Correction! Williams FA A-B-A set instead of the F7 set

The Williams AA set of F-7's has only one powered unit and the second one has only a light bulb installed if I am correct. The B unit might have a sound unit if somebody installed after the factory sale of the unit, or if you can find the older Williams Crown Edition engines it might have the B unit with horn. Not all Williams B units have a powered center rail pick-up or horn unit.

I happened to find a Williams Santa FE set of F-7's (ABA)a few years ago and they had one powered unit; an A unit powered, one dummy A unit with lights, one dummy B unit with QSI sounds.

The B units usually don't have lights or horn in them unless higher end item from Williams.

FYI: some of the Williams AA sets after the Crown Edition are not that well equipped, usually only the powered engine has center rail pick-ups and the trailing A unit doesn't have a light.

Lee Fritz

I found an early Williams F-7 A-A Missouri Pacific set that had been

fitted with an Ott sound system, perhaps at the factory.

I have not seen the Ott sound system but was told by an independent Williams dealer(before the Bachmann take-over) that Ott was one of the 2 sound systems that could be in a Williams engine. The other one was QSI sound system. The Ott system might be the older sound system that Williams used. 

My 3 Williams diesel engines that have a sound system have the QSI brand system. I have not seen the Ott system but was told about by an independent Williams dealer about 10 years ago.

Lee Fritz

The Williams "True Blast" sound system was an ott sound system bought by Jerry installed and relabeled. True blast plus was the horn/ whistle and bell with no diesel roar of "True Blast" because Ott ran out of the old electronic components.

I have a F-7 A-A set in southern lively. Mine is crown edition with tower and also has engine sounds. Been awhile since I have run this set but it will say engine xxxx your clear to go. ( not the number on my engine but they all said that number) 

I wanted a powered WbB F-3 AB set. So I bought a F-3 AA set and a F-3 B. I then had to buy another powered F-3 A off ebay. I then swapped the powered parts from the F-3 A to the F-3 B dummy which was now powered. That left me with a F-3 AA that neither was powered!!!    You'd have to do the same if you want a powered B unit.  My F-3 AB set both powered. It PULLS!!! 

id be interested to see someones set in LV livery

Yardman posted:

Thank You!! Very nice! Is the sound the original system as it came from Williams or is this a Bachman Williams set?  Certainly makes me want to bring one home to Sayre PA!!!

I had added the sound. Sorry but I can not remember what company it was. I bought the sound system from someone who was on the forum many years ago. I think his name was Marty. 

Might have been Ma and Pa Junction. 

AMCDave posted:

I wanted a powered WbB F-3 AB set. So I bought a F-3 AA set and a F-3 B. I then had to buy another powered F-3 A off ebay. I then swapped the powered parts from the F-3 A to the F-3 B dummy which was now powered. That left me with a F-3 AA that neither was powered!!!    You'd have to do the same if you want a powered B unit.  My F-3 AB set both powered. It PULLS!!! 

Well I ended up with a set of FA Lehigh Valley  A-B-A  NOS and low and behold the dummy A unit has been powered!  It has horn setup also.

I have a Williams FA-2 FB-2 set( Santa Fe), both are powered, dual motors.

I would like to know what the Ott system announcement is if there is one for leaving or starting up.

I know that the QSI sound system if started at less then 10 volts will have the train leaving announcement on track 10, one or 2 versions might have leaving on a different track number. Also the QSI system when running at close to 15 volts or higher will sound the horn instead of the bell. Also the QSI bell feature can be played for several seconds or until you push the button to turn off the QSI announcement.

Lee Fritz

Originally posted by Phillyreading:

I would like to know what the Ott system announcement is if there is one for leaving or starting up.

The simple two wire OTT sound system is the rev up/rev down of the diesel engine[depending on the voltage to the motors. At start up, if you are in neutral at 8-10 volts and announcement kicks in stating:

• "Engineer" 1648 departing... 
• "Dispatcher"1648 you are clear on track 10 [buzz]"

and that is the  Williams "True Sounds". Simple and effective.

I have a Williams SCALE FA-1 for sale if anyone is interested:

They are very good models, if not great ones (the trucks are a bit short, I think, with an odd detail or two, and those horns are gigantic!), but truly great project fodder. Fairly close coupling - far better than L's or M's diesels.

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I did these years ago: TAS TMCC (no cruise) in both A-units (both powered, run as a "lash-up"); B dummy, my paint job/decals, fixed pilots, Alco sound (both A's), Electrocouplers.

The GM&O had the first Alco FA's ever built (the NYC, the next), and some had the original FA headlight.

Only the GM&O had these; I changed one of mine to reflect this (#700 - the first GM&O FA). I like the way those short-shank (still available?) Electrocouplers tuck into the pilots.

I do not like my awkward decal stripe curve over the number boards. Oh, well - perfection is a fool's errand, anyway. Still happy with them.

See to what Williams FA's will lead? Of course, later, WBB released GM&O FA's - boy, they could have saved me a world of paint/decaling!