A different type of sound system...

[Nathan]

An interesting peice of kit for a cheap price with potential. The idea of this is a reed switch on your layout between a loco and the track which when runs over it sets off a recorded sound.

Sounds like a great idea for station annoucements, run down to you local station record an announcement, place it up the line before the station so that the sound plays before the train is actually in the station on your layout (no good saying to stand back after the train has sped through ) and voila automated station announcements for your railway.

Or perhaps less conventional as they have mentioned you could have a short sound clip of particular locos as they pull away, just as you run over the magnet at the station. A magnet underneath locos cant be a good thing can it?

http://www.dckits.co.uk/sound.html

 

[kettlefan]

this sort of tech has been around for years, although it was mainly used for detection purposes. A magnet in the loco will do naff all to the performance of the loco, but actually getting a magnet in can be a bugger. The Dublo/Wrenn 4MT tank has absolutely NO space for a magnet for example. Some locos, providing they are going slow enough will actually trip reed switches with their motors magnets, the old Lima crab was a contender for this.

you mention that a magnet could not be a good thing when under the loco. On the contrary, Triang saw potential in this, and had strong magnets mounted in locos metal chassis, which basically magnatised EVERYTHING. The result was the loco was nigh on glued to the steel rail the system was known as Magnahesion

 

[Nathan]

Although the tech may have been around for a long time, does it work? For diesel locos getting a magnet into them shouldnt be hard, i can understand the problem faced in steam locos though.

As for Magnahesion, to magnatise everything that would mean that object has been rubbing together. Surley fixing it down tight would prevent it in a model anyway.

 

[kettlefan]

As for Magnahesion, to magnatise everything that would mean that object has been rubbing together. Surley fixing it down tight would prevent it in a model anyway.

I don't really understand what you're getting at :?

 

[Nathan]

I don't really understand what you're getting at :?

For an Iron rod to become magnatized another object with magnetic proporties must rub against it, then both samples are magnetic. So surley when installing into models, if you take care not to knock anything and secure it down well then it wont move and make model magnetic also.

'Its elementary my dear!'

 

[kettlefan]

??? the magnets are merely square blocks mounted in cut outs within the chassis block. There is absolutely no movement involved, the magnets are merely energised at the factory and then put in the chassis.

http://www.tri-ang.co.uk/OONew/chassisB12.htm

scroll down it shows what I mean.

Unfortunately for Triang, everybody realised Nickel Silver track was better, and magnahesion died a death :?