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Whilst I appreciate that I am normally first port of call for questions on the layout (solely because I spend more time on the net than Glenn does) I must add that this layout would not have been possible without Glenn's depot knowledge and his construction and modelling skills. The recent input from Glenn's friends Ian and Richard have added even more areas of interest which feel is attributable to different people noticing areas of development which Glenn and I may have missed.

 

We've thought about the possiblity of sound locos in the future but as I have stated before the cost would currently be £3000 which we cannot afford and in addition we would require baseboard speakers with the sound of air-con units, motor alternator sets, slamming coach doors (and possibly seagulls!!!) to give the depot the real feel required to make the scene appear authentic. The open day was quiet and the sounds from Andy's layout were easily heard but in normal exhibition circumstances the amount of movement and people talking tends to drown out any other sounds. Perhaps in five years time....

As a visitor/staff its actually quite off putting and i firmly believe sound is fine at home but not on the exhibition circuit. Several shows I have been to recently have had issues, the halls/rooms where the layouts are are noisy enough with people milling chatting and enjoying the show. Several operators who have sound are forced to turn the sounds up on there layouts, this in turn forces people to talk louder, so the operators turn up the volume even more . . . . . . . and so it goes on. Also with more and more depot layouts making it on to the exhibition circuit having 20-30 diesel engines all sat there idling makes quite a racket. Its probably not a problem at the NEC but in small school rooms/village halls and the like it does create problems. Certainly at the exhibition that I help out at every year the organisers have already placed a no DCC sound rule.

Now of course im the first to say what an innovation sound is and I quite like it on my stuff at home (the wife is another matter) but when you walk into a room with 6 depot layouts and more than 60 engines all idling at once, it does get a bit repetative

DEAR GOD!!!!