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My 326 Hudson was purchased used at a train meet over 35 years ago and the air chime whistle was absent when I purchased it.  Given that the reverse unit has been replaced and rewired twice and the armature had been rewound, the smoke unit has been rebuilt, and the paint has been touched up, I figure that it's collectible value is nil, so I chose to upgrade it with one of the new Dallee "Postage Stamp" steam sound units that provide a whistle and a bell. 

Doug Peck sent me the unit and it was "easy peasy" to set up for running on AC, just wire the unit to the front and rear trucks in the tender, plug in an 8 ohm speaker and program which whistle or bell you desire  However it will work with DC, DCC or even Radio control  Here is a link to the instruction sheet https://www.dallee.com/PDFs/Hi...eam-Instructions.pdf

It really is a great upgrade and is just plain easy to do, so if you just hate the sound of the "Air Chime Whistle" ( see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUWCebaeSCc ) or you want to add a whistle and bell to a locomotive that came without them,  give this a try.

LittleTommy

 

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I was reluctant to post the company produced video. lest I sound like I am "shilling" for the company, but here it is.  https://youtu.be/Rm3Uk3q-2o8 

About 45 seconds into the video you will see a pair of repainted AF K5's and (you will have to take my word on this) what I hear on the speakers on my computer is a good representation of what the whistles and bells sound like on my installation.

With any sound system, of course, you have to be sure the speaker is baffled and mounted so that no metal interferes with the excursion of the speaker.   

Anyway, having put up with NO whistle or bells in this engine and having installed OTT, ITT, Electric Railroad Company and Williams True Blast sound modules before, this was one of the easiest and the best sounding installations yet, and it preforms very well.

LittleTommy

 

 

 

Thank you.  I saw that Dallee posted video.  Good to know the sounds (whistle and bell) from the Stamp are the same as those from the full-featured HiLine unit (with chuff, etc.) which is what the video shows.  Glad also that you're so pleased with the outcome.  Definitely worth considering, especially with how much not like a whistle the AF Air Chime whistle sounds.  Gilbert may have taken some liberties with that, but real air chimes are sometimes referred to as air chime whistle horns and sound a lot more like a diesel horn than a whistle.  Ergo AF ACW's essentially sound the same as their diesel horns -- buzz, buzz.  Do a search for airchime on YouTube and you'll get to see and listen to some real ones.  Thanks again.  Always helps to know about the latest.  

I did the same with my 326 Hudson and my 336 Northern.  I agree, easy and sounds good; great sound option for those who don't want to convert their ACG locos to DCC or TMCC.  Also, do not need a specific controller.  I use buttons on my CW-80, lever on my CAB2 remove, or even the whistle lever on my post war Lionel KW transformer.

Last edited by Chuck K

Thanks for your recommendation. We strive in showing you what your buying and have done so over the years. As with most sound unit installations, the speaker and proper baffling / mounting determine a lot in how they will sound. We strive in carrying speakers that reproduce the sound to it's best for their sizes. All of the HiLine™ sound systems have selectable sounds. The full featured units also have volume adjustments for each sound as they are selected. The HiLine™ STAMP unit has the same Horns/Whistles and Bell sounds as their counterpart Full Featured HiLine™ sound unit. Again, glad you liked your purchase.

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