‘Simple’ Horn/Bell Add On?

Look around for a used horn/bell board, you should be able to score one of those for $10-15.  Wiring is simple it just wires across the track voltage and to the speaker.  Four wires and you're in business.

@gunrunnerjohn,

I’ve seen them advertised but am not familiar with them, I just use the whistle switch on my ZW. The engine has no speaker, it only has a very small PCB which I think only makes the light on top flash. So would the sound come from an external speaker connected to the button?  While that is pretty simple I was hoping for something to go inside the diesel.

Sorry, I fixed my post, I meant to say board, not button!

You do need to add a speaker to the locomotive with the horn/bell board to complete the package.

I think if you post in the Wanted To Buy forum you should be able to find someone that them sitting around.

To close this out, Jeff at the Tender has exactly what I need, a Lionel 8152-50 sound board and a 8152-536 2 inch speaker.  This is an old, but very simple solution to adding a horn.  I looked other places, including Lionel, and the only other place I saw was someone on the bay and they were asking for 3 times Jeff's price.  Jeff says he has a 'few more'.

My solution has been to reuse old school signal sounds boards- often takeouts from engines upgraded to full railsounds.

Remember, coming up Lionel parts sale

Thanks @Vernon Barry.  I was unaware of that option.  I'll keep this in mind if I can't get the 8152-50 to work to my liking.

@gunrunnerjohn,

I got the 8152-50 board an speaker.  I checked it out before installing it.  The horn sound reminds me of static, but not exactly.  I guess someone has a horn type like that.  There are two larger components on the board that look to have an ability to be turned with a philips head screw driver.  I'm guessing one is volume.  Is the other a horn type selection?  I don't like messing with those things completely in the dark.

@Donnie Kennedy posted:

Not to hijack the thread but I'd be curious to hear what the 691PCB107B sounds like.

But that's exactly what you did!

@texgeekboy posted:

I got the 8152-50 board an speaker.  I checked it out before installing it.  The horn sound reminds me of static, but not exactly.  I guess someone has a horn type like that.  There are two larger components on the board that look to have an ability to be turned with a philips head screw driver.  I'm guessing one is volume.  Is the other a horn type selection?  I don't like messing with those things completely in the dark.

Not having one of these to look at, I'm not entirely sure.  Just take a note of where the control is and turn it as it's sounding slightly and see what it varies.  I'm guessing from past experience with similar boards that one will be the pitch of the sound.

@Donnie Kennedy posted:

Not to hijack the thread but I'd be curious to hear what the 691PCB107B sounds like. The ol sound of steam board in my 785 Hudson is no longer with us. Anything else has got to sound better.  What I thought was a simple fix turned into a lot of smoke and a no longer working board. I really think I did it subconsciously to have an excuse to upgrade the board and throw that terrible thing away.

Here is an example, no chuffing, no background sounds, basic bell and whistle. The whistle sounds as long as you hold the control and ends with the echo.

Steam Signalsounds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZWmL5ppT3o

Diesel Signalsounds  691PCB107B https://youtu.be/dThgqMLgsMU?t=37

Technically, that diesel one is this board, but the sounds should be the same from this engine https://www.lionelsupport.com/...nal-GP9-2380-6-18573

IMO better than a Williams True Blast II because with Williams you always get the level grade crossing sequence and cannot do short single toot signals.

Diesel Williams https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmCzUjGrO0U

Steam Williams https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiVedsrNRlA

And last, here is what the dual oscillator board 8152-50 sounds like https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Yl3-qN5BSdo

Again, hoping by providing folks with videos of engines on youtube, you can get a feel for what the various sound systems sound like, some idea of how "controllable" they are (Williams to me really is the opposite of controllable) .

Also, we could get into Lionel Trainsounds boards, but the thing about them is we then get into also needing sensors for speed or motion and chuff for steam. The cost goes up and so does the complexity.

Signalsounds as I have presented, and Williams True Blast II, along with simple horn only boards are 2 wire in, and 2 wire to speaker devices- making them far simpler for the average person to add. Now granted, the signalsounds was meant to be a plug in card, and I have shown where a person could solder wires, and could bridge the volume pot circuit to max volume- so it is less plug and play.

@Vernon Barry posted:

Again, hoping by providing folks with videos of engines on youtube, you can get a feel for what the various sound systems sound like, some idea of how "controllable" they are (Williams to me really is the opposite of controllable) .

A laudable goal, but it would be better if they didn't hijack anther person's thread for the information.

Donnie....don't worry.  I think your question was fine since the board was referenced above in another post.  I am willing to bet that others would like to know what it sounded like.

Thank you Vernon Barry for your explanation, and YouTube videos, of the comparisons of sounds between SignalSounds vs TBP. You've given me encouragement to install SignalSounds in my Kline switcher (K2252IC) that has neither sound nor speaker. I believe the SignalSounds board does not come with a speaker so wondering what you would recommend and where to get one. Also, in you diagram sketch about getting the max volume from SignalSounds, are you soldering the speaker wires to these two pins, or does one just connect these two pins together and the speaker wires are still connected to the upper left pair of pins as you show. Thanks for clarifying.