Mikado posted:The history of the Railsounds system rolls up like this.
The different numeric identifiers of Railsounds have more to do with the configuration of the PCB's than it does with feature set. (features set matters (sound capabilities), but the numbers indicate the amount the space in the processors, configuration of the PCB's, etc.
Sound of Steam in the late 80's
Sound of Steam was available from 1971 to 1989. It had a whistle in 1972, and then again from 1980-1989.
Railsounds I early 90's (chuff, whistle, bell only) this was primarily just steam if memory serves me correctly) size: very crude (by today's standards) and included 2 PCB's; Audio & Amplifier;.
RailSounds 1 was first issued in steam loco tenders in late 1989. The diesel version came along in 1990, but was only available in boxcars or dummy units -- never in a powered locomotive. Functionality and sound variety are quite limited, compared with the sound systems of today. The photo shown above is a one-off used in the 6-18010 PRR Turbine, and not indicative of a typical board. A true RailSounds 1 board assembly looks like this:
The 610-8007-110 amplifier board came along in late 1990, after complaints were received about the low volume of the original boards. An alternate amplifier board was also used in several Samhongsa-produced locomotives produced in Korea the early 1990's.
RailSounds 1 would be used through 1993. There are technically four different versions: O Gauge steam and diesel, and DC Large Scale steam and diesel.
Railsounds II (this was the really good stuff, Conrail SD60M, Rio Grande SD50, a couple steam sounds too. size: pretty big, but you can see the beginnings of the "fit" for the next iteration of sounds;
RailSounds II and RailSounds 2.0 (mentioned below) are the same thing, and were produced in 1994 and 1995. As far as I know, only six items had this unique "double wide" board:
1994: 6-18216 Conrail SD-60, 6-18034 Santa Fe Mikado. All the Conrail chips I've seen are unlabeled, but the Mikado PIC chip starts with RS23.
1995: 6-18219 C&NW Dash-8 40C, 6-18223 Milwaukee Road SD-40, 6-18040 N&W J and the 6-19820 RailSounds Tender. Most, if not all, of these chips are TMCC-compatible, even if the board itself is not. The numbers on the majority of these PIC chips start with RS25.
RailSounds 2 was NOT TMCC-compatible, although I've wondered if the functionality isn't buried in there somewhere. Note that systems with these boards are difficult to work on, as all connections are hardwired.
The Rio Grande SD-50 mentioned at the top is actually one of the very first locos to have RailSounds 2.5, not 2.0. And I agree with the "really good stuff" comment above: these sound sets are over 20 years old, and they still sound great. (Thanks, Rudy!)
Railsounds 2.0 First released in 1996 (NYC & SP GP-7's, Santa Fe F-3, N&W Warhorse J, etc.) (prime mover sounds, horn, bell, squealing brakes, idle sounds, coupler release sounds, though locos were not equipped with coil couplers at this point in time). Volume control from remote or pot. No crewtalk or towercom.
Railsounds 2.5 came in around 1998-1999 same as Railsounds 2.0, but included towercom and crewtalk. (same exact PCB, just different PIC & ROM).RailSounds 2.5 is the first true TMCC-compatible RailSounds board. It's what can be found in the NYC & SP GP-7's, Santa Fe F-3, N&W Warhorse mentioned above, although the first uses were really the 6-18221 Rio Grande SD-50, 6-18042 Boston & Albany 4-6-4 and 6-18043 C&O Yellowbelly Hudson from late 1995. This board was produced until mid-1998, although some were used up through 2001 due to size issues, product delays and/or inventory surplus. The PIC chips in these mostly start with RS25, although RS27 versions were used at the very end. RS2.5 has both the amplifier as well as the audio board circuitry on board, which would soon be separated for RailSounds 3 and later. Note that the chips in these boards are fully compatible when placed in RailSounds 3 and RailSounds 4 systems.
While the first RS2.5 sound sets did not include CrewTalk or TowerCom, those features were introduced late in 1997 and continued onward from there. As far as I know, there aren't any outward identifiers to tell if a sound set has these features without powering them up.
Railsounds 3.0, this was identical, in terms of features to 2.5, but a siginficant redesign of the PCB's and the beginning of the modular revolution inside Lionel locos. The Audio and power board were separated and began to require a motherboard to make it all work together! You'll know these power boards when you see the big heat sink!
With the introduction of the modular boards came the introduction of a new board for the wireless tender; AD20A (modular);
RailSounds 3.0 was first issued in mid-1998. It was created for the 6-18314 Century Club GG-1, but was soon used elsewhere. Again, the chips found here are compatible in RailSounds systems between 2.5 and 4.0. RailSounds 3.0 only lasted about a year until mid-1999, but was used sporadically through 2001 due to surplus inventory. Like RS2.5, most of the PIC chips start with RS25, but some RS27 versions were used towards the end. To get technical, RS3.0 has a 12 volt circuit in addition to the standard 5 volts between the two boards. Therefore, a RS3.0 power supply board must be used with a RS3.0 audio board -- Lionel's "Universal" Power Board will NOT work.
The modular AD-20 board shown above (A for steam, B for diesel) is actually the second generation of the board. The AD-20 also has a non-modular form, and was paired with RailSounds 2.5 in late 1997 only.
Railsounds 4.0; Same feature set as 2.5 & 3.0, but the PCB's changed again. The RS 4.0 series of PCB's lasted the longest and are in the largest number of locos in circulation. A new Power board was created, more stable and did not require a heat sink. The audio board changed as well.
Railsounds 4E stopped in for a while, this was simply an increase in the space in the PIC or ROM, where there was "extra sounds" added. The sound quality was the same as 4.0 there were just "more" sounds. So, 4E is a capacity change moreso than a hardware change.
RailSounds 4 was first introduced in late 1999, and was used through at least the late 2000's -- although the last years were mainly in OEM installations for other manufacturers. Functionality didn't change between 3.0 and 4.0, it's just that things became smaller and more efficient. Just like 2.5 and 3.0, those chips are fully compatible in a RailSounds 4 system.
There are a few variations to note, but all use the standard RS4.0 audio board:
Regular RailSounds 4.0 - as described above. Used 1999 to about 2003. Note that TowerCom was expanded from one message to two starting in 2000. PICs usually start with RS27.
RailSounds 4E - as a result of complaints of excess static and hissing in background sounds (artifacts of compiling the sounds to save chip space), RS4E uses chips with larger capacities, allowing a higher-quality sound with less background noise. Functionality didn't change, and I don't believe any extra sounds were added. RS4E was an unannounced upgrade, and was used starting in 2003 to the end of RailSounds 4 production. I'm not aware of any labeling differences between RS4 and RS4E, and the PICs usually still start with RS27.
Conventional RailSounds 4.0 - this was created in the early 2000's for use in starter sets. TMCC compatibility was removed and in its place was greater functionality for conventional users. The biggest change was that TowerCom could be triggered conventionally with a short push of a transformer's whistle or horn button. The PICs for these are labeled RS28. Conventional RS4.0 was only used a few years before being replaced by the TrainSounds sound system.
Note that some RS4 audio boards are incorrectly labeled RS3, but the part number is still correct: 691-PCB1-04C.
Lastly, the standard AD-20A modular board will still be found in RS4 tenders with wireless tethers.
RailSounds 5.0; more sound features and the elimination of the AD20A PCB in the tender for wireless IR Drawbars. The RS 5.0 audio board still required the same Railsounds Power board as 4.0 and 4E;
RailSounds 5.0 made its debut in the C&O and Union Pacific JLC 2-8-8-2's in late 2003, although RS4 would continue to be found in the line for another year or two. Functionality, features and sound quality improved across the board -- expanded TowerCom and CrewTalk dialogue, the ability to lower the volume of background sounds while keeping triggered sounds at full volume, etc. A redesign of the RS5 audio board incorporated the functionality from the AD-20A board in steam loco tenders, allowing that board to be retired. As a result, the tender back-up light is now an LED instead of an incandescent bulb used with the AD-20A. The RS5 PIC chips start with RS50, and are NOT backwards compatible with older RailSounds boards. The RS4 power supply board, now renumbered and renamed the "Universal RailSounds Power Board", is still used and essentially unchanged from its RS4 configuration.
In addition to regular RS5.0, there's one variation called RailSounds 5-4. Because of the added expense of producing RS5 sound sets (much more dialogue to record and mix, etc.) it was determined to use the RailSounds 4 feature set in some lesser-cost locomotives. But because the RailSounds 5 board set was cheaper to produce than RS4 (due to eliminating the need for the AD-20A), the RS5-4 hybrid was created which basically placed RS4 functionality into the RS5 architecture, The PICs for this set-up are labeled RS54, and as far as I know, were only used in a handful of locomotives in 2004 and 2005.
Beyond this point, my knowledge begins fading quickly, so I'll leave the rest without comment as Mikado would know that era better than I.
Railsounds 5.5; Allow me to introduce LEGACY. This is where the most significant processor and ROM size changes came into effect. (its like 4 times what was available in RS 5.0!). Still used the same RS Power board as 4.0, 4E, 5.0.
Railsounds 6 same as Railsounds 5.5 from a feature perspective, but the the PLCC chips are eliminated and the chips are soldered to the PCB's. Same RS power board as 4.0, 4E, 5.0, 5.5.
This is the end of the 24-pin female header and 24-pin male connector motherboards. From this point forward everything is interconnected with wires.
Railsounds Lite; same sound features as RS 5.5 and 6.0, but a much smaller package. works in conjunction with RCMC's.
There are 4 versions of RSL's to date; RSL1, RSL2, RSL3 and RSM (RSM is for conventional use only).
Keep in mind that the history shown here is only for Command Controlled locomotives, it does not show the history or any boardsets of the sounds used in conventional only locos.
Hope this clears up any confusion and gives you some insight into what is what, when it comes to the history of Lionel Railsounds.
Thanks,
Mike
Gunrunnerjohn pointed me to the above posting from another thread. I promised I'd correct and expound the RailSounds history, first posted by Mikado, based upon my own experiences.
You'll find my comments in italicized, boldfaced orange. The whole posting really should be rewritten eventually, but I thought it was important to get some of the facts straightened out first even if we're just talking mostly trivia at this point.
And finally, be sure to let me know if anything else from the RS1-RS5 era needs further clarification or correction.
TRW
