Steam Engine question

Heres one!

Sorry to say, the only such model I know of recently, is the Kohs UP 2-Rail SCALE Challenger (4-6-6-4), which also has twin motors and reportedly 2 sound systems. But then the price is approaching $10,000!

I have not seen a "modern era" 3-Rail steam locomotive model with full sound in the boiler. I do know that Lionel offered a Legacy UP Challenger some years ago, that had an additional speaker mounted someplace in the boiler but, I don't know how that worked.

The Standard Gauge Lionel Hiawatha and Commodore Vanderbilt are set up that way, but I'm not aware of any 0 gauge locomotives except for tank engines - and all the tank engines I can think of just have a whistle and bell, not full sound. 

If you are only looking for the sound to come from the engine rather than the tender, I would think that someone skilled in installations could move the speaker from the tender to somewhere inside the engine, while leaving the electronics in the tender. If everything has to be in the engine, that would be harder because only a big articulated might have enough room for the electronics. The Standard Gauge engines are big enough to fit TMCC electronics and a nice big oval speaker in the engine without using the tender at all. 

Actually there is no sound, all i have in the tender are 3 lights, 2 side red lights and a reverse light, all i really want is a **** whistle lol..

But THAT wasn't your original question.

yea, im tired dont mind me lol

You must be REALLY old to have seen the Wabash Cannonball go over the Kankakee River powered by a Wabash steam locomotive!

I was gonna say, pelago looks rather spry in that avatar picture to have been around during that time. 

Good topic.  Realizing that engines are often pretty filled up with other stuff, I'd like to see our manufacturers place the speaker at the front of the tender facing forward.  Most tenders have doors that separated the coal pile from the cab of the engine.  Those doors could h ave holes in them to transmit the sound forward and I velieve that it would sound like the engines is making the engine noise.

My biggest problem with engine sounds is when the engine is coming through a tunnel that goes into the next room.  The engine sounds don't appear until the engine is well into the room.   the forward facing speaker would improve this odd misgiving of the sound.

Paul Fischer

Really, if you have wiring between the loco and tender, there's no reason why the speaker can't be mounted right behind the smokebox lid. Such a shame that none are.

well,,   mly dad said it was and that was 1949 if i remember and it was for sure steam

maybe it wasnt the original cannonball but wth, i remember it like it was yesterday

in those days there was actually fish in that river, fish you could eat

is there an aftermarket option i could tap into those wires and put something in?

So, your avatar photo is a fake then? You sure don't look like you are over 65!

"So, your avatar photo is a fake then? You sure don't look like you are over 65"

so what is the deal?  why the gd 3rd degree, yeah i am over 65 and i hope you do not have a problem with that, the avatar is from Hill 327 near DaNang in 1965

Lionel's new Big Boy has one speaker in the boiler and twoin the tender. But, then, it's a mighty big locomotive.

With smaller engines, and if you have to have smoke, I think adding a speaker in the boiler will be pretty tough.

I don't use smoke in my locos. Cruds up the finish and some people object to the odor, even when it smells like chocolate cookies...

Without the infernal smoke unit I think you could put a smaller speaker in the boiler and a big, bass speaker in the tender, with some primitive crossover to tie them together.

RickO,

Thanks for posting the video of the 765. That video is fantastic! A spectacular piece of railroad, fantastic shots of the 765 in a world of vibrant foliage and color, and spectacular photography. That is by far the best steam train video I have ever seen. Wow, wow, wow........

That "Big Berk" is a fantastic steam engine, and I give the Berk high praise by commenting that it shares a pedestal with the New York Central's J1 Hudsons, the most iconic steamers on the planet!

Parts of the video show leaves falling caused by the exhaust from the 765. Anyone think about modelling this effect?

a question regarding the tracks on the video

I have never seen tracks laid, never seen any pulled up,  reality never seen much railrroad work done at all         

so here goes                

Curves, were the tracks bent?  if they were how did that occur? Or where they bent at factory and delivered with X dgree of curve?  Always wondered about that   

Thanks for the video

Brent

All railroad rail comes out of the Rail Rolling Mill in straight sections, usually 39 feet long. Today's CWR (Continuous Welded Rail) is produced at welding plants, and they weld the 39 foot "stick rail" pieces together in order to make one mile long "ribbon rail", which are carried on special "rail trains".

All rail is laid out on the right-of-way, and then installed later. The "Steel Gangs" simply anchor one end of the rail and slowly bend it into place & spike it down. It really isn't all that difficult to bend the rail into place, since the REAL RAILROAD doesn't have curves as sharp as model railroad layouts.