Texas Special Passenger Train Set - 2-10-0 Russian Decapod - Lionel O Gauge New Release

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Texas Special Passenger LionChief Bluetooth 5.0 Set
SKU:2323080
MSRP: $499.99
O Gauge
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Frisco LEGACY Russian Decapod #1630
SKU:2331310
MSRP: $1,299.99
O Gauge
Lionel New Release pre-orders
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Has anyone seen the Decapods in person?

I watch a video of it. And from the video I noticed two things the motor drive train was noticeable and the crew talk was modern. So I do have one question I need to ask Lionel.

Can the crew talk be changed?

 

What makes the talk modern?

Talking about Beyoncé or something?

Why would they even have that?

You couldn’t hear any of it over most of the noise a steam engine makes.

 

"Over and out" "chirp"

 

This is bad.

But on the two MTH HO steam loco I have I do find it fun to play with the crew talk.

"No radio".

 

FWIW:

"Over" is used when you have finished what you're saying and indicates a response is expected.

"Out" is used when you have finished your side of the conversation.

"Over and out" is a media (movies/etc)/railfan/un-knowledgeable manufacturer thing. By rule, "over and out" is not used in today's railroading radio communications and likely was not used back in radio's early years, either.

SO, a simple series of radio transmissions would go something like this:

"Job 1 to Fort Smith Yd. Over."

"Fort Smith Yard go ahead Job 1. Over."

"Headed your way about 1 mile out. What track to yard our train on? Over".

"Yard it on 1 rail. Over".

"Yard it 1 rail. Over".

"That is correct. Fort Smith Yard out".

"Job 1 out."

Lastly, radio was in its infancy pre-diesel transition years. So there is that, too.

Andre

 

If it's like most, the crews talk can be mercifully turned off.

Oh, did I say I "loathe" crew talk?

 

Thank you for posting that review. That was a good review.

It would be a cool loco for a O scale shelf layout.

On a serious note, most of my fleet is pre-1940 so crew talk is turned off.

 

I just can’t get my head around that beautiful model on 3 rail tinplate track.



An incorrect detail that the reviewer missed is the type of whistle, which on the model is a very short bell three chime. The whistle that seems to be on the prototype most of the time is a tall steamboat three chime, at least three times taller than the one on the model.

Although at times the prototype 1630 appears to have had a step top six chime on it, a much more pleasing sound to my ear.

 

Perhaps that's the case on your railroad, but I assure you that was not the case after the FRA had their say on our railroad.

After our passenger train accident*, we went through a period that the FRA often paid visits to safety inspect our equipment, observe our operational practices, audit our paper work, verify the crew's credentials, listen to our radio conversations, etc. We had to dot our i's and cross our t's.

We sounded like the rules manual over the radio for quite some time. And regardless of how your railroad does it The General Code Of Operating Rules (GCOR), if your line is aligned with GCOR, specifies the above as I outlined it.

SO, if your line is relaxed in that realm, enjoy... but cover your azz, rules wise.

* A passenger train stalled on dew-wet autumn leaves on a grade and quickly advised the Dispatcher of the issue including location. A joint warrant was issued for the MOW engine that was south of the passenger train limits to enter said limits and ease down at Restricted Speed, to assist the passenger train up the hill.

The Engineer/Conductor of the assisting locomotive disregarded the rules as outlined in GCOR 6.27 Restricted Speed and could not stop when the stalled passenger train came into view, thus slid into the nose of the passenger train with an impact speed above 20 MPH resulting in minor injuries to some passengers as well as minor injuries to the crews.

I was an Engineer involved in the clean up and I can assure you that the FRA can and will insist that you have rule-compliant radio interaction. From that incident until I retired in April of '18, our railroad was never the same.

What railroad do you work for and what do you do?

Andre

 

A brief comment on the review.

The reviewer obviously doesn't understand that many of the details about which he complains are hardly permanent. Pilots, appliances, and painting change over the course of the lifetime of a locomotive. 1630 has gone through at least three changes in ownership and survived over 100 years of shopping, rebuilds and updated FRA regulations.