I have seen and operated Lionel’s new 3751 and it is very impressive. The only issue that I have with it is that it still has two chuffs per revolution (the smoke unit is, by the way, excellant and well sychronized with the chuff).
Previous Railsounds used a “cherry” switch to actuate the chuff. Does 5.0, and particularly this locomotive use one, or is it sensed electronically (and therefore trapped at 2 per rev).
Thank you.
RAK
TCA 94-3880
TTOS C4
By now they are finding out that Lionel’s Railsounds 5.0 variable chuff rate is another ruse[:(!]
Railsounds 5.0 does use a microswitch and a cam to determine the chuff rate-which is fixed at 2 per revolution. Railsounds 5.0 has a very impressive automatically-variable chuff intensity. The intensity can be locked in one of several states so that it never varies.
I have modified my 3751 to four chuffs per revolution using a reed switch and small magnets (attached to the inside of one of the driving wheels). This was based on suggestions from several OGR forumites. This is a huge improvement.
Why in 2004 must we modify an expensive locomotive to get its chuff rate to the prototypical 4 per driver revolution? I have heard the excuse that at ‘3 rail speeds’ it does not sound right. Well I have heard good recordings of a steam locomotive at speed, and guess what, it sounds like what the apologists are claiming is not right. If you like it that way, that is your business and preference, but I should not be forced to take it. The competition offers a variable chuff rate, why won’t Lionel?
I agree that some sort of variable rate should be available. I think MTH goes from 1 to 16, a bit over kill. I think a 2, 4, 8 step is plenty. TAS is doing this so I can’t see why Lionel could not.
Lionel always seems a bit snooty to do whatever we ask. It’s almost like they thumb their noses at us and say, “Take it or leave it.” Well, you know, the more we LEAVE IT the better they will become. I am at fault here too. I admit I buy Lionel when a MTH product is much better. But you know guys, until we get serious here and just don’t buy their product and write them and tell them WHY we don’t buy, nothing is going to change. Unfortunately, this is not going to happen and Lionel pretty much knows this. Look at my tag line…
The chuff rate depends on it’s amount of cylinders. Every cylinder on an engine makes 2 puffs per wheel revolution, so a big boy should need 8 puffs per rev. Besides that, an airpump, a feedwaterpump, they also make noise, they also have cylinders…
I guess that when you can choose between 4-6 and 8 it’s probably best…
LGB has also the sound of the airpump and feedwaterpump, but uses the same electronic for all it’s engines, so it’s mallet also has 4 chuffs per rev, which really needs to be 8. Besides that it sounds very electronic and not like the real thing…
Daan,
I agree with you regarding the number of “chuffs” (two) produced by each cylinder per revolution. You would hear four chuffs per revolution on a conventional (two cylinder) steam locomotive and six on a three cylinder. When you get into an articulated with two sets of cylinders what you hear might be a little different: If the two “engines” under the boiler are in synch, then you would still hear four chuffs per revolution (eight would be being produced-but only four would be discernable). As the engines go out of synch (due to wheel slip, etc.), you would hear eight chuffs per revolution.
MTH and Lionel approach this two different ways: An MTH articulated, when set to four-chuffs-per- rev, will go back and fourth between four and eight, simulating in and out of synch conditions. At low speeds you can easily count the chuffs.
I do not own a Lionel articulated (yet-I operated one briefly once), but my understanding is that under a certain speed it will stay at two chuffs per revolution, then it will change to four at a different speed. I believe Lionel also has a simple to compound sound element for Mallets.
Actually, my version of LGB Mikado has dip switches that I can move to make it either 2 or 4 chuffs. Don’t have a Mallet but with some sound units of LGB, you have a choice.
LGB has been mixing it up with their electronics lately. There are three different “boards” in the subsequent Mikado releases. I do know that LGB’s MTS [LGB’s version of DCC] is being but in many engines so they are ready to run.
RAK,
Lionel got the N&W Class A pretty well. The A is a simple articulated and you can hear the double licks from both sets of cylinders, although they only provide 2 chuffs per rev.
The Y6b is a compound articulated and Lionel got the simple to compound sounds backwards and do not seem to want to correct the error. Where it correctly should start out with more chuffs and change to less, it starts out with less and changes to more.
Jim,
On the simple to compound issue-I am trying to understand this. I thought that this was a question of, when in “simple” mode, the high pressure steam would be sent to both sets of cylinders, as opposed to “compound” mode, where the steam exhausted from the rear (high pressure) cylinders, would be routed to the front two (lower pressure) cylinders. I always assumed that you would always hear the chuffs from the rear set. Are you saying that you would not hear them, because the exhaust from the rear set would never get to the stack until after it went through the front cylinders? When in “simple” mode, would the exhaust from the rear set be routed directly to the stack?
This is getting very interesting. If this were the case, and it started out in “simple” you would hear four chuffs, then when it changed to “compound” you would heare two-I think. Am I “on course” here?
Thank you.
It is strange that the Lionel Scale 0-8-0 Switcher has 4 chuffs per revolution. I called Lionel and asked why they did not do this with all of them. The techs excuse is that at speed, the sound runs together. The switcher has smaller wheels. It sounds great also.
RAK 402:
I would be interested in HOW you did this. Care to share?? - D.G.
“I have modified my 3751 to four chuffs per revolution using a reed switch and small magnets (attached to the inside of one of the driving wheels). This was based on suggestions from several OGR forumites. This is a huge improvement.”
D.G.,
I:
The whole process took about an hour.
The glue used was Walthers “Goop”. This seems to hold well but not so tight that things are permanent.
I don’t know, but I suspect that this procedure would void the warrantee.
Please let me know if this is sufficient information.
Sorry for the delay.