Fireman Fred and Spectrum - Is he available???

[kfstillm]

Did Bachmann include the Fireman Fred features in the sound decoder they are installing in their Spectrum 2-8-0s?  I just purchased one and have everything working except Fred and that is with shovel volume set to 255 and shovel probability set to 255.

[Atlantic Central]

Fireperson Nancy has filed suit in Federal Court over the violation of her 14th Amendment rights and put all future Fireman Fred operations on hold.

Seriously, I know many of you love sound, and while I don't care for it in small scales like HO, I will admitt it has its place.

BUT, I have stood right next to working steam locos, within 4,5 or 6 feet, and have yet to "hear" a Firemans shovel, or "hear" him lube the loco. Even as I watched them preform these tasks. Just several weeks ago I stood a mear 3 feet from the Fireman as he lubed the rods of #90 at Strasburg. Amid the noise of the air pump, escaping steam and other sounds he had to shout to be heard speaking, let alone anyone actually hear what he was doing.

This stuff has reached beyond adding realism and moved into the relm of silly.

Sheldon

[SteamGene]

I have to agree.  Ihad some club members testing some of my sound decoders and they found "All aboard."  Ever hear the conductor of a coal drag holler "All aboard" to 10,000 tons of coal?
Gene

[Hoople]

I was wondering the same thing with my 2-8-0. I don't mind if it's silly, I'm 12. I'm not a super rivet counter or anything.

[Hunt]

Any sound from a sound decoder’s firmware not acceptable or appropriate for your locomotive. Turn that sound off!

Hoople, some folks, even older ones, do buy a sound equipped locomotive for the entertainment aspect.

[kfstillm]

According to Sountraxx the decoder installed in the Spectrum units is a reduced function set and Fireman Fred is one of the functions not available.  So for those of you that are trying to get this function to work, you can stop trying it is not there.

[GN.2-6-8-0]

According to Sountraxx the decoder installed in the Spectrum units is a reduced function set and Fireman Fred is one of the functions not available.  So for those of you that are trying to get this function to work, you can stop trying it is not there.

Yep' thats what i read too....no fireman fred ,sorry guys.

[Hunt]

According to Sountraxx the decoder installed in the Spectrum units is a reduced function set and Fireman Fred is one of the functions not available.  So for those of you that are trying to get this function to work, you can stop trying it is not there.

Yep' thats what i read too....no fireman fred ,sorry guys.

GN.2-6-8-0,
Where did you read it?

[lanny]

Fireperson Nancy has filed suit in Federal Court over the violation of her 14th Amendment rights and put all future Fireman Fred operations on hold.

LOL!    That is just too good, Sheldon!

Seriously, though I am doing an almost complete switch to all steam and will soon put moe some cherished diesels up for sale on eBay, there are two locomotives that I probably will not part with. One is a BLI Heavy Mike ... it stays because, even though I run DC/Analog, the steam sounds and the whistle remind me so much of what I heard almost every day as a kid, when my dad worked for the ICRR in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

The other is a BLI SD-40. It really has no place even being on my 'roster' or in modeling era. But again, its sound is what keeps it sitting, almost alone now, on my collector shelf.

The rest of the steam part of my operating roster is down to pretty much Spec and IHC. I suppose, if I had the finances, I would be looking for a lot more sound because I do like to hear 'steam' since that was part of my life as a little kid. But, I also like to hear the quiet 'clickety-clack' of my rolling stock's metal wheels as they go over turnouts and rail joints.

In any case, I'm having fun 

lanny nicolet

[Atlantic Central]

Breaking News,

The 9th Circuit has ruled in Nancy's favor, but their ruling is not retroactive. All future Fireman Freds will be provided with a companion Fireperson Nancy with softer, gentler shoveling and Conductor Bob will also have a counterpart, Conductor Sue, who will replace "All aboard" with " Could we all please get on the train now".

[lanny]

Breaking News,

The 9th Circuit has ruled in Nancy's favor, but their ruling is not retroactive. All future Fireman Freds will be provided with a companion Fireperson Nancy with softer, gentler shoveling and Conductor Bob will also have a counterpart, Conductor Sue, who will replace "All aboard" with " Could we all please get on the train now".

ROFLOL   

Sheldon, I do admire your 'political correctness'!

lanny nicolet

[jsmvmd]

Dear Guys,

She might start looking like Mrs. Weasley with all those red haired kids from the Harry Potter films, sort of frantic, high pitched voice, hair askance, smudged cheeks, don't you think?

Best Wishes,

Jack

P.S. Sheldon, I would like to hear what the appeals courts have to say about this.

[SteamGene]

I would think that Firewoman Nancy would only work on oil fired locos. 
Perhaps Conductor Sue could be modeled after Hermione Granger, with the call "All aborad or you're a toad." 
BTW, Sheldon, don't talk to female gymnists about "upper body strength."  You might get picked up and thrown seveal feet.   My daughter hasn't done gymnastics for almost 15 years now, but she still has some of that muscle tone.
Gene

[Atlantic Central]

I must confess my literary/pop culture ignorance/indifferance - while I do vaguely remember being in the room while various "Harry Potter" movies spun around in the DVD player, I have little or no recollection of any characters names or significance. While I do not recall any objections to these films, they also did not make any great impression - obviously.

After a review of the case, the Appeals Court has decided not to hear the case and is upholding the decision of the Ninth Circuit. One judge was quoted as saying that the Ninth Circuit was correct in correcing the injustice, but there was no evidence that the orginal action was of malicious intent and therefore no punitive or retroactive action was in order.

In a seperate action however, The Ninth circuit is now considering if the phrase "All Aboard" is offensive to some groups.

Sheldon

[lanny]

Sheldon,

Was that action regarding 'all aboard' possibly being offensive to some groups brought by the 'Commercial Airline Pilots's Association' 

lanny nicolet