Lionel Blue Comet Whistle

Yeah I agree with you that that isn't a nice sounding whistle. I don't like it either. The Southern Cresent Pacific has the Milwaukee Road S3 whistle which is just awesome. I don't understand why Lionel wouldn't put the same whistle for all of them.

 

You could always change out the sound boards for a better whistle. 

 

That may just be how it really sounded.

Romiller

Sounds like a diesel horn to me, too.  Do they all sound like this, or is yours a factory error, or did they intend to put that sound set in?

 

Andy

I have the Southern Crescent and it sounds like a whistle - deep, not quite as deep as big big ocean liner perhaps, and not shrill or high pitched at all, but definitely a whistle. 

 

Unlikely.  

 

From a photo caption on page 277, The Trail of the Blue Comet by Christopher T. Baer, William J. Coxey, and Paul W. Schopp, referring to locomotive 832 on Blue Comet train #4203 (NYC to AC) in May 1929: "Note the large whistle, which had a distinctive deep steamboat sound that could be heard for miles."

That sure ain't no steamboat whistle.

 

Sounds more like a car horn.

 

Rusty

Mine sounds like that too, I wish we could change it, just not sure if the southern board would be a simple swap for the comet's?  I tried to see if part numbers are same but they only list the southern's board, not the comet's

Hey Ben,

 

I knew about your whistle issue. Stopped by at Pt Pleasant Beach Train Store and sure enough one  Lionel Blue Comet  Pacific was on display. Store staff graciously applied AC to test track--and sure enough-----the same -'blah se' sound. They were quite surprised and not happy campers. I cannot imagine this sound as prototypical.

This engine deserves a "winners" whistle--- that's attractive to most rail enthusiasts.

I hope Lionel "chimes in" on this poor sound (whistle?)  issue and comes to the rescue.

 

Floyd

Ben,

 

Doesn't matter how much you already have, new gear usually brings expectations with it; and when they are not met, the expectations, we feel...

 

Being a president and all... demand satisfaction! Have them make it right!

 

 

Rick

 

 

Thats like my Hiawatha . Not what you'd expect from a steam whistle.
I guess till things change buying any legacy engine will be take what you get.

David

Wow...if that's a steam whistle then I'm LeBron James.

 

- Mike

Well, I was happy with my Southern Crescent, just the same, and i imagine it has the same whistle.  Great runner, beautiful model - as the Blue Comet is.  I have no idea what the actual whistles on these locos sounded like.  I do agree on what I would like them to sound like, but they don't come close - and that is really my fault, not the loco's, because . . .  what was the actual sound they had?   To me it sounds like a big, deep, steamboat type whistle, not a diesel horn.  Regardless, is it accurate and prototypical? Not a clue here.  But I just don't want to know if it wasn't: I like the loco too much . . . 

I found this thread on the same topic. It does sound terrible.

 

https://ogrforum.com/d...ent/5512461230401240

Ben

sound is terrible, next open house run it w/o the whistle

So...any suggestions on how we can convince Lionel to correct the whistle on the 2012 Catalog Poster Boy?  As anwonder of both this engine and the 2001, I can tell you the whistle on theprevious model sounded a lot like the prototypical "steamship" whistle. 

 

Come on Lionel...please fix this and make the Blue Comet the special engine it should be. 

Well I see you got the smoke to come out of the whistle.

Jim D.

That's a diesel horn for sure!

Sounds like a goat bleating.

 

Scrappy

At least it wasn't only me that thought this   Was getting worried.  The engine had a few problems out of the box  One was the smoke coming out of the whistle.  After playing around I got that to work   The other problem is that it stops on most Ross switches.  Jim D took a look and found that of the three pick-up rollers only two were connected and since they are close together they stop on the gaps.  Its probably going in for service for that but maybe I can bribe Mike Reagan to change that whistle

Ben,  Those palm trees are good, homemade or commercially available please?

Sam

We have thousands of them if you want any.  They are 1.50 each   Come in three sizes

Just when you think you have the real one LOL.
The horn from the 69 Road Runner was a re make . Its the exact same horn found on the fender,under the hood of my 1947 Willys Jeep.

Beep Beep


David

Rusty - I think you hit the nail on the head.  If you got a bunch of these together, you could probably replicate the sound effects of a Times Square traffic jam.  Peter

After the last run of the BLUE COMET in 1941, the locomotives were repainted black and assigned to pool service with Reading power on the QUEEN OF THE VALLEY and the HARRISBURG SPECIAL between Jersey City Terminal, Reading and Harrisburg.

 

Reading G1, G2 and G3 Pacifics had beautiful chime whistles. The G1's had a slightly lower pitch. G1 whistles were used on early Iron Horse Rambles. They can be heard on 1961 small Rambles souvenir 33 1/3rd RPM records, now available as CD's from Semaphore. A. Alan Botto recorded that record, and he is supervising new CD's as well as a reissue of the Rambles LP album.

 

Two lesser-known LP albums were also released by North Jersey Recordings: Reading 2124: Sounds of Steam in Motion and Reading Steam: 2100 and 2124. On one track a narrator compares a G1 whistle to a slightly higher G3 whistle. They can also be heard at YouTube on videos of C&O 614 running between Hoboken and Port Jervis and on some videos of "The Four-and-a-Quarter," Reading & Northern 425. She has had a variety of whistles in the last few years.

 

Some videos of Western Maryland Shay 6 arriving and departing the station at Cass reveal that she has a C&O chime whistle that is close to a Reading chime whistle.

 

In pool service on the Reading, BLUE COMET whistles stood out. Some remember them as a steam whistle combined with a foghorn. They (or maybe one whistle) apparently sounded hoarse and discordant, like a N&W J whistle with an extremely sore throat.

 

The "diesel" whistle in the video seems way off. But the very last whistle at the end of the video may be moving in the right direction.

 

Anyone have a recording of a BLUE COMET whistle?

 

 

>>>I don't like it either. The Southern Cresent Pacific has the Milwaukee Road S3 whistle which is just awesome.<<

 

I have to agree, that whistle is just plain irritating. 

Terrible may be to kind a word.

Joe 

Uggggghhhhh! That's a bad sounding whistle.

Yes I have the same Blue Comet and the whistle sounds like yours. However your whistle smoke has a lazy release like the one in the Lionel Video. My whistle has a nice hard strong blow. Let us know how you make out with Lionel. Thank You.

I recently emailed Lionel about this issue.  Didnt' go to well. First inquiry was about an updated sound chip for the Southern Crescent for a correct Southern Long Bell Three Chime. Immediate response from Lionel was a question about my problem with the bell.  My reply was to explain the whistle issue again.  There was quite a delay in response from Lionel.  Their reply, when finally sent, was a very short note that there are no plans for any sound chip update.

Whom exactly did you email at Lionel as I would also like to send them a mail about this problem.

Yes please post who or the email to complain about this one

If Lionel does ever offer a sound chip "upgrade" or "change" even with a cost, just about everyone who bought The Blue Comet will want one.  I, for one, would want or vote a better sounding whistle too if available.

I used the "Contact Us" general product question option on the Lionel website.  Responder signed "Lionel" each time.

This same argument has come up many times with different engines in the past.

( JLC Y6B, Legacy Bigboy that I'd love changed come to mind, but there are others)

Lionel to the best of my knowledge has never responded favorably at any level to the request.. 

Joe  

Just sent my Complaint to Lionel

Then new Lionel engines are off my list  These were the first Lionel engines I bought in awhile  Pretty disappointed with this one. 

I'm trying to get the correct contact info so it doesn't go to the "generic" Talk to Us address.  I'll let everyone know if I do.

Mike Reagan <mreagan@lionel.com>

 

That should get you guys a pretty direct response. Mike always responded promptly with any issues I had, and if anyone can get a fix, he would be the guy to talk to.

 

I also agree, it sounds like the dying mating call of a whale with that "whistle"

Listened to that whistle again.

I changed my mind. It sounds worse than a goat bleating.

It sounds like the horn of a 57' Chevy in a tunnel.

Ugh.

 

Scrappy

I think some of the "details" may be being lost at the expense of high product output. Over the years most Lionel whistles have been outstanding even if they were incorrect I.E. the tmcc em1. I'd like to "think" that the electronics on these different pacifics is pretty much the same, that it would be a matter of pulling the blue comet chip and putting the crescent chip in its place. On a side note, whats the Alton sound like?