Recently got a mint IR 4-4-2 to use when I set up track for a grandson visit. It has has “digital bell & whistle,” I have a Lionel 1033 transformer, but the whistle doesn’t seem to operate operate. I’m going to upgrade the old disc rectifier with a new diode, but I’m wondering if there is any mod I can do to make this transformer work both the bell and whistle on this engine. If not, what are my alternatives?
Welcome, LititzDB!
I am not familiar with the IR engine or its electronics. The 1033 is designed to impose a DC offset onto the track power, which triggers the whistle motor. When, in the modern era, Lionel first added the bell to its engines, it controlled them with another DC offset using the other polarity. I do not remember which was which, but one used + and the other used -.
A first attempt to see if the transformer will trigger the whistle will be to reverse the wires to the track and then hit the lever again.
If this works, then you need a Lionel Bell controller button–I don’t know the Part Number, but someone here will–to wire between the transformer and the track. The lever will blow one; the button will blow the other.
If this doesn’t work, it means that, either the IR electronics need another controller or there is a problem with the transformer or engine (Mint not being a guarantee or Working).
I hope this helps and that someone else will correct any errors I have made.
Welcome Aboard @LititzDB
Welcome to the forums! As palallin mentioned, if the bell or whistle is controlled with DC, then you can indeed try reversing polarity. However, you don’t necessarily need to buy a bell controller. It’s entirely possible to use a battery to serve the same purpose! Here’s a wiring diagram (if this activates the whistle instead of the bell you can flip the battery around to fix it).
I did try hooking a 7V DC power source directly to the track, with the transformer off, but the engine began to move. It has an on-board rectifier and a DC can motor. Perhaps that complicates this solution. So I quickly disconnected. Maybe a smalle DC voltage might work. I’ve seen a diagram for something similar to what you suggest, using 2 D cells in series and a DPDT switch to reverse polarity to bell or whistle. I’ll try lower DC voltage.
7 volts is probably too much and you should also have AC power as well as otherwise you might not have enough power to actually run the circuitry. Two D cells would also work–and, for stubborn old whistle relays, are better–and the DPDT switch is good with a small transformer, but since yours already has a whistle/horn control you don’t need the switch. Also, I don’t think that the rectifier would cause a problem as some of my locos like my Dash 8 and my SD18 are can-motored and, of course, have a rectifier. In theory, you could run it on DC but it would blow the whistle/horn or bell all the time!
I’ve had the same problem and with mine it was just as simple as reversing wires at the lock on. May not be your problem but it’s certainly easy to try 
Further experimentation has shown:
Connecting the U & A terminals in one way (U to outer rail) allows the “whistle” lever on my 1033 transformer to operate the bell. With track power on and the engine in “neutral,” one flip of the lever turns on the bell, another flip turns it off. All in neutral. The bell doesn’t function when the locomotive is moving. Switching the wires there is nothing, either in neutral or when the engine is moving. I did try hooking a single AA battery, in a holder, to the track, in neutral, track power on, and got a nasty burn when I touched the bare ends of the wires to the rails. I have an email into CS at Atlas. Hopefully they can give me more information on how the bell and whistle function before I do something else dumb and blow something up.
Betcha they just go ahead and replace the whole board.
I think the first step would be to find out if there is a way to verify the functioning of the DC(?) driven bell and whistle in the tender off track. That way I’d know if it was on the locomotive end or on my old transformer end…or if this was just a mismatch that was never intended to work. At one point, albeit brief, in my fooling with this, I DID hear the whistle. Just never able to replicate it.
I also have an IR 4-4-2 which operates very erratically if it runs at all. I corresponded with Atlas to see if could get it repaired, and I was informed that parts for the 4-4-2 were no longer available. I’m thinking about using an aftermarket electronic reverse board from Dallee but not sure how well it will work with the sound board. So may have to replace both. Hope that you have better luck!
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I got the usual prompt response from Atlas (they are truly great with customer service), and they instructed me to hook a 9V battery to the track. I wasa little leery given the burn I previously mentioned, but i took care to keep my fingers clear of bare wire this time. It basically just shut everything dow. Likely tripped the breaker in the transformer, because after a bit I was able to move the engine again, and the bell worked using the transformer’s whistle lever. Think I will just let sleeping dogs lie and be content with things the way they are. They engine I’m replacing, for occasional use when my grandson visits didn’t even have a revering unit. So we’re mile ahead. Now to see if the smoke unit works.
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I’ve used drop-in reverse boards from Dallee and they work just fine but how it would work with the sound board I’ve no idea, the only other part of an engine I ran off the board was the smoke unit. I’m not familiar with the “guts” of the Atlas 4-4-2 but how the sound board operates is going to depend on where it gets it’s power from. If it’s direct pick up from the track you shouldn’t need to do anything, if the power comes from the engine you might have to do some experimenting. Good luck!