Whistle/Bell controls

[Anonymous]

mgmlodi,

There is a school of thought that suggests purchasing two of the Lionel Sound Activation Buttons and connecting them so that one sounds the horn/whistle and the other sounds the bell.

When you are running Lionel post-war steam locomotives with electro-mechanical air-whistles, just use the ZW all by itself.

When you are running modern locomotives with electronic sound systems, use the pair of Sound Activation Buttons hooked up together in a special way (extremely easy) the instructions for which can be found on the Lionel website, generally as part of the owner's manual for many of their modern locomotives or RailSounds boxcars, etc.

The theory behind the use of two Sound Activation Buttons is that it is safer for the electronic circuitry in modern sound systems, including those manufactured by Williams and others.

The older "postwar" sound systems required more power to operate than the modern ones do, and the ZW (working properly) will provide this, but it might damage some modern electronics. (Emphasis on "might").

Even if no damage occurs, the speed of the train is likely to remain more constant and predictable when using the type of horn/whistle and/or bell controller that was originally designed for it.

I have put my money where my mouth is on this matter, and have not blown any modern sound systems yet, either Williams or Lionel. Also, all of my sound systems, regardless of vintage, work perfectly.

By the way, the 2- or 3-second hold-down period for some bell systems to begin ringing is normal. It takes a little "getting used to" but it works.

wolverine49

[phillyreading]

I have a Williams GP-9 with the same problem until I bought the Lionel sound activation button, also if it don't seem to work the first time try holding the button down for almost three seconds.
Lee F.

[wrmcclellan]

You need the Lionel 610-5906-001. This is a push-button that provides the DC offset necessary to trigger the whistle and bell. It goes in series with the AC hot lead from the ZW to the track. If it sounds the whistle instead of the bell, then simply reverse the leads.

This device is available directly from Lionel. Your hobby shop might have them also.

11) Part Number: 610-5906-001
BUTTON,SND ACTIVATION - COMP
Price: $ 13.00

http://www.lionel.com/CustomerService/Findex.cfm

Regards,
Roy

[mgmlodi]

Good Afternoon,
Recently I bought a Williams Berkshire with Whistle and Bell. I have an old ZW that sounds the whistle, not the bell. What do I need to add to get it to work?