wheel diameter

I'm no expert on Union Pacific, but some quick research shows that UP's Pacifics had 77" inch drivers, while UP's FEF-1 Northern also had 77" drivers and the FEF 2 & 3 had 80' wheels (like the big ATSF Northerns). However, the pitch of the whistle depends on the particular whistle used on each class of engine (or the particular recording or synthesized file that Lionel decided to use) and not on the model's driver diameter, so I am not sure why you are asking about a comparison between 4-6-2 and 4-8-4 wheel size.

@B Smith posted:

I'm no expert on Union Pacific, but some quick research shows that UP's Pacifics had 77" inch drivers, while UP's FEF-1 Northern also had 77" drivers and the FEF 2 & 3 had 80' wheels (like the big ATSF Northerns). However, the pitch of the whistle depends on the particular whistle used on each class of engine (or the particular recording or synthesized file that Lionel decided to use) and not on the model's driver diameter, so I am not sure why you are asking about a comparison between 4-6-2 and 4-8-4 wheel size.

He’s asking about wheel sizes because it will affect the chain file for chuffs.

Pat

If you use ADPCM to view and edit both the downloaded versions of the OLD and NEW sound files, you can view those parameters and even copy those settings from the original sound file- to the new sound file- so no conflict.

Basically, this is the way to do that http://www.silogic.com/trains/ADPCM.html

The original post from warren wagner is: "have a premier Union Pacific 4-6-2 that runs and sound great but the whistle is high pitched! how close is the up premier northern compared to the wheel size? am thinking of downloading that loco into mine. it is a ps2 early version."  (emphasis added to the original post)

Then harmonyards posted: "He’s asking about wheel sizes because it will affect the chain file for chuffs."

I'm a 2-rail guy and don't know anything about Lionel and chuff files, but it seemed to me that the OP was asking about the sound of the whistle, not the chuff rate.

Are the chuff and whistle files somehow related in the 3-rail world?

Maybe the original poster wants to have the "deep steamboat" whistle from the UP FEF-3 model, which might sound nice, but would NOT be correct for the UP Pacific 4-6-2. On the UP, only the 4-8-4s, 4-6-6-4s, and 4-8-8-4s carried that "deep steamboat" whistle.

That's also what I thought, that he wants a deeper or mellower sound from the 4-6-2 whistle. And that's why I was puzzled by the question about comparative wheel diameters for the 4-6-2 and the 4-8-4s, which doesn't directly have anything to do with with the sound of the whistle, unless the chuff and whistle sound are linked together in different Lionel sound files. If the UP 4-8-4 sound file contains both the chuff rate for its 77" or 80" driver size and the deeper whistle, then it would make sense to wonder if transplanting that file into the 4-6-2 would yield a better whistle sound and an appropriate chuff rate. Does Lionel use a cam and contact to generate chuffs, or is the chuff rate linked electronically to motor rpm or voltage? As I said, I have 2-rail non-sound locomotives and I am unfamiliar with how the 3-rail systems work.

@B Smith posted:

That's also what I thought, that he wants a deeper or mellower sound from the 4-6-2 whistle. And that's why I was puzzled by the question about comparative wheel diameters for the 4-6-2 and the 4-8-4s, which doesn't directly have anything to do with with the sound of the whistle, unless the chuff and whistle sound are linked together in different Lionel sound files. If the UP 4-8-4 sound file contains both the chuff rate for its 77" or 80" driver size and the deeper whistle, then it would make sense to wonder if transplanting that file into the 4-6-2 would yield a better whistle sound and an appropriate chuff rate. Does Lionel use a cam and contact to generate chuffs, or is the chuff rate linked electronically to motor rpm or voltage? As I said, I have 2-rail non-sound locomotives and I am unfamiliar with how the 3-rail systems work.

Mr. Smith,

You are confusing Lionel models with MTH models, and the original poster is referring to a "Premier Union Pacific 4-6-2", which is obviously a MTH model. Different sound files are easily downloaded for MTH locomotive models, which might also change the "chuff rate" between a "small driver" and a "larger driver" steam model. However such a "chuff rate" difference might not be all that noticeable between 77" drive wheels and 80" drive wheels.

You're right, I did refer to Lionel by mistake. Thanks for the correction.   But that doesn't change the fact that the OP apparently wants to change the whistle sound on his MTH Pacific. I merely asked what does the whistle sound have to do with wheel diameter?  Then I speculated (not being into 3-rail) that the chuff and whistle sound file go together, so maybe you can't change one without changing the other.

If that's true, then the sound file from the UP Northern would be OK in the UP Pacific because the FEF-1 and the Pacific have the same diameter drivers (77") and the later FEF-2 and FEF-3 have only "slightly" larger ones (80").  Another poster pointed out above that the UP Northerns had a much different whistle in than the UP Pacifics -- but the final effect is up to the original poster, of course, if he likes the much deeper whistle sound.

i like the deeper whistle

@warren wagner posted:

i like the deeper whistle

Well, so do I but,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,it shouldn't be on a Pacific.  To each his own.

you herd the old saying (it's my railroad and I make the rules) I am going to leave it as is.

@warren wagner posted:

you herd the old saying (it's my railroad and I make the rules) I am going to leave it as is.

Ah right. The "toy train rule".