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I have two f units that run but there is supposed to be sound but when I apply power to track and push the button in the only thing that happens is the trains speed increases but dosnt make a noise for the horn. Could my transformer be tge issue or the train itself

Item number k- 21811 on the box that held the boxes of the engines.

Anyone know why? The only thing that dosnt work is horn

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Guessing those are K-Line Alcos.  Kooljock gave the right answer. Made that mistake many times. Just connect the wire currently connected to the center rail to the outer rail and the wire currently connected to the outer rail to center rail.

I saw your separate post about upgrading these units. Electric Railroad (ERR) components are available from 3rd Rail trains to convert your locos from conventional control to Lionel Train Master Command Control (TMCC). Not a cheap endeavor if you're going t pay someone to do the work, especially if you want diesel railsounds, directional lighting, and electrocouplers in the powered unit and dummy. Could easily be $300. Plus you'll need the remote and the TMCC Command Base which, on the used market, will likely set you back another $150. Legacy bases and remotes are even more.

If you're going to build a O Gauge empire, all that might not be a bad way to go. If you're simply looking to have a few engines for seasonal use, I'd suggest looking into simpler and lower cost options before pursuing an upgrade.

One would engines from the MTH family using its DCS but instead of going full DCS, use DCS "lite" (my term) with the Remote Commander. Simple set up.

Second option would be Lionel's Lionchief Plus with or without Bluetooth.  Lionel made the Alco FAs like yours recently in LC+. Comes with a dedicated remote control or you can use the LC universal remote. With LC+, there's no computer to connect to the track; all electronics are on board in the engine.

On a ZW, the "U" terminal goes to the outside rails and the "A/B/C/D" terminals (whichever one you are using) feed the center rail. If you have it connected this way and the engine just speeds up when you try to blow the whistle, the whistle diode in the ZW is bad...a very common problem.

If you purchase an OGR Digital Subscription, you will have access to the OGR Video Library. In that Library, Jim Barrett shows you how to replace that whistle diode. It's not a difficult process. The diode replacement procedure starts about 3 minutes into the video.

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