Lionel Blue Comet Whistle

Yes. I hear that all the time. I'll take the '57 Chevy anyway.

The thing that drives me crazy is that the TMCC version has such a beautiful sounding whistle.  Why on earth did they not use it in the Legacy?

Another wonderful illustration as to why I seldom pre-order anything.

It's funny, out of all the features in today's trains, the whistle has to be the most important. Kids love them. Adults love them. Just about every O gauge train comes with a whistle now days.

 

There are certain locomotives where the whistle really represents the engine. The American Freedom Train, Big Boy, Y6B and the Blue Comet are some examples. The whistles for these engines don't have to be exact but they need to be very close and demonstrate there unique sound. 

 

I think Lionel was trying for that deep steamboat whistle sound, but they totally missed the mark. Close your eyes and listen to that whistle on Ben's engine. I don't hear the Blue Comet.

"Close your eyes"

You gotta close your eyes when you hear that whistle or you'll cry !

That has got to be the worst sounding locomotive of any kind.

Lucy, you got some 'splainin to do.

Scrappy

I guess we could start a petition addressed to Lionel.  Basically, if they would at least offer us a sound chip upgrade for the whistle with the assumption that its for self installation for a fair price, I would go for that. I doubt Lionel would do that for free, but I would be willing to replace the sound chip myself.

Mike could make a mini video of how to replace the sound chip you could follow along with. Included in the kit would be the replacement chip, a cheap chip puller, and a link to the video.

"Close your eyes"

You gotta close your eyes when you hear that whistle or you'll cry !

 

 

Please! I would rather be waterboarded then hear that again..

A good case for torture.

Joe

 

Paul,

I would be willing to pay for a new chip with more realistic whistle.  The chips are not tough to change, just need to make sure you don't bend the pins.

 

The best part of Lionel showing the product videos is being able to hear the whistle or horn on a product you may be interested in.

 

I did exactly that with the blue comet and the whistle turned me off from going out to purchase one.

I can change a sound chip...I was just speaking in general.  You are also correct about being careful not to bend pins pulling out the old one and putting in the new one.  You never know if one day, the new chip will fail and you will at least have a spare.

I would not hold your breath for a new sound chip though.  My advice is get used to it, or don't buy it.  I'm going with the first option unless I hear Lionel is offering an upgrade which I would be willing to pay for.

I think that's very sound advice(No pun intended)
What would really be nice is for them to program several different whistles in that chip you could select from. Might make it a little easier to bare when you get a crappy one.

David

What all you owners of "The Blue Comet" loco should do is contact LIONEL in Ohio and request a "Return Authorization" to repair the incorrect sound set on the loco' chip. If they do not want to co-operate, then sent Gerry Calabrese an e-mail about it and demand it be repaired. Remember, you can always go to "Channel 7 ON Your Side, for action!

Sorry, but I do not agree with that scenario.  Mike Reagan and his crew at the Lionel Service Center in Ohio are not responsible for the sound set or anything else originally installed in the locomotive (assuming, of course, that all the new Blue Comet locomotives have this same whistle).  That is the responsibility of Lionel's product development folks and their liaison/interaction with the overseas manufacturer.

 

If you already have the locomotive and are not satisfied with the whistle sound, you likely would be better off sending a politely worded and businesslike letter to the Lionel offices in New York.  THAT is where all major product manufacturing decisions are made.  I suppose an e-mail would work, but that's not the route I would take and I definitely would NOT recommend calling by phone.  However, I would be sure to include full contact information, including an e-mail address and phone number, in my correspondence.

 

I have no idea how easy or difficult it is to replace sound components, but it sure doesn't hurt to ask and to make your concerns known.  I imagine that if enough people inquire, there likely will be some corrective measure discussed and taken.  You can be sure that Lionel and all the makers of these costly products value their customers and are anxious to keep you in the fold.

 

And for those who are on the fence about buying the locomotive...well, you'll have to decide for yourself if the whistle sound is a deal-breaker.  It IS a very attractive locomotive (lucky for me it's a bit out of my price range).

OMG! It's been a while since I ran my original 831 Blue Comet that was the "Limited edition, never to be done again...blah blah. And for a moment I thought Ben Picked up one of them. I now see it's the new run! You think it would only get better. Well, I fired up the old girl and it has the deep steam boat whistle tone that I'm now glad I have the original run.

 

Who's watching the chicken coop over in China, is there ANY quality control?

 

Sorry to hear about it Ben. ... SAM

I did find this.

 

"Thank You"  Mr. Miller for toning down my suggestion with one that is more proper to a CEO of a Company.  My intent was to get these guys to quite complaining  ONLY, and get to the work of telling the right people that things are NOT RIGHT ! I don't think Channel 7 would even look at this situation as worthy of there time.  That being said, it is my opinion that Mr. Calabrese is out of the loop when it comes to things that are wrong OR he is just not listening ! Perhaps he is too busy running around Asia trying to find the next factory to produce LIONEL TRAINS for the next catalog, and does not have time to listen to our "GRIPS".  I feel for Mr. Reagan and the difficulty that he has to try and placate the masses when things go wrong.  So again, Guys - please TELL LIONEL about your displeasure, and remind them that they are supposed to be the leader in the train world!

NJJOE, My earlier one is close to the prototype sound bite you have above, so, they got it right once but not this round. Dennis M's point is well taken.

 

SAM 

Hey Sam. I found the bacon give me a call

Had posted earlier that I was torn between the Lionel and the expected (?) MTH Blue Comet.  Based on the info posted here, I think I'll wait until I can hear and look at both.  The old MTH Premier Blue Comet has a whistle that sounds pretty good to me.  

 

Thanks for all the information, guys.

Ron, the newbie.

I've been around a lot of steam locomotives and heard a lot of steam whistles in my time. I have never heard a steam whistle sound like that. That sounds like a 2-note diesel horn. There are only 2 notes in that horn, sounding at an interval of a minor 3rd.  I don't know what it is, but it sure ain't a steam whistle!

 

That HAS to be a mistake in the production of the sound chip.

Is there any company that makes aftermarket sound chips that you could swap out with?

Just make Lionel aware of this forum thread and the "tarnish" they are taking on what is otherwise a beautiful engine with a flawed whistle, and they may hopefully react.

I'm amazed at the folks here who indicated they'd actually PAY Lionel to produce a "corrected sound chip" fix.  As bad as that whistle sounds, I'd sure hate to have it fixed on MY dime.  That would only send the wrong signal to Lionel upper management that they can continue to slack off on the quality control in China, and we consumers would either be none-the-wiser... or worse yet, we'd very much be aware of what's going on and willing to pay MORE $$$ to have something corrected that should have been done right in the first place -- especially for a $1K locomotive. 

 

That's gotta be some type of production error that didn't get caught -- probably by the same QA team that allowed the BNSF Ice Cold Express feefers out the door that short out when uncoupled.    Yes... it sure looks like QA is spotty at best these days.  And one team over there is clearly asleep at the switch. 

 

Here's the two whistle tones from the TMCC version.

That Lionel TMCC whistle on the 831 is fantastic!  I'm so jealous with my Blue Comet Diesel horn...

Lionel, please correct this production miss.

Now that sounds good!!  Can't believe the new one is so messed up

This has been a great Thread. Now I am thinking that I have one of Lionel's Future collectable's. A steam Locomotive with a diesel horn. So here is my plan. When most of you folks have the whistle changed, on this already sold out engine, I am going to leave mine stay as is and this will make it more desirable to future collectors. Lionel's first steam locomotive with a diesel Horn.  All Original, an Icon in the making. (now be nice folks).

Has it been established that the whistle sound affects all three recently released models--Southern Crescent, Chicago & Alton, and Blue Comet?  In reading two different threads, there appears to be some conflicting information/views about which versions have which whistle.

Allan

It sounds like the Crescent has the correct whistle.  I haven't seen anybody with the Alton comment on it yet

Good news is that with the new Legacy boards from what I understood, the sound set is easier to change via the service center.  So there could be a possible "fix" to the whistle.  Me, now that it's been identified, I would wait and see what actions if any Lionel might take to solve the issue instead of piling on.

 

Since I do not own one of these, is it possible it has 2 whistle sets like the S3?

 

 

That is good news.  I for one am not piling on.  What I really want to know is who are the correct people to contact so that we make sure Lionel is aware of this and we have a better chance of a fix coming.  I've emailed 2 people at Lionel but no response so far.

Contacting the right people is definitely the first and best step.

 

I will not speak as to whether it can be done 100% but it was my impression with the new boards, that it is easier to make changes.  Of course this would be a pretty big undertaking with the amount of product. I am sure Lionel is well aware of the issue because they do read the board so I would think giving them a little time might be helpful.

 

It's quite possible there is nothing that can be done.

 

Only if this was DCC then this whole thread wouldn't even be here.
David

As I mentioned on an earlier post Marty, "worst case" (obviously the crewtalk would be incorrect) but, if the extra sound chips were available would'nt it be a matter of pulling the comet chip and putting the crescent chip in its place? Aren't the electronics basically the same aside from the legacy sound chip?

I don't work or speak for Lionel so take what I say with a grain of salt.

 

But it was my impression from what I have heard that the new Legacy boards, with sequence control, are able to be programmed including sound.  I could be 100% wrong and heard something incorrectly.

 

I would wait for some word from Lionel.  They may likely will tell you I am full of baloney.

Why?  What purpose does that serve outside of Lionel?

 

I would still love to know who ok'd the sound set in the first place.

Allen's advice is spot on and what we all need to do.  Those that are discontented (pretty much all of us here) with The Blue Comet "diesel horn" need to write a polite and businesslike letter to Lionel's New York office.  If they receive enough letters, I'm sure they will have a TSB and supply a fix for us. Who to address the letter to, is the question?  If I can't figure it out, make it out directly to Gerry.

In my letter, I going to state my displeasure, but reference this forum and pick out some choice quotes.  The important point is to state succinctly that you bought or are willing to buy The Blue Comet and are extremely disappointed with the "whistle" and to clearly mention what you expect or want Lionel to do about it.  Any thing else that supports your opinion is fine after that, but the first paragraph or two should be the heart of the matter.

Always go to the horses mouth....doesn't do much good to go to the other end.
Although they may call him that from time to time.

David

I sent a message to Talk to US and Lionel Service/Support.

 

Here is their response.

 

Sean,

I do apologized we have forwarded this information on to our director, at this time we have no resolution. When there is a resolution available it will be posted on the main page of lionel.com.

Sorry

Lionel