
• If the device is connected, the line for your device will report the COM port number currently assigned to the device.  JMRI will not "connect" to your hardware via any COM port number other than the one listed here.
• If there is some sort of a problem between the interface hardware and the operating system, it will be reported here, usually via an "exclamation-point" in yellow or red on the icon at the leading end of the line associated with your device.
• It may be necessary to load or re-load the interface device manufacturer's driver software if the operating system has chosen to replace the drivers with ones of their own.  Consult the interface device manufacturer for drivers and instructions.

2) Another common cause can because the interface device isn't really connected.

• If the interface device provides any "status" lamps or LEDs, check them carefully.  If they aren't displaying the correct status, then you need to check the hardware and its power and data connections and cables and jacks.  And consult the manual and perhaps the manufacturer.
  

3) Another somewhat-common cause is that JMRI and the connected device "think" that they are connected, but the connected device is actually "locked-up".  Certain devices are known to have this sort of problem.   When it occurs, the typical solution is:

1. Quit JMRI
2. Remove the connecting cable
3. Remove power from the connected device
4. Wait 30 seconds
5. Re-power the device
6. Re-connect the cable
7. Re-start JMRI.

4) One interface device I am familiar with is notoriously subject to connectivity problems because the wire contacts in the jack are too short to reliably make contact with the connecting plug.  Simply bending the wire contacts in the jack for stronger contact with the plug has always solved that problem for me.

5) And one (increasingly rare) problem can occur when the operating system updates its device drivers and "disables" the device.  This primarily affects "USB-to-serial" devices which have a USB connection on one side and a "RS-232"-style connection on the other side.  When such a device uses a "cloned" chip, it is subject to disabling by certain driver software versions.  There are a variety of solutions to this problem, but the most-reliable solution is to replace such a USB-to-serial device with one from a "reputable" brand-name.  If you suspect this problem, consult your interface device manufacturer.

Without knowing which hardware you are using, I cannot give better advice than the above.

Regards,
Billybob

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Electro-Motive Division's SD-24

A locomotive which changed the motive power picture in the United States was introduced to the world in the summer of 1958, when EMD's SD-24 #5579 rolled out of the La Grange plant and headed West. The new unit was a 2400 horsepower giant riding on 6-wheel trucks-and painted in Southern Pacific grey and crimson. It looked much like previous SD-7's and SD-9's except for a bulge on the side-housing blowers and roof-mounted air tanks. Its high short nose was in keeping with standard practice of the time. But the turbo supercharger whine which it introduced was to become the sound of the modern locomotive.

 
Fig 1 SD-24 High Nose from the author’s brass collection

The summer of 1959 saw the new locomotives being purchased by the railroads which were to become the principal buyers of the 224 SD-24's built- Santa Fe, Union Pacific, Southern and Burlington. Some had the high nose of the original demonstrator but most had the low nose which had been introduced on some SP GP-9's a few years before, and which was first offered as an option on the SD-24's. Now it is almost universal.

Fig 2 SD-24 Low Nose from the author’s brass collection

But BED was not through with Southern Pacific. In l960 it built three more demonstrators, numbers 7200-7202, which were "SP" from the crimson low nose to the rear coupler, all but the lettering. They were good but SP was not completely sold (and neither were the engines) and there are no SD-24's on the SP roster today. The units went to the Union Pacific and were purchased after only a month on the road.

Most of the SD-24's were built in 1959 and 1960 but one last one was built in 1963 - Kennecott Copper 904 - the only one built without dynamic brakes.

 
Fig 3 SD-24 Kennecott Copper #904 from the author’s locomotive collection

ROSTER

LOW NOSE:

SANTA FE             900-979        renumbered 4500-4579 were
                                    upgraded to "SD-26" and
                                    numbered 4600-4679

KENNECOTT COPPER     904

UNION PACIFIC        400-429
                     445-447        originally demonstrators 7200-7202

HIGH-NOSE:

BURLINGTON           500-515        became the BURLINGTON NORTHERN
                                    6240-6255

SOUTHERN             2502-2524

CNO&TP               6305-6325

NO&NE                6950-6953

 

UNION PACIFIC        448            originally demonstrator 5579

                     400B-444B      cabless booster units.

Several new paint schemes were introduced with the SD-24's. The first Santa Fe units were delivered in the black and silver “Zebra Stripe" job with the huge "SANTA FE" in yellow on blue appearing on the remainder. After that they received the "Yellow Bonnet“ dress. The Burlington introduced their striking Chinese Red and Grey with these units then they went to the BN Green while the Southern presented their new units in a shiny black with gold and white bands.

There were not nearly as many SD-24's as there were some other models of locomotives and they were mostly western locomotives but their "turbo-supercharger whine" resounded from the wooded "Rathole Division" of the Southern, to Glorietta, Raton and Cajon Passes- and Sherman Hill. Places where there was freight to be moved and a job to be done.

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Atlas Suspends Sale Of Mærsk A/S

Due to a cease-and-desist request received from Patrade A/S, legal representatives of A.P. Møller – Mærsk A/S, Atlas must cease sale of all products using the Maersk Logo and name and remove all references to Maersk from our website. We no longer have these items in our inventory and have already removed them from our website. We are required by Patrade A/S to request that all Atlas distributors and dealers also cease sale of these products and specifically remove them from your website and online stores. We apologize for the inconvenience that this may cause. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

The list of items affected by this C&D notice are as follows:

Item Numbers and Description

• 50004164 N 40' STANDARD HEIGHT CONTAINER MAERSK [MRKU] SET #1
• 50004165 N 40' STANDARD HEIGHT CONTAINER MAERSK [MRKU] SET #2
• 50004166 N 40' STANDARD HEIGHT CONTAINER MAERSK LINE [MRKU] SET #1
• 50004167 N 40' STANDARD HEIGHT CONTAINER MAERSK LINE [MRKU] SET #2
• 3006345 O 40' CONTAINERS MAERSK MRKU 5193122, 6231269, 6311770, 5752489, 5592436, 5628902, 6115700, 5347172 (GRAY/BLE/WHITE)
• 3006355 O 40' REEFER CONTAINER MAERSK-SEALAND MWCU 6195137, MWCU 6196128, MWCU 6197715, MWCU 6195142 (WHITE/BLUE)

In addition to the above, the Maersk Limited Edition Fantasy scheme HO SD-26 locomotives, items 10 003 734/10 003 762, will be held upon arrival pending approval from Maersk. Maersk HO 48’ Well Cars, items 20 005 998 through 20 006 001 have been canceled and will not be produced at this time. Further updates will be provided as new information becomes available.

We are hopeful that this measure will only be temporary as we are attempting to obtain a license from Maersk, which will allow continued production and sale of branded models.

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