Tell Me About The Sound Cars

These are new.  They haven't been produced before.  The previous sound cars were all command control.  These appear to be non command much like the hot box car with a simple on/off switch and manual volume control. I suspect they'll have many of the same ancillary wheel sounds without the ability to control from a remote.  That should actually work for most folks.

Thanks, Marty. Good stuff. And nice that these are being offered in a handful of road names.

Am adding these to "the list."

I'd imagine they would sound like the recent reefer cars with sound from the Vision line, maybe a bit "watered down" as they are Vision cars.

Lots of wheels squeaks, bumps, thuds, coupler bangs, etc. Really cool. I'm really tempted to get one but with my desire to keep things simple and to add less complicated electronics (although these don't appear to be that complicated), is telling me otherwise. The Vision reefer sounds were/are super cool!

They will add to the experience of a real train passing by on you rr, I love all the legacy vision line cars!

My guess is they sound just like my Visionline Reefers minus the dialogue, loading/unloading and brake sounds. If that's the case then these are going to be fantastic sounding boxcars. I plan on getting the Santa Fe and BN versions.

I hope you can turn the wheel squeak noise off like the new VL cars, otherwise these cars will NEVER leave the siding.

Gentlemen,

   I am hoping Jeff will do a review on these New Individual Sound Cars, as he did with the previous Legacy controlled ones awhile back, his video reviews are outstanding!

PCRR/Dave

Thanks to all for the follow-ups to my questions.

Really like these sound cars and will definitely be preordering the B&O Timesaver livery (one of my favorites).  May even pick up another one.

These cars look cool.  I was hoping for basic TMCC/Legacy commands though, even just volume from the TMCC/Legacy remote would have been nice.  Then as you mix them with your train, you could get hte volume correct without having to fiddle with the car itself.  Although, maybe the volume pot will be easily accessible.  

Glad lionel is making them!  

I believe that the volume control is at the bottom unlike the Vision Reefers, however because of this you can actually swap out any PS-1 boxcar frame with the base so the roadnames are only limited to your other PS-1 boxcars.  This was mentioned on the Notch 6 podcast.

I am intrigued by these sound cars. For once I may actually preorder something.

I run a small layout and have been gathering a string of Lionel PS-1 boxcars, so this is right up my alley.

Just need to figure out who to preorder from...

Finally, something I may actually buy in the year it is released.  But of course I will need to see the reviews etc.   I am so excited that I may finally end up owning something in the year it was made.

If these sound cars are as good as my Vision Line reefers (minus the remote Aux 2/Aux 7) I will add at least two or three. Spaced properly, the train sounds will be great !

I think I'd have to stick a little TMCC board in so I could kill off the sound from the remote.

So would these PS1 sound cars be totally silent when the car wasn't moving?  Would they do any start up sound when power was first applied to the track they are on that would appear odd or just wait until the wheels turned?

And BTW: That UP livery with the "SERVES ALL THE WEST" graphic was a special edition PS-1 car and tough to find. :/

Interesting question about if the cars will make sound stopped. Motion sensor?

And a TMCC board would be a proper upgrade.

I've always wanted one of those sound boards for a freight car, with the cattle sounds or braking glass, but I think this should be better if it is anything like what folks say about the vision line reefers.

Tough for me to decide which car to get...

They are nothing particularly ground breaking.  The same basic idea, if not the same circuitry, was employed back in the '90's to add RailSounds to an otherwise silent engine.  A boxcar, hooked up behind the loco, provided prime mover or steam sounds.  A cam follower cherry switch told the electronics when to ramp up and down or chuff.   Just substitute sound chips and you're upgraded to 2016.   Even if it isn't cutting edge, it's a rather clever way of disguising old tech and making it relevant.

Bruce

Gentlemen,

   Do kind a like this idea, however I think Guns has the right idea, the cars need a little more control! - from the remote.

PCRR/Dave

brwebster posted:

They are nothing particularly ground breaking.  The same basic idea, if not the same circuitry, was employed back in the '90's to add RailSounds to an otherwise silent engine.  A boxcar, hooked up behind the loco, provided prime mover or steam sounds.  A cam follower cherry switch told the electronics when to ramp up and down or chuff.   Even if it isn't cutting edge, it's a rather clever way of disguising old tech and making it relevant.

Bruce

You'd think ERR would make a kit that would allow you to do this - and even make the volume and on/off command addressable - such that it could be added to any rolling stock.  Or maybe that was made at one time and no longer is.  Although for the cost I suppose it's not much more to simply buy the Lionel PS1 and move the electronics to a different car.

Pine Creek Railroad posted:

Gentlemen,

   Do kind like this idea, however I think Guns has the right idea, the cars need a little more control! - from the remote.

PCRR/Dave

I agree.  I'd like to see an add on board that would give you on/off and volume from the Cab1/2

mopac01 posted:

So would these PS1 sound cars be totally silent when the car wasn't moving?  Would they do any start up sound when power was first applied to the track they are on that would appear odd or just wait until the wheels turned?

My best guess would be they are silent until the train moves since they are making freight movement sounds.

My Vision Reefers and my CrewTalk Santa Fe Caboose are silent when the train isn't moving (unless or course you activate command control features)

I'm sure they're silent when not moving.  The on/off will be easy, the volume control will take a bit of custom circuitry I suspect.  You need to intercept the audio and electronically control it.

I do think these are a bit more than the old RS boxcars, they have an accelerometer to sense turning to modify the sounds emitted.

I got a little excited when I saw these sound cars in the catalog, but now I think I'm over it.

Realistic sound in locomotives is great. Of course, I love horn and bell sounds. Sometimes I run full loco sound and sometimes just the horn and bell. But the trains themselves make enough noise that I have second thoughts about adding these sound cars. Sure, the toy/model train sounds might not be "true to life" scale railroad sounds, but it is still wheels rolling on rails and clicking on rail joints... Plenty of sound. So much in fact that there are multiple threads on how to deaden layout sound.

Plus, I think there would have to be multiple sound cars throughout a train to get a full scale train sound effect. Even my short 8-10 car trains would probably need two sound cars to balance out the sound throughout the train.

I do like scale PS-1 boxcars, but I'm passing on these.

These seem like a great product. I have ordered the B&O and the BAR. Great lookng cars with or without sound.

Well, you're right about one thing, you need more than one sound car in the consist to make it sound good.  So you put more than one, problem solved!

audi posted:

These seem like a great product. I have ordered the B&O and the BAR. Great lookng cars with or without sound.

Same two I ordered. Great minds!

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Well, you're right about one thing, you need more than one sound car in the consist to make it sound good.  So you put more than one, problem solved!

That is one of the reasons that changed my mind. At $100 per car and I'll need at least two... But the idea is clever and they'll probably be a good product.

It is nice to see Lionel come up with something a little bit new that isn't a giant expensive Legacy loco.

I disagree, I think one car can add a reasonable amount of sound without being overkill.

Not every flange on a real 100 car train squeals.

I have one VL reefer in this 17 car train with the caboose:

 On a side note,I would like to see some eastern reefers with sound as well as some milk cars.