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Lionel RailSounds Question
If you are into Lionel trains, then you might like to help out this reader. To add your comments, or to suggest an answer, simply click on the green comments tag below. Here is the reader question relating to Lionel RailSounds gear:
“I bought two engines, brand new, from a guy on Ebay. My main concern was would the Railsound features work with the old-style transformers. I have 2 KWs and a ZW. I know there’s some features on the Railsound engines that require a special button found on a rather small (80 watt) transformer that was included with the Railsound SETS. One such feature is a bell; which operates when a button on the transformer marked “BELL” is pushed. Obviously, that button is NOT on the ZW or KWs.
The seller wasn’t sure, so I wrote a company called TRAINZ that has a huge website plus sells a ton on Ebay. I had bought from them in the past, and hoped they could tell me if the Railsound units were compatible with these transformers.
They were kind enough to answer, and told me MOST of the Railsound features WOULD work with the old transformers. Other than the bell everything esle should work.
Well, on the Diesel engine, the motor sound works, although it’s not very loud; but the horn doesn’t sound when the button is activated; and the two-way conversation feature between (I assume) the engineer and the brakeman) only works when I slow the train down from a fast speed. THEN the horn blows a short time, and the conversation takes place.
I can live with this, even though it’s not perfect.
But the Steam loco, which has the Railsounds module in the tender, doesn’t work AT ALL. No engine sounds, no whistle at all, no 2-way conversations, nothing.
I’m thinking, since the Diesel did at least work partially, that the tender MAY be defective. I asked the seller and he did say I could return the tender and try another one, but he doubted that it was defective. He thinks the unit just isn’t compatible with the old transformers. But since the Diesel DID work somewhat, it seems the steamer should work….at least “somewhat”.
I just wondered if you’ve had any experience with the Railsounds system and the older transformers. Any info your readers can supply would be greatly appreciated.”
3 Responses to Lionel RailSounds Question
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Have you visited http://www.lionel.com/products/productnavigator/InstructionManuals/71-9833-250.pdf
It discusses some aspects including the internal battery and says the railsound tender works with ALL lionel engines.
Lionel use to pack with their earlier railsound engines a railsounds activation button #6-5906. This button when wired in between the #1 terminal on the track lockon and the power terminal post on the transformer,worked the bell. This information came from the operating instructions of my 6-18007 GS2 steamer. It also shows that it may be neccessary to wire 2 sound controllers in series to get both whistle and bell to work. If you use a type MW transformer then a whistle/bell control #10-5904-001 can be only used because it reverses track polarity to activate whistles and bells. I hope this info helps you.
I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Claudia
http://lioneltrains.info