Can you put Railsounds in old locomotives?

yes

Kurt-

Yes, you can add railsounds to an older locomotive, even without TMCC. The Electric RR Company offers several modular kits to retrofit older locomotives; I would recommend the RailSounds Commander kit, which would add steam or diesel Railsounds to any conventional locomotive. Since it is a modular upgrade and has a relatively small footprint, it can be installed in almost any locomotive, or even in a piece of rolling stock. Installation is very easy too - simply splice a few wires together and you'll be up and running (Electric RR's instructions are some of the best around).

Electric RR Company does sell the kits direct, but Boxcar Bill on the forums offers the kits at a discounted price.

Hope this helps!

-John

Thanks for the info. I will check it out.

Kurt

Simple answer, yes. But if I were to add sounds, I would probably add additional features like upgrading the smoke and chuff systems.

Very intriguing topic and responses.  I'm an amateur at electronics.  What would be the simplest way to add railsounds and chuff to a Lionel conventional 0-8-0 starter loco?  I do not want to modify the locomotive or tender, they have sentimental value.  I'm thinking the Railsounds Commander module installed in a boxcar pulled immediately behind the tender.  Can a passenger car serve as the unit for modification as well?  Are the chuff sounds all that are included, or is there a bell and whistle feature which woulud interfere with the manufacturer's installed sounds?

With the ERR RS Commander, you get whistle/bell and chuffing for conventional operation.  The chuff is typically triggered by a reed switch and magnet on a wheel.  The whistle/bell is triggered directly from the transformer whistle/bell controls.

Garrett76-

Yes, you can install the Railsounds Commander into a boxcar or other car being pulled by your 0-8-0. When operated as a standalone product the Railsounds Commander will provide the typical steam chuff, air whistle and bell sounds; when coupled with a TMCC receiver the board can generate squealing brake effects, coupler/air release sounds, as well as generic CrewTalk and TowerCom effects.

The Railsounds commander board will not interfere with the existing sound package installed on your locomotive, but keep in mind that both sound systems will be active and responsive to transformer commands. For example, pressing the locomotive whistle button on your transformer will trigger the whistle sound on the 0-8-0, as well as the whistle sound on the Railsounds commander. To avoid this most operators disconnect the wires supplying power to the factory sound system;

doing so will not affect the value of the locomotive, as the modification is totally reversible.

The installation manual for the Railsounds commander is available here, and is fairly easy to follow. The manual covers several different installation options, but pages 1-13, 15-16, and 18-20 would apply to your project.

Hope this helps!

-John

The attached photos are what I would like to add sound to.

Thanks for all the ideas. Just getting back into things after many years.

Kurt

Kurt-

Adding Railsounds to the diesels in your attached pictures is very easy, as there is ample room within the shell to make the modifications. The footprint of the new board is so small that the existing sound system can be simply disconnected and left in place. There is also no need to drill and tap new mounting holes in your frames, as the new board can be affixed with the double stick foam tape provided in the installation kit.

-John

Sounds great. Now just got to get the sound that will match each locomotive. Thanks John

Kurt-

Electric RR offers diesel sound sets for the Alco PA, C-420, F3/F7, E8/9, GP7/9, GE Dash 9, FM (trainmaster), and SD diesels. Based on the pictures of your locomotives, the GP 7/9 or the SD soundsets might be the closest matches. Unlike MTH's Protosounds 2 or 3 locomotives, the sound file information is hardcoded onto the sound chip and cannot be changed.

-John