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Offline baggio  
#1 Posted : 11 July 2016 05:22:47(UTC)
baggio

Canada   
Joined: 21/09/2012(UTC)
Posts: 1,729
Location: Toronto
Does anyone know if in Germany the station announcements in major cities are normally made in both German and English or only German?

The reason I am asking is that I would like station announcements available on the model trains in at least both languages.

In fact, for me it would be even better if there were a third choice, the language of the country where the loco is made. That would be neat.

Thanks.
Offline sjbartels  
#2 Posted : 11 July 2016 05:56:44(UTC)
sjbartels

United States   
Joined: 11/08/2015(UTC)
Posts: 1,091
Originally Posted by: baggio Go to Quoted Post
Does anyone know if in Germany the station announcements in major cities are normally made in both German and English or only German?

The reason I am asking is that I would like station announcements available on the model trains in at least both languages.

In fact, for me it would be even better if there were a third choice, the language of the country where the loco is made. That would be neat.

Thanks.



I don't recall any station announcements in both German and English when I was in Germany.
American by Geography, Australian by Birth. I am an original Ameristraylian
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Offline sjlauritsen  
#3 Posted : 11 July 2016 06:29:00(UTC)
sjlauritsen

Denmark   
Joined: 18/08/2007(UTC)
Posts: 1,081
Location: Denmark
From my experience station announcements are much more prominent on the model railway than they are in reality. On my train travels in Germany I have heard station announcements in English, but mostly at the very large stations and mostly regarding the international trains. I do not recall having heard them regarding a local train.

That being said, stations have departure and arrival screens like you see in airports. People are expected to look at these to find their train. I have only heard station announcements in case of delays or in case of a train changing platform in the last minute.

In my experience most announcements in English takes place inside the train as it approaches the station. On trains approaching Denmark, the announcement is made in Danish, English and German. I guess it must be the same for other countries.

It would actually be fun to add a "train is delayed" or "this train has been replaced by a bus service" announcement to the sound files. After all, it is about being true to scale right? wink
Søren from Denmark
Blog: https://railway.zone/ | Danish Model Railway Forum: https://baneforum.dk/
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Offline H0  
#4 Posted : 11 July 2016 08:12:00(UTC)
H0


Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 15,254
Location: DE-NW
Originally Posted by: baggio Go to Quoted Post
Does anyone know if in Germany the station announcements in major cities are normally made in both German and English or only German?
Announcements for "big trains" (at least some ICE) are made in German and English. At least at some stations - I'm not sure if there are English announcements at small ICE stations.

Security announcements can be heard in German, English, and French ("Do not leave your luggage unattended.").

Today announcements at stations are mostly made by computer voices. Announcements on ICE/IC trains are usually made by the train chief. For commuter trains announcements usual are pre-recorded messages only - English only at big stations and certain trains only.
Computer voices came a few years ago - things were different in era IV and earlier, but I am not sure about details. I think there were few English announcements back then.

Trains are often delayed. I only remember one train ever that was replaced by bus service spontaneously. The track was free again before they had sent enough busses for all passengers.
I was amongst the 80% of passengers who had to leave the train, watch a single crowded bus leave, and get back into the same train more than 30 minutes later.

Bus services are used frequently when tracks are blocked due to construction works, but this is planned months ahead of time.
This could be an excuse for modelling a pass-though station at one side of the layout and use it like a terminus station.
Regards
Tom
---
"In all of the gauges, we particularly emphasize a high level of quality, the best possible fidelity to the prototype, and absolute precision. You will see that in all of our products." (from Märklin New Items Brochure 2015, page 1) ROFLBTCUTS
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Offline Minok  
#5 Posted : 18 July 2016 22:48:19(UTC)
Minok

United States   
Joined: 15/10/2006(UTC)
Posts: 2,310
Location: Washington, Pacific Northwest
From the 70's and 80's and maybe even early 90's there were announcements at the station platforms (about the train arriving/leaving) made in German. I don't recall English, but then I didn't travel much on trains that left Germany - and as I speak both German and English, I may have tuned out in the 90's once the German announcements were made. I would expect the now (2016) announcements now to be in German and English and an additional language related to the country the train just came from or is ready to go to.

Inside the train announcements (you would not hear them outside of a train) I can expect to be in multiple languages ESPECIALLY on high speed routes like ICE an even IC so that passengers can get off as soon as possible because the trains are on tight schedules and less able to absorb delays. If you don't realize its your stop until you see the station name signs go by the window and then collect your luggage and stuff, it can require a longer stop in station with a lot of passengers and luggage. A regional train where travelers are familiar with the route or have next to no baggage, one can get by with less announcement.

That said, I got off of a local train stopping at every little station from Darmstadt to Heidelberg in 1997 in the late night because those tiny stations are mostly unlit, no announcements happen, and they stations look very similar from stop to stop, on stop too soon and had to call for someone to pick me up. <doh!> Its tough to say that the Laudenbach station isn't the Hemsbach station in the pitch dark, if I'd not been on that rail line in the past decade before that trip.
Toys of tin and wood rule!
---
My Layout Thread on marklin-users.net: InterCity 1-3-4
My YouTube Channel:
https://youtube.com/@intercity134
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Offline baggio  
#6 Posted : 18 July 2016 23:05:44(UTC)
baggio

Canada   
Joined: 21/09/2012(UTC)
Posts: 1,729
Location: Toronto
Try going to Genoa from Rome and be about to get off the train when you realize Genoa has THREE stations and you need to take the central one to get onto another train!

We almost ended up spending the night in the wrong station, waiting to catch the next train for the next station. Cursing BigGrin
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Offline DaleSchultz  
#7 Posted : 14 August 2016 04:43:58(UTC)
DaleSchultz

United States   
Joined: 10/02/2006(UTC)
Posts: 3,997
my software announces the train as it arrives and where it is from (in German). Before it departs, it announces the name of the train, departure platform and destination and uses different announcements for S-Bahn, passenger trains and locos running light.

I also have it announce the upcoming station for long distance passenger trains and what connections can be made!

Its fun to hear.
Dale
Intellibox + own software, K-Track
My current layout: https://cabin-layout.mixmox.com
Arrival and Departure signs: https://remotesign.mixmox.com
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Offline baggio  
#8 Posted : 15 December 2016 14:01:37(UTC)
baggio

Canada   
Joined: 21/09/2012(UTC)
Posts: 1,729
Location: Toronto
Originally Posted by: DaleSchultz Go to Quoted Post
my software announces the train as it arrives and where it is from (in German). Before it departs, it announces thename of the train, departure platform and destination and uses different announcements for S-Bahn, passenger trains and locos running light.


Hi, Dale:

I have bought Marklin's entertainment car and am looking for an easy way to add station announcements to the car.

Could you tell us where you found the announcements and if they are easy to add to the car?

Thanks.
Offline DaleSchultz  
#9 Posted : 15 December 2016 17:07:22(UTC)
DaleSchultz

United States   
Joined: 10/02/2006(UTC)
Posts: 3,997
My software generates the announcements in real time using the text to speech capabilities of Windows using the German or English language packs. It picks up the timetable name of the train, and announces the departure with appropriate track number and destination, etc. each announcement could be different.

A good sound effects side is http://www.sounddogs.com/
I am sure I had a really good bookmark to a site with actual train recordings from Europe but I cant find it now...

I wonder how much interest there would be in purchasing customized train arrival and departure announcements....?
Dale
Intellibox + own software, K-Track
My current layout: https://cabin-layout.mixmox.com
Arrival and Departure signs: https://remotesign.mixmox.com
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Offline Minok  
#10 Posted : 15 December 2016 21:58:30(UTC)
Minok

United States   
Joined: 15/10/2006(UTC)
Posts: 2,310
Location: Washington, Pacific Northwest
What we need Microsoft to invent is the ability to take a 'voice color file' which then makes the text->speech sound like the file specifies. Then get that 'voice color file' to match the person that records the station announcements in various countries (each one is different). I know the Austrians recently changed theirs as they thought the one they were using on ÖBB sounded too much like a German lady.
Toys of tin and wood rule!
---
My Layout Thread on marklin-users.net: InterCity 1-3-4
My YouTube Channel:
https://youtube.com/@intercity134
Offline DaleSchultz  
#11 Posted : 15 December 2016 22:02:36(UTC)
DaleSchultz

United States   
Joined: 10/02/2006(UTC)
Posts: 3,997
Tell me some desired announcements and I will see what I can generate.

Here is a sample I just created (without an initial chime)
Vorsicht-am-Gleis-1.wav (202kb) downloaded 107 time(s).


Dale
Intellibox + own software, K-Track
My current layout: https://cabin-layout.mixmox.com
Arrival and Departure signs: https://remotesign.mixmox.com
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Offline DaleSchultz  
#12 Posted : 15 December 2016 22:06:18(UTC)
DaleSchultz

United States   
Joined: 10/02/2006(UTC)
Posts: 3,997
Originally Posted by: Minok Go to Quoted Post
What we need Microsoft to invent is the ability to take a 'voice color file' which then makes the text->speech sound like the file specifies. Then get that 'voice color file' to match the person that records the station announcements in various countries (each one is different). I know the Austrians recently changed theirs as they thought the one they were using on ÖBB sounded too much like a German lady.


They do have different voices, not sure if they have Swiss/Austrian dialects though, as I only bothered installing the German language pack, which was quite a battle in the Windows 7 days and Home edition.
Dale
Intellibox + own software, K-Track
My current layout: https://cabin-layout.mixmox.com
Arrival and Departure signs: https://remotesign.mixmox.com
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Dynamic, real time, station announcements (Model railroad software)
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