I'm replacing the leaky smoke unit on a (#6-30016 r-t-r) loco with Trainsounds. The only replacement I could locate is a 8141-50 from a SOS engine, with a resistor and contacts on the lever, and only 3 leads instead of 4 on the original. Can this be adapted w/o danger to the Trainsounds board?
Fred Crider
PS I saw the post re: this engine from 11/12/20 but I didn't see anything there re: that 4th wire absent from the SOS unit
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The train-sounds unit should all be self contained in the tender as I recall (no tether wire to the locomotive) so that shouldn't be of any worry to you. The SOS locomotives used the contacts in the locomotive to trigger the chuff sound. I believe the train-sounds units use a hall-effect sensor on one of the tender axles for that purpose.
I believe the three wires for the train-sounds unit should be a chassis ground, power (for headlight as well as the smoke resistor) and a third wire for the chuff contacts used by the SOS unit. In your case, you just need the power and ground wires. I believe the later 4-4-2's such as what you have used an LED headlight bulb which might account for the extra wires. I'm not sure how those units were wired as far as resistors for the LED since the locomotive I've done work on is an older 1990s one with the incandescent bulb socket still in use.
Thanks Jake...that should help me out.
Fred
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