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F2 Horns
We love our horns. Like really! Seriously, who doesn’t love a good sounding horn?
So, we’re now providing a wide range of horns for you to apply to your locomotive
as appropriate or as you see fit (even if it’s not appropriate). To get a short “toot”
just tap F2 or your “HORN” button. If you hear a long tail-off, you are tapping for
too long. If, no matter what you do, you just can’t get the darn thing to make a short
“toot,” switch to NCE. The default horn is a Nathan K5LA, but we’ve included many
others. Refer to the “Custom Sound Settings” section below.
F3 Flange Squeal
We first introduced Flange Squeal on our HO scale SW1200RS in 2018 and since
then, everyone has wanted it on every … single … model … we … make. People
even want us to make sound decoders for freight cars! Press F3 to turn it on. Press
F3 again to turn it off. If your neighbor complains about that nasty racket, just keep
F3 on and say you can’t hear them and maybe they’ll go away.
F4 Drive Hold
ESU’s “Full Throttle” feature allows you to play the prime mover of your F59PH like
a musical instrument. When you press F4, you turn on “drive hold.” This keeps the
speed of the engine constant at whatever speed step your throttle happens to be on.
Then as you increase the throttle, you hear the prime mover revving up. This sounds
awesome, especially when you’re taking off from a commuter station stop at warp
speed.
“Full Throttle” is even neater when you throttle down, as it allows you to simulate
“coasting” which is such an important part of running a real train. When you press
F4 again you turn off “Full Throttle” and the engine will accelerate or decelerate to
whatever speed step your throttle happens to be on. For realism it’s a good idea to
take note of what speed step your throttle was on when you turned on “Full Throttle”
and be back at that speed step when you turn “Full Throttle” off. Otherwise, your
F59PH may fly like an eagle, to the sea. Yes, fly like an eagle. Please don’t make
us sing the whole chorus.
F5 Doppler Horn
You can play this when approaching level crossings or any other whistle post. The
doppler is nicely timed for a moderately paced train blowing for a level crossing.
When you change the default horn for F2, the doppler horn will also change to the
appropriate tone as well. It’s like we’re wizards or something!
F6 Ditch Lights
F6 turns on the ditch lights. Unlike the prototype, the ditch lights are directional (just
