Using locomotive bell and whistle signals

摘要

Digital Command Control (DCC) has created a whole new area of operating realism in all scales, as it involves aspects of locomotive sound that go well beyond the usual automatic exhaust or chuffing sounds made by toy trains. Thanks to Configuration Variables (CVs), DCC whistles may be adjusted in tone and volume to reproduce the exact sounds a modeler may desire. However, the problem is, few modelers know the proper signals they should be using to enhance train operations. During the steam era, railroads required engine and train crews to know and use a standard set of engine bell and whistle signals. These signals provided the necessary communications between the engine and the rest of the train crew so everyone knew what to expect.