I bought a scale 0-8-0 from lionel. I didnt know it came with trainsound, this didt bother me much because I dont think its bad system. I set it on the track and powered it up. The chuffing seems to be messed up. it sounds like a turret or machine gun. its 4 chuffs per revulution on really small drivers. is there a way to fix this? its sounds terrable.
I think the problem is the 4 chuffs rate - I’m not sure if there is a way to change that, you might want to check the manual? It should sound better at slow speeds, right?
Yeah, thats what it is, I think I saw a thred like this before but I couldent find it. is there a way to lower the chuffs rate?
http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/p/120802/1375780.aspx#1375780 http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/p/96234/1182738.aspx#1182738
I found these two threads, don’t know how much it will help you though. Maybe someone else who knows more will post tomorrow?
Others have had the same “issue”. Lionroar88 brought his over my house, and the rapidfire chuffs were insane. Unfortunatley, the rate of chuffs per revolution is correct. An 0-8-0 is a switcher, meant for meandering around tight curves at a slow rate of speed, not for whistlin’ down the high-iron. Your version is a handsome loco, just the same. I believe some of the other manufacturers use a one or two rate of chuff per revolution, that just “seems” to be better.
Have you lnstalled or changed the battery?Gtve it a try and see what happens.
I’m going to sum it here…
- There is no ‘problem’
- What you are hearing is correct
- The ‘problem’ is the drive axles on the 0-8-0 are too small diameter to properly reproduce the 4 chuffs per rev
- There is no ‘fix’
- This has nothing to do with installing or not installing a battery
I’ve heard the TMCC version with Odessey speed control sounds a bit better. I can’t say for sure as I don’t have, nor have I heard, the TMCC version.
Just a couple of questions:
1. Is there a tether between engine & tender ?
The answer will probably tell you where the chuff switch is located, if the sensor & magnets are located on the rear axle on the rear truck on the tender maybe there is an axle with a different magnet configuration that can be substituted.
I seem to recall a similar discussion about the relatively rapid chuff rate and the machine gun like sound with the turbines which likewise had the smaller drive wheels. With the turbines, the rate of chuff and the sound was considered correct for the turbines.
Jack
Thanks guys. I like the whole 4 chuff per turn of the wheels but this just sounds stupid :P. Maybe wit railsounds it would have sounded better.
It has the ‘Wireless’ tether. I actually called Lionel Tech Support on this and had the guy listen to it over the phone. I’ve also ran the engine for a few guys at the train store and they all said it was correct. The Lionel Tech Support guy was the one that explained the ‘magnets on the drive wheel’ to me. I really liked the engine and would have kept it, but I was offered a deal I couldn’t refuse (Legacy Command System for the 0-8-0)… I know I paid more for the engine, but since I was going all TMCC I didn’t feel the need to hold on to it.
Brent, Man, what a deal!! Where did you find that?[swg]
I have heard both C&O switchers and they are all the same. That machine gun sound you hear is correct for the trainsounds and the TMCC equipt engine. I tested the TMCC one and the Trainsounds one on the same tracks.
Unfortunately it’s normal, like Fife says, just for moving stuff around not Hi-Ballin’!!
It is a beautiful piece, though!
Turbines don’t chuff at all, they just “whoooosh”.
The machine gun sound is correct for any reciprocating steam locomotive running at high speed. It’s more noticeable/occurs sooner on smaller diameter wheels but even large engines have the chuff’s run together when running full out. This is why most of the older Lionel equipment has the inaccurate two chuffs per revolution. It sounds better or more like what most people THINK a steam engine should sound like (aka what they’ve seen on TV or in the movies).
ok, Ive come to accept it and it dosnt really bother me anymore. But I think it dosnt sound right because of the trainsounds chuff that dosnt sound as realistic as the railsounds which it was ment for.
Well, it’s correct for most reciprocating steam locomotives–the majority that had two double-acting cylinders. A three-cylinder, duplex, triplex, or articulated locomotive would sound quite different.