Technical question

Lisa · Post by **Lisa** » Sunday Oct 18, 2009

Ok, we want to be able to have a way that our cooks can notify the staff when food is ready. We want to have a train horn sound come from the kitchen.

How can we come up with a way that with a push of a button, the cooks can send a sound through the place? Like a sound board type thing...I was thinking of maybe something with three different buttons for three different types of train whistles....

It has to be easy or the cooks won't come on board and use it. Right now they ring a stupid bell. lol

Any ideals?

onegunguitar · Post by **onegunguitar** » Sunday Oct 18, 2009

Real train horns use air to make their sound,I'm not sure if there are electric ones available or not. I know a buddy of mine has a set on his tri axle and they are freakin' loud as hell. If you put a set of the air ones in you may want to hand out ear plugs when the patrons come through the door.

Lisa · Post by **Lisa** » Sunday Oct 18, 2009

No, doesn't need to be a real one....just the sounds of the train horns. But we want it to be heard throughout the place.

witchhunt · Post by **witchhunt** » Sunday Oct 18, 2009

Yeah Lisa, if you were to use a real horn off of a diesel engine indoors, you would render everyone deaf in know time. Probably sterile, too.

lonewolf · Post by **lonewolf** » Sunday Oct 18, 2009

To start with, do you have a PA or intercom system already?

If not, you can get cheap wireless speakers and put them at different points in your building.

Best buy is blowing out some wireless speakers cheap:

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=Rocket ... &_osacat=0

For the audio source, you would need a cheap little synthesizer. 3 different train whistles? Good luck on that. You might want to consider a train whistle, a train rolling down the track and a release valve or some other combination of sounds. I'll see what's out there.

Slothkill · Post by **Slothkill** » Sunday Oct 18, 2009

Why not try a Train Hobby shop Like Unkle Joes or Genes trains. I know when I built our Christmas platform last year they had tons of that kinda stuff.

Post by **Jim Price** » Sunday Oct 18, 2009

Slothkill wrote:

Why not try a Train Hobby shop Like Unkle Joes or Genes trains. I know when I built our Christmas platform last year they had tons of that kinda stuff.

That's what I was thinking. They have train sound effects for model railroad platforms, which duplicate steam and diesel engine sounds. I've observed them in use at model train shows and flea markets, and you can probably get them at hobby and model train shops.

lonewolf · Post by **lonewolf** » Sunday Oct 18, 2009

Slothkill wrote:Why not try a Train Hobby shop Like Unkle Joes or Genes trains. I know when I built our Christmas platform last year they had tons of that kinda stuff.

Make sure they have output jacks to send to a PA or intercom system. Most of these just generate sound from their own speaker.

Colton · Post by **Colton** » Sunday Oct 18, 2009

This model train site has a bunch of links about creating train sounds for the model train tracks, i bet some of these ideas could be used. There's a few links to different sound kits, etc.

http://www.trainelectronics.com/artcles ... AVoice.htm

Lisa · Post by **Lisa** » Sunday Oct 18, 2009

Cool...thanks for the input folks!