Installing True Blast II into American Flyer 4-8-4 Tender

Classic Toy Trains Forum
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Adding Williams by Bachmann True Blast II Whistle & Bell to American Flyer 4-8-4

These are both American Flyer / Lionel #800 4-8-4 Northern’ from 2006. The one steamer on the outside is all original with RailSound 5.0, less smoke with crew talk. The steamer on the inside, with the RailSound “fried” after about 6 months. Without being able to get replacement parts for the sound unit.
I went ahead and changed out the “squeaky smoke unit” to original American Flyer smoke unit, which gave it lot more smoke with cho-choo and no squeak. I also converted the front truck to knuckle coupler (the steamer on the inside) for double-heading the two 4-8-4 steamers.

All I needed now was to add a little sound, and it wound sound better then new. I ran across this forum were this guy was installing a Williams - Bachmann sound into an American Flyer Box Car for very little cost. The Williams sound card and speaker is made for 0 scale. The speaker was large for the AF tender, but I already had a speaker in tender. Y

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I prefer the True Blast with the Gilbert Piston style “choo-choo”. (I even like the bell) It works reliably and is easy to replace if something goes wrong. I put a True Blast in a 951 baggage car (the trucks are already insulated, there is an opening in the floor for the speaker {light socket opening} and there are little holes in the floor that are just right for installing an on-off switch if I am running that car with an American Models Loco with sound). It is a quick and easy install. You are right about the tender shell. I played around with baffeling the speaker until I got the whistle and bell to sound just right. I put a Williams True Blast Diesel unit into a 364 B unit after that horn “died” and it is head and shoulders better than the original “Nathan Air Chime Horn” That is a VERY EASY installation. Little Tommy