Creating Authentic Station Announcements

I recently downloaded a program from the RailPage chat forum called DVA 5, and started the fun project of creating sound files for the station announcements on Philden. The program was written and copyrighted by Jonathan Boles back in 1999-2000 and I believe it was the same program used by CityRail to collate their station platform announcements across the Sydney network. With the program now obsolete, Jonathan posted the links to download the Javascript program which he updated to version 5.3.4 on 8th January 2017. Not wanting to be one who violates any redistribution laws, I've simply included the link to Jonathan's post on railpage.com.au below, for those who want to download the program for their own personal use.

https://www.railpage.com.au/f-t11377028.htm

The program setup file is 27.1 MB in size, is free to download and is also free of any addware. It was simple enough to install and even placed a groovy little CityRail L7 logo as the icon on my desktop. On the screenshot above, you'll notice that the left hand column shows the different sound file catalogs, including Sydney-Female and Sydney-Male. Sydneysiders will remember that the male voice that made the platform announcements on the CityRail network was that of Grant Goldman, the 2SM breakfast radio guy, Manly Sea Eagles ground announcer and now the voice of Sky Channel. He was of course replaced by the female voice of Taylor Owynns around 2010. Before recording the announcements for what is now known as SydneyTrains, Taylor was already famous for being the voice of Lulu on the popular children's show Bananas In Pyjamas.

Anyway, using Grant's booming male voice to fit the 1995-2005 era that I model, I soon started playing around using the 1,251 pre-recorded sayings that Mr Goldman had recorded during his time, to collaborate my own CountryLink station announcements for Philden's South North West Explorer. As my fictional Explorer train goes everywhere except east, (or it would fall into the ocean off the coastline of Australia), I had a bit of fun recording the following announcements. Simply press the play button on each of the following clips below to hear what I mean.

There's this train that goes anywhere ending in 'O'.



Or this train going everywhere ending in 'I'.



Or perhaps you'd like to ride this train heading everywhere ending in 'E'.



Or perhaps you'd like a ticket to anywhere ending in 'A'.



Each file you create can be exported as an MP3 file into a folder of your choosing. I then uploaded the MP3 files above to a free sound file sharing site called Clyp, which I felt was a safer way of publicly sharing these examples than providing a link to each MP3 file stored on my Google Drive account. I figured those serious enough to want to add these station announcements to their own layouts, would simply have way more fun downloading the program and creating their own announcements.

After the fun of creating some bogus station announcements had passed, I soon took out my 1990's railway timetables and began compiling announcements for the trains listed within them, starting with all the CountryLink Explorer trains that I could simulate passing through Philden. I then moved onto the CityRail services that I'm going to pretend my 2 car Sydney suburban double-decker is substituting for on my upper level.

So far, I've created over 40 MP3 files. Next up, I'm going to load the completed files onto an iPod Mini Shuffle and connect it to a small hidden speaker beneath my layout. I figure that playing a different station announcement each time my same 2 car Explorer set or double-decker electric train comes and goes from my station, will do wonders to help create the illusion that my models actual connect to somewhere beyond the layout. Because having a small layout sometimes calls for a bit of creative thinking outside the box.

Speaking of boxes, another feature of the DVA 5 program is the station indicator boards. Clicking the indicator tab will open the boxes that enable you to call up various services from actual timetables, and alter the arrival times and platform numbers etc., before sitting back and watching the station names scroll up on the screen just as the blue computer screen indicators do at the Sydney stations that are fitted with them. Perhaps after I have the sound files finished and working in time for the Brisbane Model Train Show in May this year, I can then look at building a working replica indicator screen into the upper level expansion on my layout. Or at least I can have the program open and running on the desk in front of my layout when I running my trains.

Finally, in keeping with the light-hearted approach to my modelling, I'll leave you with one final clip in honour of the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks winning last year's NRL Premiership. The Up, Up Cronulla service.

Next week I'm heading to Sydney for a short break where, apart from some general sightseeing, I'll be scouting a few train stations in the hope of finding some inspiration for the NSW A-8 centre platform station building on my upper level layout extension. But as usual, I'll let that be a story for another day.

That steel ain't light

Following the recent arrival of the NCTY Tubemakers Structural open wagons at Philden, coil steel shipments have begun arriving at the open concrete yard alongside the cement plant. A concrete reinforcing shed has been erected 'just beyond the layout edge' as part of a Nation Building upgrade for the Interstate Highway that crosses the tracks at the mouse-hole end of my layout. The steel rolls are being milled and cut on site to reinforce the giant concrete spans needed for the highway construction. So I thought I'd venture trackside with my camera to capture the first shipment of 1:83 scale steel as it arrived. You may notice the rusted rails from a long abandoned siding that are still embedded in the concrete loading area. I sure hope that 'forkie' knows what he's doing before he tries to unloading the wagons.

She'll be right mate! It just needs a bit more Gumption.

Apparently not. After struggling to lift the giant coil from wagon number 85117G, it appears he didn't have enough back tilt when jolting across the old rails and has ended up with his back wheels in the air, (something that happened to myself a few times during my years driving forklifts). Maybe the site foreman needs to look at buying a bigger forklift!

Those abandoned rails are going to make unloading a pain in the butt for the forklift driver.

By the time he had finished unloading both wagons, it was fast approaching nightfall, and the new LED lights I had installed were on in the yard. While the construction crew probably won't get to work rolling and cutting the steel coils till morning, meanwhile the train crew had returned to collect the empties and were growing irate by the minute that their pick-up wasn't yet ready and were holed up in the platform road at Philden Station, waiting to drag the two empty wagons forward before they could run around to couple on and head off in the up direction towards the staging yard.

While chatting with the Senior SM on the platform, they were however heard to speak highly of the new LED lighting installed recently at the station. The driver even recalled humorously a previous visit when he asked the Assistant Station Master at the time if he was burning the toast in his office. It turned out it wasn't the toast, but the old platform lighting that had begun to melt like toasted marshmallows. Fortunately by now the NCTY's were ready to be pulled clear of the cement road siding and the crew were on their way just as the last slithers of light disappeared in the west.

This short operating session was all just a bit of fun, but it does show that a small bookshelf layout can be used to simulate some real life operation problems. The 86 class, having ventured further than any NSW 86 class has ever ventured before, will now be packed away to await the construction of the upper level of my layout, which will feature overhead catenary and a giant OneSteel receiving shed. Next week 8243 will return in its place. Also due next week, (by means of the post man), is the first of my major rollingstock additions for the as yet un-named upper level, (no, its not the Tangara), but something else that combined with my 86 class electric will provide enough operating pleasure all on its own. But as usual, I'll let that be a story for another day.

See also; Auscision Models NCTY/NODY Wagons

Philden's HO track plan

Here is a look at Philden's final track plan that I will be taking to the Brisbane Model Train Show on the 6th and 7th May, 2017. As you can see, the layout design for the first level is nothing too extravagant, (neither is the drawing itself for that matter). But at the request of Peter, (this one's for you Peter), I thought it about time that I added some kind of track plan to show the overall view of a HO scale layout that had its beginnings 2 years ago at the 2015 Brisbane Model Train Show. Of course, in the year to come a second level will go on top, so I have shown the space allocated for the upper level staging shelf support on the right, with another 6 cm of shelf to protrude out over the lower shelf staging area.

The entire layout is 260 cm (8 feet 6 inch) long and just 32 cm (1 foot and 1/2 inch) wide. With the modeled portion being 188 cm (6 foot 2 and 1/2 inch) long and the staging shelf beyond the view block adding another 72 cm (2 foot 4 inch) of track. As you can see, the staging shelf tracks fan out slightly at the right to allow a little extra room when placing trains on and off the track. The rail height now stands at 112 cm (3 foot 8 inch) from the floor. As readers can tell, it was designed to stand above my desk and somehow inspire me to write my next novel. As readers can also tell, this layout has distracted me to the point where there is no next novel in the foreseeable future.

The entire layout is simple DC operation, and required the following HO scale track to complete;

• 1 x SL-90 PECO medium radius insulfrog double slip
• 2 x right hand SL-95 PECO medium radius insulfrog turnouts
• 2 x left hand SL-96 PECO medium radius insulfrog turnouts
• 2 x lengths PECO code 100 concrete tie flextrack
• 6 x lengths PECO code 100 black timber tie flextrack

Two years after visiting the Brisbane Model Train Show and purchasing the above track (along with a throng of other products), it will be nice to place my layout on public display for the first time at the same venue. On another side note, it will also be 15 years since I last exhibited at the Brisbane Show. I'm hoping to have my layout accepted in at least one more model train show in south east Queensland in 2017, before adding the second level to the layout and taking it to even more exhibitions in 2018 and traveling further afield. My goal was always to make Philden a layout capable of travelling to model train shows, and as nice as it looks sitting above my desk, I'm planning to add just one last touch to the display side of my layout to give it that finished 'wow' factor in time for its' first exhibition. Just what is it? Well, I might just save that as a surprise for the Brisbane Show.

See also; Setting plans in concrete