Anybody out there know of a way to get the sound to work on this box car? It has a place for 9 volt battery but no sound when the battery is installed. It also has feeder wire w/connector but non of my engines have a connector and would rather run this car near the end of the train. Any help would be appreciated, thanks, Bud in Texas
The power needs to come from the track. You need to get wheelsets with electrical connectors. The 9 volt battery is only for finishing a sound sequence if the power to the track is interrupted.
Jim, how would I find these wheelsets..who makes them?
Bud,
You can order electrical pick up wheel sets made by LGB to convert your Chicken Dance car. I had a similar situation with mine. I think I ordered the wheel sets from Train World, but it could have been Ridge Road Station or St. Aubins. Not sure where in Texas you're at, but if you're near one of the larger cities you might be able to find the wheel sets at a L.H.S.
I live in N.E.Tex and hate the 2 to 3 hr drive to Dallas so mostly do mail order.
dave in netex.
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Dave I'm in Hubbard, Texas..near Waco...I'll check with discount trains next time I go up to Dallas, was wondering if the battery pack(nickel cadium battery pack) that are used on the cheaper radio control trucks would work, they are rechargeable and have a connector on them that resemble the LGB connection? I could put them right in the car.
Hi, I would go with the track power its very easy to set up, pick up the trgger by using a reed switch from the chicken unit. Put reed switch under wagon and in between the track an LGB magnet, each time it passes over magnet it will trgger sound. You may have to lower reed switch nearer to the track for it to trigger. My reed switches are about an inch below base of box car.. Hope this helps
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The car was intended to get it's trigger signal voltage from the locomotive tender. You will need two 9 Volt batteries -- one inside the car, as you already know about, and one connected to the input terminals on front of the car. IIRC, the sound only cycles for about 30 seconds or so when it is triggered with a battery, though, because it was intended to be connected to the locomotive and receive some type of pulses from it.
Using the wheel set adaptation, your car will start making music as soon as you put power to the track, the 9v. battery will allow the music to continue until it cycles thru after you power down the track. Using a battery back would require some sort of trigger to start the music playing.
The wheel set conversion is easy, i've got a dvd that guides you thru it. email me and i'll talk to you about loaning it to you.
dave
I'm heading for the post office in a while to mail you the dvd I mentioned. there is also one on adding smoke to a locomotive I'm sending too, not sure if you are interested in that one but sent it anyway. You can look for them at your P.O in a couple of days.
Dave
Dave, I'll be lookin for them. I just bought a smoke unit for and old 0-4-0 I bought off eBay to fix up, modified it but needed to fix smoke unit so that dvd will come in handy. I'll let you know when they arrive, Bud
Dave, received the dvd's..will watch them this weekend and send them back shortly, thanks Bud
hello !!!...............is there any way that i could get a copy of that same dvd with track power conversion instructions ????..................i have a couple of lgb sound cars that i would like to convert, but i'm new to lgb / g scale trains.................thanks, rjl
A simple way is to have a 9 volt battery tied to a reed switch activate the track power of the sound car.
A magnet on the track would activate the sound.
And of course the backup 9 volt battery is needed to keep the sound playing after being triggered.
Metal wheels on the car and the LGB part 63193 will allow track power to feed the input terminals of the sound board.
Or LGB 67403 ball bearing wheel set. I have found that these ned regular LGB wheels for proper operation as other manufacturers wheels are a different diameter and the truck tilts at an angle making for coupling problems.
SO, I personally use the brushes with USA TRAINS wheels, or the LGB ball bearing set with the LGB metal wheel set.
There are other manufacturers of metal wheels with power pickups, NWSL, Train-LI, Gary Raymond, Jay-bee, San-val to mention a few and some advertise in Garden Railways.
rjl,
not exactly sure where, but SWMBO "put away" my copy of the
DVD, but, if you contact grinstuff, he might burn a copy for you.
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