Lionel's recent diesel horns...

Eric I have to agree with you.  The SD70 horn was my favorite too.

Hi Eric,

          If you want you can watch the product videos on the Lionel website and they demonstrate everything from sound to operation features.

Iam with you Eric, one or two locos with that horn, but not the whole fleet!

I have four new Lionel engines coming late fall and I hope the horn is not the

same!

Yep!

I agree Eric!!! I don't like the horn on my new lionel legacy C&O GP35 either but i won't sell it.  

In the Notch 6 podcast, it was stated that the GP30 will have the correct horn for each road name and the correct decorative horn on top (single chime, 5 chime, etc.), and I'd imagine that will also be true for the S2.  As for the GP35, I believe that it doesn't have the high pitched horn, it has a different horn (watch Lionel's product video for it on YouTube).

I've got the SD-70 and it does have a very good horn.  I suppose some of my otherother diesels don't have a good or a proto-typically good horn, but I haven't noticed and frankly I don't like my SD-70 any more of less because of its horn. It occurs to me in fact I did not even check if the horn works on my new LC+ GP-7.  

 

All of this mostly because horn and whistle sounds aren't that important to me - I seldom operate either.  But I know they are to others, though, and I hope for that reason Lionel pays attention for their sake. 

 

When it comes to sound, what I want in diesels is good dynamic engine sounds.  doesn't have to be authentic (I've never actually heard most of them that I have as models in the real world) but I want a 'detailed' sound that changes with what the loco is doing.  My favorite is the Legacy U30C - at idle I can hear valves opening and closing (and I don't even know if the loco had valves - if it was a two- or four-cycle engine) - it is a fantastic, detailed sound that changes dynamically as flips out of idle.  Very cool.  

 

Frankly I think Lionel is focusing on that more than horn sounds.

 

 

I don't know why Lionel "seems" to shelve some of their better soundsets? Some of their best steamer whistles were offered in TMCC and would without a doubt be home runs in quillable form.

 

The last TMCC GP 30 offered before legacy was introduced had fantastic horns, that had a bit of squeal the instant the button was pressed and started in a single chime until the horn received full air pressure and the other chimes kicked in.

 

IMO Even the prime mover sounds are fuller:

 

Not my video.

 

I have only touched the surface of air horns. Most are 3 or 5 chime chords, that do get out of tune. I guess Lionel recorded a lame horn or the frequency response of the speaker doesn't handle the lows. Some engineers use their own horns and take it with them when off duty. I still can't determine which horn is installed when new. A customer specified item? Most EMD GP38-2's that I see in service have 3 chime horns.

 

Visit this site and enjoy some nice Leslie and Nathan 3 and 5 chime horns. Check out collection and sound library.

 

A Leslie S3L sample is attached and a Nathan K3LA, one of the more common horns in use.

 

There's no excuse for a lame sound file. Plenty of good horns still in service to record.

I have the earlier Legacy GP30 along with the GP35 and the SD40. They all have different horns. There nothing to dislike about any of em.. 

Love running all three lashed up together.

Each has a slightly different start up time and different engine sounds as they begin moving ou but I wish the option existed with legacy to start each engine individually in a lashup. 

Even without that option, I cannot say enough good things about how cool they run and sound together..

Joe

 

 

I totally agree.  A variety of horns is needed.  Same for the voice of engineer.  Don't get me started on the same two crew members that occupy all of my steamer's cabs...lame.

I have the the SD40 and and GP35 from the 2013 catalog in the Chessie road name.  Both horns are identical and I too am not very fond of them.  I was thinking about getting the  C&O E8  that is coming out but backed off when I heard the same horn on previous runs of that engine.

Both the UP and BNSF have some awesome horns on their new SD70's. Lionel needs to record them. I'm not sure what manufacture the horns are, but they are LOUD!