I recently purchased a Railsounds box car and encountered the same volume problem reported by others on this board. Unfortunately, I do not have the same electronic configuration illutrated in the last posting. There is no volume control affixed to the boxcar roof. I was wondering if anyone has discovered an alternative method. I'm thinking of a replacemnt speaker and wondering if anyone has any suggestions. Perhaps a Radio Shack/Source product? Thanks.
Bluecomet390
What Railsounds car do you have? I have two a B&O 6-16639 steam from 1991 and it has the volume knob on the bottom but the car quit working a while back, Just bad.
I also have a SantaFe 1/48 scale diesel car 6-17202 from 1990 and could not hear it or find a volume knob till I opened it up and on the board there was a small post with a split on the end that is the volume control. using a small screwdriver it can be adjusted.
Hope this helps.
Joined 1-21-2011 TCA 13-68614
Kev, From The North Bluff Above Marseilles IL.
My car is a Canadian Pacific Box Car in Green. Unfortunately, it came in the wrong box - namely a Santa Fe 6-17202. The only identification on the CPR is the number 55160 on the side of the car. I tried putting a home made baffle around the speaker, with disappointing results. So I'm researching 3"speakers that would either fit in place of the existing one, or would stand separately in their own housing at one end of the car. I hooked an external speaker to the speaker leads and got a great sound. So I'm encouraged that I will find something that will work.
I was going to post a picture of the insides of the car, but I can't figure out how to do it. The ""insert image"" button asks for a URL???
If you place a picture in shutterfly and open it up in shutterfly then do a right copy , you can do a right click paste right into the post page.
Is it full 1 4/8 scale and does the body snap on to the plastic bottom frame? If it is. it just may be a 6-17202 that someone changed the body on.
I stand corrected from the above post.
This white knob is the volume control on the 6-17202 located on the board mounted on the top inside of the body if yours in still mounted there. Use a small screwdriver to adjust.
Here is a picture of the interior of the car. Note no volume control attached to roof of car and no evidence of wires having been cut around the speaker. This is a full 1/48 car with snap tabs that hold the body in place at each end. I don't believe there ever was a volume control, but I could be wrong. If the shell had been replaced, why wouldn't the volume control have been attached to the new shell? Another mystery??
Bluecomet390 Here is a picture of the interior of the car. Note no volume control attached to roof of car and no evidence of wires having been cut around the speaker. This is a full 1/48 car with snap tabs that hold the body in place at each end. Same as the 6-17202 I don't believe there ever was a volume control, but I could be wrong. If the shell had been replaced, why wouldn't the volume control have been attached to the new shell? Another mystery?? It looks as if it may be missing some of the RailSound parts and it may of been a repaint because the inside is the same color as the Santa Fe car and the Canadian Pacific 6-17300 car???? So you got me on this one best I can do, sorry and best of luck. http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Lionel+6-17300&_sacat=0&_odkw=e-+bay&_osacat=0&_armrs=1
Here is a picture of the interior of the car. Note no volume control attached to roof of car and no evidence of wires having been cut around the speaker. This is a full 1/48 car with snap tabs that hold the body in place at each end. Same as the 6-17202 I don't believe there ever was a volume control, but I could be wrong. If the shell had been replaced, why wouldn't the volume control have been attached to the new shell? Another mystery?? It looks as if it may be missing some of the RailSound parts and it may of been a repaint because the inside is the same color as the Santa Fe car and the Canadian Pacific 6-17300 car???? So you got me on this one best I can do, sorry and best of luck.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Lionel+6-17300&_sacat=0&_odkw=e-+bay&_osacat=0&_armrs=1
Apparently, the early cars had no volume control. Here's the instruction sheet for that car, no volume is mentioned.
Boxcar with Railsounds - 1990
A baffle around the back of the speaker may increase the volume.
Many thanks for info. I have a lead on a small high performance speaker which I am going to install inside the car in place of the original one. If it works, I'll post a description of the results.
Bill,
My SantaFe 1/48 scale diesel car 6-17202 is from 1990 and that is the instructions that it came with but I found the volume control so they do have one. Just not one accessible from the outside of the car. I would not think they would NOT want people opening them up so that is why it was not mentioned.
KRM Bill, My SantaFe 1/48 scale diesel car 6-17202 is from 1990 and that is the instructions that it came with but I found the volume control so they do have one. Just not one accessible from the outside of the car. I would not think they would want people opening them up so that is why it was not mentioned.
My SantaFe 1/48 scale diesel car 6-17202 is from 1990 and that is the instructions that it came with but I found the volume control so they do have one. Just not one accessible from the outside of the car. I would not think they would want people opening them up so that is why it was not mentioned.
Bluecomet390 .... and then of course, there's mine that clearly has no volume control inside or out!
.... and then of course, there's mine that clearly has no volume control inside or out!
Well I think you already said it has the wrong shell. So chances are it already did not work when they changed it. Interesting. let us know what you find out.
Best of luck.
Since I have both steam and diesel cars this topic is important to me. I bought both Christmas 2006.
In the early 90's I bought an AF MoPac B unit with sounds and it came with activation buttons. I would like to find activation buttons for these Lionel railsound cars, but as of yet not located any.
Not hard to find on E-Bay
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=e-+bay&_osacat=0&_armrs=1&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313&_nkw=Lionel+sound+activation+&_sacat=0&_from=R40
I went to the Portsmouth Ohio Train Show before the OSU Michigan game and found one for $5! Then I checked out proper wiring. Then I noticed it is out of stock in most places I deal with. My luck with EBay is not that good.
LIONEL #610-5906-001 SOUND ACTIVATION BUTTON $9.95
This LIONEL PART #610-5906-001 SOUND ACTIVATION BUTTON is for use with Lionel AC Transformers with a horn/whistle button, or for Lionel AC Transformers without a horn/whistle button (2 buttons are required). It works with any Lionel AC Transformer except #6-4690 Type MW. Now sold out and out of stock.
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