I have a KW. Recently when I throw the whistle lever when running a Williams GG-1, the engine will speed up but the horn won’t sound all the time (even after holding it a for a few seconds). Sometimes it will sound. Sometimes it will start to sound and then stop. Sometimes it will not sound at all.
When I release the lever the engine will sometimes continue at the higher speed until I throw the lever again.
The rectifier disc in the KW is the original one.
Is this a sign that it is probably time to replace the whistle rectifier?
The spring on the whistle lever is still good, provides good resistance, and pulls the lever back to center.
I had the same problem with my KW - except that it happened when I was running a Williams RF-16 Sharknose with TrueBlast II. Unfortunately, the rectifers in the KW don’t last forever - and the KW can’t operate the bell for you. Depending on the availability / reliability / cost of the repair services near you, you might want to consider the purchase of a separate horn controller. I ended up relegating the KW to power for my 022 switches, uncoupling tracks, and accessories and using TMCC to run trains - my Williams locomotives run great (especially at slow speeds) with the PowerMaster/PowerHouse combo.
I had a feeling the KW’s rectifier is at the heart of the problem. While I feel comfortable doing the rectifier replacement myself, I still need to add a bell button at some point.
I also need to answer the question of additional power requirements for the long term, so I appreciate you sharing about the PowerMaster/PowerHouse combination and your experience with Willliams’ trains using that setup.