One fond childhood memory from Denver was at times on a clear and quiet night you could hear the trains over a mile away so clear they sounded as if they were running down the street just a few blocks away. But having a train less than a football field away from a house afterwards we lived for a time could rattle you out of bed but the line wasn't used all to often but you felt the locomotive's engine as much as hearing it go by. When the Big Boy 4014 briefly passed thru Denver last year on its way back to Wyoming I was able to see it twice on the very same tracks from all those decades ago and it passed within 25ft of me and others yet was so quiet it that it's diesel trailing behind sounded louder as it passed.

Great job! I am the "Lone Wolf" of which you speak. I'll have 2 or 3 trains running around the mainlines and do the occasional yard work. I moved to HO a few years ago so I built up my fleet with several Paragon3 locos. I have been in touch with BLI tech guys and down the road there may be a path to non BLI locos using rolling thunder. (a totally vaporware rummer on my part) As I said you did a great job on the video but with a bit of tweaking the sound can be more accurate. :D

i love my rolling thunder n scale kit alot

I have the HO RT and the bass speaker is larger. You can also hook up multiple speakers as well as multiple RT systems on 1 layout! i love it,Diesels can shake the room just like a real loco (well, almost) ;D

Ron, great video and review. The info on sensitivity CVs and how to adjust them is very helpful. I have Rolling Thunder under my layout. Given the type of layout I have (5'x9' table), the R/T system stays connected to only one loco. I can only switch when I cycle power on the layout and start up a different loco. Not a big deal. But, as you say, for operations the sound can be a lot. And, R/T locos drown out other non-BLI sound locos. So, for my ops, I turn R/T off. If I'm showing the layout to people, I turn it back on. Maybe someday BLI will broaden the system to allow other sound decoders and will add a feature to include multiple locos. Thanks again. Gerry.

I think I convinced my wife I need this system

We have used both the HO at our Club, and the N Scale version at my home layout. Basic difference is the overall size and volume of the two systems. HO is much louder, and can by annoying during OPS sessions at times, but as You pointed out they have many good uses. If you have never used this system with a BLI Steamer, you have the best to come when you do. The sounds with a BLI Steam engine is almost unbelievable. For a small home layout, the N Scale version is plenty in my opinion, and sounds can travel when you install a second (or multiple) receivers at strategic points. Thanks for the detailed review Ron. Appreciate it very much. Just another note, when you hook up the output to a quality sound system, you can fill an auditorium with the HO version. (Ask me how I know - 2017 Crossville, TN Fairgrounds.)

@midwest_railfan

3 жыл бұрын

So i can use N scale P3 with Ho scale subwoofer?

love the concept but hell if i'm going to buy a system that expensive that only works for one type of decoder in one brand of locomotive. i'll let this technology develop a bit and spread out among different manufacturers before i even take a nibble. thanks for a great review Ron!

Ron, thanks for the honest review, your statement about it being a little annoying for me so deal breaker, while it sounds great it would get old really quick....thanks for sharing....Jack 👍

Very nice review excellent job 👍🚂

i love rolling thunder

Good review. If they ever get the system to work on all chips, they I will be in the market. In 5 years hopefully this will happen.

The limitations of your camera's audio recording aside, I'm impressed. Of all the videos I've seen of sound-equipped locomotives, this is the only one where I could feel my chair vibrate. Full disclosure: the speakers plugged into my computer also include a subwoofer.

Ron, From watching your review I have to agree on it's use and purpose. Rolling Thunder does have a defined niche market. Then too as it is the first such system I will wait before buying the HO versions. The advantage as you pointed out is that it is first on the market and it's sound reproduction. But I'll wait for multiple Loco coverage, wider reception range, and the ability to string woofers AND TWEETERS across entire layouts. But the key point you hit exceptionally was the RxR Showboaters who exhibit their layouts to family, friends, neighbors, and foamers. I could see me using this audio system for an UNDER THE CHRISTMAS TREE TOY TRAIN. But until BLI, or other modeling equipment suppliers, can cross sound chip brands, increase the frequency reach, and increase audio range serious modellers may wish to wait for the market place to shack out the dominate system. The Rolling Thunder doesn't have to be a modelers Pet Rock or iPhone. I work with professional audio engineers. This advancement does spark me to talk with them to take this idea to the next level. As for your review highly informative and thought provoking. Great job Ron. ~Jim

I use the sound trax system.

Excellent review. I wasn't aware of some of the physical limitations, although if I'd thought about it, they make sense. And it becoming annoying is a drawback I didn't think of - train bass just isn't as good as rock band bass. If it doesn't die out altogether, it may become worthwhile when an external bass sound system can have multiple speakers that track perhaps 5-6 operating locos around a layout separately. And even then, the speakers need to be solid and the decoder sound files have to have undistorted low frequencies. Right now, that'd be big bucks!

The question now becomes can you tie different speakers together so that they all produce the same volume at the same time, or do you need an individual receiver for each speaker.

Heya, Ron. One of the biggest differences (as a consumer) between the HO and N scale versions of the Rolling Thunder systems is the price point - N is $50 less expensive than the HO version! I don’t know why that is - a Broadway Limited Represenative would have to answer that question.

@midwest_railfan

3 жыл бұрын

Is that the only difference? I’m thinking about getting one but N scale ones are hard to find so i might get an ho scale one for my n scale. But i’m still trying to find out if it’ll work with my n scale P3

Hi Ron I have an ho one and it has a much larger sub woofer, looks like it’s about 3 times bigger. Be safe

Cool video nice video 👍 Greetings from Germany Gert

9 hours! I kinda sorta made it for the first time to RTNT.

Excellent video. While I'm no expert, but being musically trained, I have a fairly good understanding of how sound (music and otherwise) works as well as how the ears interpret sound. I have quality speakers on my PC with a subwoofer, and I was impressed with the Paragon3 Rolling Thunder Sound. While I have a number of N scale locomotives with Paragon3 sound, I've never heard any of them because I haven't built my model railroad yet. Low frequency sounds are non-directional, which is why you can place the subwoofer basically anywhere. I wonder if you could address the following concern: It seems to me a major issue would be that with the woofer being statically located, when a locomotive with Paragon3 sound went beyond the immediate area where a person was standing, the sound from the locomotive's on-board speaker would diminish while the subwoofer remained outputting the low frequency sounds at the same volume (velocity) levels. I.e., somebody not following the locomotive around would still be hearing the low frequencies and not much of the mid-range and high frequencies, which would not be realistic, and as you stated, could even be annoying. I think this is probably the main reason it might not be that effective on large layouts, with the exception of being used with a switcher that stays in the vicinity of the subwoofer. In your working with the sound system, how much of a problem did this seem to you? Thanks.

Ron you know what would be an epic product? Imagine that you could have little transponders on everything in your layout like on a train or an ore factory. and you would wear headphones that has a receiver built into it so as you walk around your layout as you get closer to the ore factory the noises get louder and as you walk away it gets quieter. same with a train. you stand in one spot and you can hear the train get louder and quieter as it goes away. and it would also mix the sounds. so if your standing in front of the ore factory you would hear it and you would hear out of your right speaker the train approaching from your right and the left speaker would hear the train coming from your left. and if you right ear is closer the ore factory it would be louder in the right than in the left and so on.

If you have two passing trains, rolling thunder will only pick up one train at a time and doesn't mix them? I have to say the sound is incredible.

Does it cancel the out the engines speaker, or enhance it?

@RonsTrainsNThings

4 жыл бұрын

Hey Joe. This enhances the engine sound. The main sound still comes from the loco speaker, with the bass boost behind it from the subwoofer.

Sound on locomotives is wonderful, and a great step forward in model railways. Except when you are an exhibitor at a model railway show. Two days of engine noise can be annoying. And have you reaching for the headache pills.

How do you rev a loco to notch 5, without the loco moving?

@RonsTrainsNThings

4 жыл бұрын

Varies by decoder, but with BLI its f5 to throttle up and fly to throttle down.

What if you're running multiple trains with P3 locos?

@RonsTrainsNThings

4 жыл бұрын

It only transcends 1 loco at a time, the first one it picks up, until that one either shuts down or is out of range. The it picks up the next one.

i wonder how long it is going to take till the sound fad fades as Ron said sound becomes annoying. Even without this system i've seen lots of clubs turn off the sound system so operators can communicate better and also to reduce sound fatigue during operating sessions except at shows and on visitor nights

@ianisaacs2340

4 жыл бұрын

To me sound is very important, part of the ambiance of trains is the sounds! VERY LOUD SOUNDS!!!!

I have always found the system interesting but what I find with the system is the Mid range of sounds are not there. You get plenty of higher sounds from the engine and the lows from the sub woofer but the mid range sounds are pretty much missing to my ears. That's just how I hear it. Others may feel differently than I do.

@RonsTrainsNThings

3 жыл бұрын

Yes, I would agree with that. What Rolling Thunder produces is more the feel of the bass than the soun as well.

How much?

A 12" powered sub would fill a pretty large room with boom. It would be nice if you could just purchase the receiver without the small sub.

@n2godswork

4 жыл бұрын

You actually can... www.broadway-limited.com/1596-rollingthundertmreceiveronly.aspx

@arthurlandrigan4557

4 жыл бұрын

You can purchase the receiver separately, from either BLI, or any BLI Dealer. We carry both in stock at most times..

730 views, 77 TU and 0 Thumbs Down at 9:44am Arizona Time. Too bad my computer speakers suck.... Sounds about the same

I looked into one of these a while ago. It is not something I would use. I like to have the sound coming from the locomotive. Sound gets irritating to me after a few minutes anyway. I don't look at my nscale models as miniature but as something viewed from a distance. So my locomotive sounds are dialed down a couple of notches.

@possumbayou8238

4 жыл бұрын

By the way great video 👍

@RonsTrainsNThings

4 жыл бұрын

I do the same--reduce volume significantly for locos I operate. I mostly like having the bell and horn for operations. The Rolling Thunder system is fun to show off to company, but not really for me either in day-to-day use. It does, however, do what it purports to do very well.

What’s a good economic static grass applicator

The sounds are amazing no question BUT... Sound, in my opinion in any form, in a moving model tends to destroy the fantasy that your trains are travelling somewhere. I could see using it if you only had a switching module but not if you fantasized your train as moving 30 miles away to another town - unless it merely ran around a lake so you would get the echo. Could someone explain how they do it please? Please note that I'm not complaining about the quality of the sounds themselves, which can be bloody amazing, just how it sounds when the model is actually 10 feet away from me but I'm pretending its 10 miles away. It must be even worse if you have a double deck layout.

Yeah, big difference and quite a thundery sound; it, as you say, has limited uses. It seems to me to be more of a novelty at the present time.

You should never over complicate a bologna sandwich

I don’t think that sub-woofer will fit through my tunnels.

BLI runs like crap don’t buy