Diesel Horn

[Anonymous]

Hey everyone, I am in a bit of a jam and need some help!

I now have three diesels with operating horns and I only run postwar controllers. These diesels are all from modern era Lionel, so the transformers aren't making my horns blow and I knew this...so I recently invested in a 6-5906 sound activation button. I hooked it up according to the instructions, but no horn! All it does is make the engine's e-unit go crazy.

I guess what I want to know is whether or not this sound activation button is going to make my horns blow or did I waste the $10 I spent on it? I know the thing works because I tried some different hook-ups of wiring (a no-no I know, but I had to see if the thing worked) and got something that sounded like my horn coming to life. Help!!

[brianel027]

Hi William, I don't know much about that sound activation button you bought. I know you can make up your own horn controller using a 1-1/2 volt D-size battery. And I know with the battery, polatity is ciritical. Could it be you need to reverse the wires running into your track? I also know that when using a toggle switch with a battery, you need to throw the switch quickly or you will cause the e-unit in the loco to operate. Does that sound activation unit you bought need a battery or have a plug-in power adaptor? You need to have DC current go to the track inorder to activate the horn or whistle. Maybe the thing you bought as a circuit board with a rectifier that turns the AC current from the transformer to DC current.
Since you did get the horn to work, you must have done something right along the way. Keep in mind those circuit board horns in the early 1990's locos sounds more like an electronic blurp than any kind of horn sound. I say that because you said "got something that sounded like my horn coming to life." Beleive me, those horns on your engines are just a representation of a horn. I've made much better sounding horns out of Radio Shack buzzers. You could remove the sound board and speaker from an engine and mount it on the layout under a building or something. I personally have always liked off-board sound: you don't speed up an engine by blowing the horn or whistle and on a small layout you can't tell the difference.
Also when the next train buying time comes around, consider the MRC Sound Station. For $50 you get an off-board sound unit that runs directly from wall current. You get a controller and have I think 18 sound possibilities, including bells, whistles, horn, crossing gate, diesel sounds, steam sounds, etc. Granted this is not Lionel Railsounds by anymeans, but it's easy to hook up and use. And at a fraction of the cost of equipping locos with Railsounds. Plus kids love the thing... it's a button pushing sound paradise.
brianel

[Anonymous]

First of all, thanks Brian!

Second, the soudnd I get from the button is as if the diesel horn wanted to sound, but was just too weak. The button ( Lionel #6-5906) does not require batteries. The button has a red wire and a black wire coming from it. The diagram says the red wire goes to the power terminal on the transformer (in this case I am running A and U on my transformer) and the balck wire goes to the track on a clip-on in the #1 position and then the #2 position goes to the transformer (ground). Nothing happens with this....and any combination I try afterwards results in overloading of my transformer and the overheating of my lead wires. I am very frustrated to say the least.

I am not expecting a horn like the CSX freights I have running next to my house, but I would like to hear something!

Thanks for your input Brian, I apprecaite your response!

[brianel027]

William, you're right, the wires shouldn't get hot. If you hooking it up as instructed, it's not impossible that you got a defective sound button. Try talking to your dealer and see if he has any advice or will exhange it. You could also try calling Lionel... their tech department only takes calls Wed.-Fri. afternoons I believe. You can also e-mail them at: [e-mail]

brianel