Just a horn for a GG1

Not many options left after your list. I think Lionel has horn (and bell) only circuit board used in their old conventional classics series.  You would have to buy the speaker and hardware also. Also their horn only board used in the 80'-90' starter set engines.  Another possibility is Dallee electronics. They may have a horn only board.

There's always the ERR Electric Locomotive board.  If you add a RS/SS switch to it, you get a basic horn/bell board.  It also has a pretty correct horn for the GG-1.  You can also run with the full RailSounds and get the electric motor sounds.

Of course! My starter set Lionel RS-3 has a separate horn board! I already fried the e-unit in that one by pinching some wires after adding a second motor, so I installed a bridge rectifier and kept the horn board in that engine...

I pulled the horn out of the RS-3 and installed it in the GG1. It works, but it’s too quiet to really satisfy me... I might have to experiment with some more efficient speakers... if that doesn’t work I’ll have to explore some of the other options you guys mentioned...

Even a crude baffle will help.

Chuck is so right!  The difference between a bare speaker and one with a baffle (even a old spray can lid) has to be heard to be appreciated!

I’ve been into audio for decades, I’m well aware of the effects of a good baffle/enclosure. I’ve got a baffle in this engine. My opinion is that it’s a very low power amp and a lousy excuse for a speaker...

Yes, the difference between a speaker just hanging in space and one with a proper baffle is huge!

The GG-1 horn is pretty unique... Not pretty; a "blat". The original does a decent job for what it is 😁

 I like my K-line GG a lot. And FYI,  It may be "tmcc ready" as is, too (wired&plugs)

It would have a decent horn, and the provision for TMCC... if it had the original electronics. At some point someone replaced the electronics with a Williams reverse board (according to the seller). I should have taken a picture of the reverse board when I had it apart for identification purposes...

I’m not too concerned about what reverse board it is, it seems to be working just fine... if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?

Popped the shell back off to try some different speakers. No improvement noted. Took a pic of the reverse board while I was in there...

Looks like a standard Williams relay based reverse board.

I don't see a sound board of any kind.

Thanks! I’ve heard that Williams has a good reputation for reliability, so hopefully I won’t have any issues with it... I do wonder why the original electronics were replaced, but it runs perfect now so I’m not gonna worry about it too much...

Turns out that the missing link to decent horn volume is a short piece of toilet paper tube... I originally had a baffle, but it wasn’t completely sealed. I read somewhere here of someone using toilet paper or paper towel tube as baffles, and a light bulb lit up in my head! The speaker from the starter set was a perfect fit in a t.p. tube. I was able to make a completely sealed baffle, and the difference in volume is (as predicted) significant. My GG1 now has a suitably loud horn!

Proper speaker baffles make a huge difference in both the sound quality and volume.  It boggles the mind that many locomotives still don't include them.

Can some of you guys post some images of your homemade speaker baffles?  Would love to see them.  I've got a K-Line GG1 that I would love to add a horn to.

On the right is 2" thinwall PVC pipe cut to size on a bandsaw.  I just hot-glue it to the speaker and then cover the top with a cardboard or Styrene cutout.  I just make a small notch in the base to run the wires out.

Center is a spray can lid cut down to size.

On the right are speaker spacers, this lifts the speaker up slightly so the edges of the cone don't hit the chassis and create distortion and buzzing in the sound.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

On the right is 2" thinwall PVC pipe cut to size on a bandsaw.  I just hot-glue it to the speaker and then cover the top with a cardboard or Styrene cutout.  I just make a small notch in the base to run the wires out.

 

Pardon my ignorance, but regarding the "cover the top with a cardboard", does that mean the rear of the speaker is facing the cardboard?  

The speaker is facing down with holes for the sound through the chassis.  The baffle is placed over the rear with the magnet inside.  The cover is glued to the top to seal the enclosure.

Truthfully, it doesn't make much difference which side of the speaker you baffle, the object of the exercise is to keep the sound waves from one side from cancelling out the sound from the other side.  In free air, you loose a lot of volume and most of the bass.

I hasten to add, there is a whole science to determine the optimum size and shape of speaker baffles, but almost any baffle is a huge improvement over no baffle.  I've found in my experiments that for common 2" speakers, a baffle a couple inches high (if space if available) is pretty good.  Usually, I have to go a little shorter to fit it in the tender.

Diesels are a whole different ballgame, it depends on where the speaker is.  For tank mounted speakers, I just try to seal the openings of the tank through the chassis.  For chassis mounted speakers, you can sometimes get a short baffle on, but frequently that's not happening.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

The speaker is facing down with holes for the sound through the chassis.  The baffle is placed over the rear with the magnet inside.  The cover is glued to the top to seal the enclosure.

 

I don't know anything about speaker science, so I drew this side-view diagram of what I think you're saying.  Do I have it right?

Yep, the wires can come out anywhere, I typically take them out next to the speaker, but that's strictly optional.

I’ll post more pics tonight of the install in my GG1!

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Yep...

Thanks a bunch!

Here’s the pics... the horn board and speaker are from a Lionel starter set RS-3  6-28844... I think that’s the part number for the engine. It’s the conventional engine with horn only... I hot glued the sound board in it’s original bracket to the chassis just behind the rear motor. I tied the power and ground for the board into the wires from the rear power truck/pickup roller. Make sure red goes to the roller, and black to the ground... I then made the baffle out of a toilet paper tube cut so that it was the same height as the magnet on the speaker. I hot glued the speaker to the tube, and the assembly to the roof of the body in the center. This way the tube is sealed to the body. 

My engine does not have the original reverse board, so things may be packaged differently in an all original engine... make sure there is clearance between the speaker and the reverse board and wiring...

Hope this helps!

Just in case anyone noticed- I do know the tab for the trailing truck came out of its slot... I fixed it...