4-6-2 Denver Rio Grand 1990

The engine you have uses the first verion of Lionel's RailSounds. Check the round rolling magnet underneath the tender on the third axle - that determines the chuffing rate sound for the engine. The constant hissing is most likely due to the magnet not rolling like it should.

Reading this brought back memories. That was the first locomotive I purchased after our move to Baltimore in late 1989. I remember my excitement when I test ran it on a small oval in the new house, even before all furniture set up. I thought the sounds were amazing. Never heard anything so realistic. Little did I know what was to follow. I just had to see it again, so I went downstairs and got it out. It pulled 18 cars rather well, with only a little bit of wheel slip, too.  This sounds just like it did when I first got it.

Amen to that Bill - the majority of my conventional equipment is Lionel LTI locomotives with the first run of RailSounds. Primitive by today's standards, but nonetheless great sounding and loaded with nostalgia.

If it is just hissing instead of chuffing, maybe the chuff switch is broken or out of adjustment.

BANDOBILL, allow me to compliment you on your camera technique. Slow, steady, smooth zooms and pans. Much better than what one generally sees on home videos.

Sounds like my Reading T-1 and my Berkshire based Pere Marquette! I, too, when I first got the T-1 set up a circle of 072 in the dining room, the cat and I reveled in "modern electronics". 

• 18000 Pennsy B-6 Switcher
• 18005 NYC 1-700E scale Hudson
• 18006 Reading T-1
• 18007 Southern Pacific GS-2
• 18009 NYC L-3 Mohawk
• 18010 Pennsy Turbine
• 18011 Chessie T-1
• 18016 Northern Pacific Northern
• 18018 Southern Mikado
• 18022 Pere Marquette Berkshire
• 18023 Western Maryland Shay
• 18024 Texas and Pacific Mohawk
• 18030 Frisco Mikado
• 18090 D&RG Pacific

Generally small amount of steamers to have this old system....

There is a way to double the chuffing rate and change the pitch of the whistle on the old railsounds boards.  It is in O-guage Railroading April 1994 Run 134 on page 49. 

I have a scan of the page but I don't know if that is something I can post. 

I did this on my Frisco mike and love it!

Nathan

RoyBoy: thanks for the nice words. Some of the credit goes to Youtube, with its "video correction" feature that gets rid of some of the shakiness.

Nathan: Thanks for the tip. I would like to increase the cuff rate. I'll see if I can find that article in the on-line archive, or some other method.

Thanks guys.  I finally had a chance to look at this.  Magnet and wheels spin just fine, it did have s few metal shavings stuck to the magnet I cleaned then off but still no chuff.  The tender does have a on off switch to turn the chuff off but leaves the whistle and bell able to still sound.  I opened the tender to check that all the wires are connected and everything looks good inside.  And  I do agree it is a very good running quite engine.

1 chuff/rev????