GG-1 Question Please

I think you'd have to get, or build, an external device.  You ought to identify the brand and model number of the loco if you want sound, precise advice.

As RJR says, giving the mfr and model number of the GG-1 will help, but, in a feeble attempt to help....

From the earliest days, whistle actuation was accomplished by injecting a small amount of DC voltage onto the tracks, which are normally powered by AC. The motors in all of our trains work on either AC or DC, so they don't care.  Sorry, but I don't know which way the polarity was arranged for whistles. Not extremely important for my simple explanation.

When bells came about along with newer electronics, we needed a way to invoke two separate sounds. So, all they did was reverse the DC polarity for the bell.  As an example, (dunno which way is true, so just go with it...), if DC+ were applied to the center rail, the whistle would blow, and if DC- were applied, the bell would ring.

All hope is not lost for you, though.  There are sound activation buttons available that allow you to add the second sound relatively inexpensively, if you did not want to replace the ZW-R or get a different train. Some even came with the earlier bell-equipped loco's in the 1990 timeframe because most transformers only had one (whistle) sound function.

Lionel  5906 will solve your problem. With black wire hooked up to the transformer output, the bell is activated; red wire gives whistle or horn.  

You can also build a whistle/bell button for little money.  Here's one I put together some time back.

Guns,

   Now that is one great little horn/bell control set up! 

Ponz,

   Got to tell ya this however, in all the time I road the passenger trains pulled by the real GG1's here in Pa, they only used the big horn, never heard the bell even in the stations as we traveled back and forth to Fort Dix.  I am not even sure the real GG1's had an operating bell, if they did it was used very seldom.

PCRR/Dave

I was a railroad conductor out of Penn Station from 74 though 87.  I spent a good portion of my life climbing up and down the ladders of GG-1s. They had operations bell sounds.

BTW - I hired on the Penn Central

Ponz

I ran the GG-1 for GONERAIL!!!...never moved in a station without bell ringing!!!  Early bells were brass located under loco...operated by air!!!

The schematic for the bell/whistle controller is here.

Larry

That's the fancy one Larry, it has a fuse and a TVS too.

John, you're going to have to update your box now...

For those that may want to build a box, here are the diodes to use, and the TVS is here.

Larry

Ron & Ponz,

   This is great what did the Bell sound like, I never did get to hear it?  Did it sound like a newer Diesel bell or one of the old Steamer Bells?

PCRR/Dave

I recall the GG-1 as having a rather anemic horn.

RJR,

   I do not think the real GG1 had an anemic anything!

PCRR/Dave

I can recall driving alongside them on the NJTP in Secaucus, and could barely hear them.  Also, my sister lived in Metuchen, near the mainline, and the horns were not particularly loud.

Trust me - the engineers I worked with pulled sparingly on the horn. You had to. It was earth 'rumbling' if you laid on it all the way for very long.  It was a different sound than the electrics.  It was operated by compressed air along as was the bell.

.

On another note, if I may - I've been scarfing up old 027 track (various curves).  Every now and then I'll spring for new......  A lot of the cheap, old, missing pins and dirty track will need a good cleaning when the time comes (bigger house down the road).  What is the easiest way to clean it aside from rubbing each piece down?  I was hoping there was some kind of solution I could just soak them in, then air or alcohol dry?!??

Thanks a lot for chiming in guys!

Ponz

Ponz, so it wasn't just on-off.  The engineer could control volume?  That would explain it.

I think I just burned up a brand new sound activation button.

I ordered a couple of used ones from a guy on this thread, but he seems to have disappeared!  I sent him cash too!

Where did Richard Cuozzo go?

Ponz

He's still around, posted yesterday evening: https://ogrforum.com/profile/2415514336328405

He may be on his way to York.

Bill

I hate to sound stupid - please tell me about York!

Ponz

Big show. Gotta be a TCA member. ?

Burned up a couple ? Sure its the buttons? How many motors in the GG-1? Pulmores?

Two pulmores under load may be more amps than that can handle.

  A single diode alone vs "a bunch" can be used similarly if you don't mind a small voltage drop. For a bell, your normally not moving anyhow, because your just starting, or your slowing down. Go to a 10amp stud diode, and thicker wire to be real "safe".

 Even on post war whistles, the 5v boosts aren't always welcome. Post war whistles wont care if you use the new "no boost button", or the transformers with the 5v boost.