Lionel Sound Cars, What should I expect?

I can’t help you any on the sound car, but you might want to keep an eye out for the missile car Lionel did for one of the TTOS groups. It is like the 3665, but marked for MX. I don’t recall the number. I will see if I can find mine in the next couple days.

  The small missile firing offerings aren't quite powerful enough to trigger the target cars. I kinda found them disappointing in pw form. (very weak pullers too). I can't speak for the new.

Two at once? Likely would both play on any signal, but I didn't chase any stock number to even know exactly what you mean...?? 

(few folks know the new stock numbers, few will bother hunting as well.  PW info just comes a little faster than new. The total build types were far more limited.

   Look up the instructions for items at the Lionel site. Either it will say command only or any non-command whistle/bell codes will be listed somewhere in there.

 The swiveling flat car style launchers add some aim abilty to that size of rocket (they made ton of versions including Marvin the Martian Earth Desintegrator car)

The bigger 175 rocket is fun to bounce off the ceiling. (the Mercury capsule parachute version is like the old dime store paratrooper toys, only opens right sometimes, but great when it does ).  I think the Mercury sets had stronger launch springs as well.

Use a repop missile on the big ones for sure. The stiff thin plastic is like that of a ping-pong ball.

   Now go buy the rubberband powered operating submarine, a battery powered rescue boat, and a bottle of Mr. Bubble

...and leave the transformer plugged in at the layout eh? 

I don't think that the missile sound car relies on the missile firing loco for operation but they are meant to work in synch. I use mine under command control but on checking what I think is the relevant manual (excerpt attached), I see that some sounds can be triggered in conventional by horn/bell commands. Not sure that this includes the firing sound, though - manual's a bit unclear on that.

My car includes diesel sounds and the RPMs ramp up and down, which it looks like you can turn off in conventional.

My set is a lot of fun using TMCC/Legacy control. The last issue of the missile firing engine some years back was a little unreliable (firing mechanism) although in my case once I got a ZW-L it got enough juice to trigger the launches and blast my custom-made target (two politicians) to perdition. 

Hancock52 posted:

I don't think that the missile sound car relies on the missile firing loco for operation but they are meant to work in synch. I use mine under command control but on checking what I think is the relevant manual (excerpt attached), I see that some sounds can be triggered in conventional by horn/bell commands. Not sure that this includes the firing sound, though - manual's a bit unclear on that.

My car includes diesel sounds and the RPMs ramp up and down, which it looks like you can turn off in conventional.

My set is a lot of fun using TMCC/Legacy control. The last issue of the missile firing engine some years back was a little unreliable (firing mechanism) although in my case once I got a ZW-L it got enough juice to trigger the launches and blast my custom-made target (two politicians) to perdition. 

 

That helps a lot, so from this I'm guessing that two sound cars would prove to be redundant and incompatible. Beyond that I'm just going to have to get good with the horn button to make it all work

intermodalman posted:

That helps a lot, so from this I'm guessing that two sound cars would prove to be redundant and incompatible. Beyond that I'm just going to have to get good with the horn button to make it all work

Well, maybe not incompatible in the strict sense of interfering with operation but I’d guess that transformer control would trigger both at the same time, which I doubt would be a good effect. You could operate two individually with TMCC/Legacy control but that is probably surplus to requirements since they produce the same sounds.

One thing I have looked at but not actually answered is whether any of the missile firing operating cars apart from the engine can be triggered by command control. I think that the answer is probably no and indeed I am not sure whether any apart from the Minuteman boxcar can be triggered by a remote control/unloading track.

It doesn't seem like a hard modification for the single launchers. I think it could be built to be transferred from car to car at will too. "A small box and an electric "c-clamp" on a short tether" with a quick charge super cap...touch it to the rails for a charge like old Sizzlers or Zip Zap remote cars. Should be good for a few shots

  I have a tiny 12v coil from a disc player that is quite strong and about the size of a wedge bulb or bayonet bulbs base.

 That on a board driven relay; or horn/bell board or relay; or remote fob or reed switch(for uncouple track launches) and you'd be in buisiness.

 I kinda like the thought of thowing down enough munition you can't miss most of the target. About six launchers shooting at once isn't something I'd necessarily be opposed to based on the bigger is better factor alone

 One at a time for the precision work

 You can always add an off switch or turn sounds off too.  I run more of my sounds off than on.

Hey all, I don't post much so quick question. I'm wanting to document the building of the actual train so to speak but I'm not sure if it's worthy of it's own thread. Does the community generally care if two different threads are related? 

If it’s a different topic, start a new thread. That way information that is useful to someone else won’t be buried under unrelated information.

  I'll back off after this and see what happens.. (a link new one would be nice here)

   And normally I'll clean up specifics in any of the more personal threads if asked to also (mail is listed, why add much more to delete here).... But only if asked. I'm kinda funny about deleting any written word, even to save myself embarrassment.

 Stating that documentation intention in the first post usually tightens the focus in general.

  In contrasting style, look at Big Boys or Trainmans long running documentations. Tech, ideas, and common ground mix has made the treads a very interesting choice for regular reading imo.