Add Voice Communications To Your Operating Sessions

摘要

What can you tell me about the model railroad communications systems I see operators using in layout operating videos? I've seen headsets and telephones used to communicate with the dispatcher or other operators. How are these systems set up? Good communication has always been an essential part of railroad operation, so modelers commonly try to replicate the prototype systems. Safe and efficient operation depends on clear instructions, proper reporting of up-to-the-minute information, and close coordination between people. Early railroads had telegraph operators working in each depot to handle the necessary communications and pass orders and information along to the appropriate train crews. As telephone systems became more reliable, most railroads gradually changed over to voice transmission of train orders and messages, until the last of the railroad telegraph lines were retired in the early 1960s.