Horn in my 218 Santa Fe was inop - used your procedure and it worked like a charm. Interesting that the sound adjustment screw was WAY out of wack, and there is probably less than a quarter turn of that adjustment screw where you get any sound at all (other than a click). Had I not seen your video, I probably never would have tried this - Thanks so much!!

@tmackinator

7 жыл бұрын

The adjustment can be very sensitive, especially after so many years.

Awesome! I've been repairing Lionel post war trains for over 25 years but never attempted a horn repair. Servicing the horns will keep me busy for a while. Will let you know if I'm successful. The short video was perfect for my attention span. Those 25 minute Lionel repair videos are way too long.

@tmackinator

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the nice comment-TM

Interesting! This train actually uses a Delt-A-Larm mechanical “squealer” horn. A LOT of older smoke and fire detectors actually used horns like this. Like the First Alert SA76RS, FireX FX1020’s, and many others. They’re loud enough to wake the dead too! Much more effective than the piezo electric horns used in detectors today.

@franktino6676

Жыл бұрын

Cessna used them too, as a Stall Warning Indicator Alarm in their single engine planes beginning back in the post War 40's and through the 60's into the 70's plus. On my 3 1950 era Cessna's that I have owned through the last 5 decades, all had them. Interesting indeed!,

Thank you for the video. Rebuilt mine per your video, but turns out it wasn't the horn itself that was the issue. The issue was very poor grounding between the horn relay/solenoid and the positive battery contact. That upper positive battery contact just kinds of grounds itself to the whole mount of the solenoid/relay, which is isolated, but with lots of poor connections. I just soldered a wire from the top battery contact directly to the relay contactor, and now it works perfect...no need to rely on intermittent connections. It was very hard to figure out the issue, because I could hear the horn clicking, so assumed it was the horn....it just didn't have enough current to actually power the horn with the dirty groundings. The direct wire gave it the power necessary.

@tmackinator

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your comments.

Sometimes even shocking with a 9v battery will restore operation. I'd just be careful how much voltage you put through it. Often the shocking the horn will cause the horn to work, but not reliably or it will stop working shortly afterwards. This horn would not work no matter what I did to it initially. This video was done to show how to restore reliable performance to a horn that somone might just remove and replace with a new one. Thanks for your comments and looking at the video-TM

@williammeszaros1671

3 жыл бұрын

Pĺ

I just got my horn working in my 2344 NYC F3's. I took apart the horn and cleaned the contacts inside, but what really did the trick was dismounting the battery bracket and getting all the gunk and crud and corrosion off of it, that's what did the trick plus I had to adjust the screw on the bottom of the horn. Love the sound!

great video. just what I needed to see

Hi Gary, I made the video. It's not an uncommon condition you describe. Sometimes adding more load to the train will help. The relay contacts can also still be the issue. Try recleaning the contacts. Some relays work better in different applications and one relay may work better in a different engine. Also a weak disc rectifier in the transformer may be the culprit. Depending on what transformer you have it may be worth replacing the rectifier with an original disc type or modern diode. TM

This is so funny they are literally like car horns!

Hey thanks for commenting on the tuning screw I have an old 50's santa fe AA set and am new to the hobby I was totally clueless as to how to fix the problem and simply tightening the bolt immediately worked. My local hobby shop had no idea on how to fix it aswell

@tmackinator

3 жыл бұрын

Glad to have helped.-TM

@brennenseibert6708

2 жыл бұрын

@@tmackinator what battery does it take

@tmackinator

2 жыл бұрын

@@brennenseibert6708 Takes a 1.5v d cell.

@brennenseibert6708

2 жыл бұрын

@@tmackinator do others take c batteries

@tmackinator

2 жыл бұрын

@@brennenseibert6708 I think the GP and some of the nw-2 take c.

Great video. I have a few tips to add from my experience. Use a soldering iron to heat the tabs before straightening as well as before crimping. This reduces stress, which will save the tabs. Also, if the horn doesn't sound at all after reassembly, use a few volts of AC from the transformer to energize the horn coil briefly. Sometimes the diaphragm sticks from being dormant and this will free it up. If you have a VHS tape eraser, that can be used to demagnetize a sticky relay.

@coltenhank8114

2 жыл бұрын

i know Im asking the wrong place but does anyone know of a trick to log back into an instagram account?? I was dumb forgot the account password. I would appreciate any tricks you can give me.

@coltenhank8114

2 жыл бұрын

@Dominick Augustus I really appreciate your reply. I found the site through google and Im trying it out now. Takes a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

@coltenhank8114

2 жыл бұрын

@Dominick Augustus It did the trick and I actually got access to my account again. Im so happy:D Thank you so much, you saved my ass!

@dominickaugustus7395

2 жыл бұрын

@Colten Hank no problem xD

thanks I have a Lionel F-3 2344 NYC an the horn sounds just like yours ,we'' this will be the first time I going to do it wish me luck.

How ingenious! Just bought a 2321.

Neat DIY video thanks!

If the horn doesn't work before you take it apart try running two D batteries in series to make it buzz. Usually fixes the problem

Now I know how to tune up my vintage bike horn

Thanks helped me so much

Thank you very helpful

@tmackinator

4 ай бұрын

Glad it was useful to you-tm

@green97probe Good tips, even a shock from a 9v battery often will get it going.-TM

@tmackinator Yes good idea! thanks so much I'm try this...

Thanks so much for this video. I successfully followed your suggestions and now have a working horn on my 2023. However, the horn only seems to work when the train is in neutral. It does not sound in forward or reverse. I would really appreciate your thoughts. Thanks again

before you tear your horn apart shoot pure AC thru it first just a second or two this is a faster fix sometimes

Good job

By the horn relay, do you mean the solenoid where you use the screwdriver wedged in to hold a contact in your video? If you have a picture of where you’re making this contact it would be helpful. Should I do anything to the solenoid in the horn? Thanks for your help. God bless, Randy

@randywolfe3387

4 жыл бұрын

I went ahead and soldered piece of bell wire where I thought you were talking about. It seems to have worked and hopefully will continue to work. Thank you very much. God bless, Randy

Thanks! I'll give it a try. G

@gibiliz The best place is e-bay. I see these all the time. Hardest part will be to find someone who will ship to Brazil! Good Luck-TM

My Horn relay was sticking, Tried the electrical tape. Worked like a Charm. :-)

@tmackinator

7 жыл бұрын

Glad I could help.-TM

Hi! I have the same Lionel 2023 Diesel except it's yellow with silver roofing. It has a different horn mechanism because it needs a D cell battery. I put the battery in and pressed whistle on my grandmaster but it's still not running. Any fixes?

@grizzleybearz282004 No this was a set I had for years.

@TheRattler51 Sorry, I don't think I can help you with that. Your sound chip may have gone bad. Check to see that the speaker conection did not come loose. I would also wiggle all the connectors and the boards themselves-TM

I have a postwar New York Central F3 train from 1953. The horn keeps getting stuck and the pitch is always getting low and high. Is there a way to solve this issue to get it back to its original state? Idk what to do.

I have a Lionel 2333 -20 that has been in storage for about 60 years. The horn uses a D cell battery. I took the horn apart and clean the contacts, etc. as you demonstrated. Now the horn will work intermittently. It sounds good when it works but probably more than half the time it doesn’t make a sound other than the solenoid clicking. If I hold the contact up with a screwdriver to make contact sometimes it sounds and sometimes it doesn’t. I’ve cleaned the contacts on the solenoid but that didn’t change things. Any suggestions?

@tmackinator

4 жыл бұрын

When you say the contact, do you mean the one on the horn solenoid? The contacts on the horn solenoid can be very troublesome. Needs to be perfectly clean. Somewhere in one of my videos I show how to add a ground wire to improve the operation of the solenoid. I will try to find it for you

@randywolfe3387

4 жыл бұрын

I have not done anything with the solenoid inside the horn. If you can send me a link to the video you mentioned? Thanks for the video which was well done. I’m trying to get my train set from when I was a child working so that my grandchildren can use it while they’re out of school because of this coronavirus problem. God bless, Randy

@tmackinator

4 жыл бұрын

Basically the lower movable contact of the horn relay, called the armature, grounds to the main body of the solenoid (relay) through the hinged connection. What you do is take a very light gauge, very flexible wire and solder one end to the main frame of the solenoid, there are some tabs on the back of the horn relay assembly you can use, and then solder the other end to the armature where it pivots. The wire must be light and flexible enough to no impede the action of the armature plate. This insures a proper connection.

One question. When I put my engine in reverse the horn goes off. But if I use my vintage transformer it doesn't do that. Any ideas?

Hi I have a 212 engine and I want to install a horn from scratch. How do I hook it up is it hooked up to electric motor and track contact? All I need to know is the wiring for the installation so the horn will sound when button on controller is pressed. Thanks Charlie

@tmackinator

10 жыл бұрын

You need the battery bracket, horn relay and horn with the proper bracket to fit your engine. any of the later 200 series alcos will have the parts. Go to Olsen's toy trains and go into the library section for a wiring diagram. Look at the 200 series alcos for a diagram. Best bet is to find a donor engine with all the necessary parts. The horns run of 1.5 v battery power. The transformer button activate he relay which complete the battery circuit to the horn.

@rio9760

10 жыл бұрын

thanks a bunch for the response ill check the wiring diagram

I have a ? I have a Lionel 3524 GP-38 it has a bad rear motor when I go to Lionel parts page it shows a 7800rpm for the front (6208857100 DC MOTOR W/ GEAR / STARTER DIESELS (7800 RPM) 9 $8.00) and a 5400rpm for the rear 6208875100 DC MOTOR W/ GEAR / STARTER DIESELS (5400 RPM) 9 $8.50 is this right. I would have thought both to be the same

Hi, how do i hook power to the unit to test the horn?? Thanks.

@tmackinator

9 жыл бұрын

connect the wire coming off the horn to the positive terminal of a 1.5v battery and connect the metal frame of the horn to the negative side.

hi , i just purchased a #2023 pair of engines , i cleaned the battery compartment and installed a new D battery in the power engine . my question is - what activates the horn ? is it done by a separate remote , or do you need a transformer with specific connections ? i have the lionel 190 watt transformer , with whistle capability . and does not activate the horn when i push the lever. thank you .

@tmackinator

4 жыл бұрын

The whistle button, if all is well will activate the horn. The whistle button will cause the horn relay to pull in. Place the engine on the track, with or without a battery. Lock the engine in neutral, turn up the track power and press the whistle button/lever. You should see the horn relay activate. If not then you have to inspect the wiring, the relay or the transformer itself. Do you have another engine with horn or whistle tender to verify the operation of the transformer horn circuit?

@w.l.graves7228

4 жыл бұрын

@@tmackinator hi , i don't have another engine but i will try your suggestions , thank you very much for your info !

Is a new replacment horn available, anywhere?

@tmackinator

5 жыл бұрын

Any parts dealer such as the train tender has them.

Those tabs break off easily

HELP!!!! I can’t find any information showing how to remove the drive shaft of the LIONEL COAL LOADER 397!!! The sleeves holding mine in place are so tight and will not slip off of either end!!! Must slip out the shaft to put the replacement rubber belt in place. I see so many of these on eBay and replacement belts that there should be a v

@rogerhaag9069

5 жыл бұрын

Continued.....there should be a video about th

@rogerhaag9069

5 жыл бұрын

Continued.....about this?????

Hey, I have a Lionel 2353 AA set I'm repairing, and the horn doesn't respond at all. The light comes on in the dummy unit when the power is applied, and when the whistle feature is turned on at the power pack, the relay does click, but not even the slightest sound out of the horn. I was going to try to repair it, but I found that I could not get under the tabs. My locomotive has the tabs on top of the horn cover, instead of on the sides. I'm not sure what on earth to do about it. I also know that heating up the tabs with a soldering iron is the way to go when it comes to ensuring that they do not break. I just can't get under those stupid tabs!!! Please, someone help me!

@tmackinator

7 жыл бұрын

I slide an exacto knive blade under the tabs to start them.

@leverettrailfan5414

7 жыл бұрын

Yeah I just ended up doing that and it worked, but I'm having trouble with my horn still. It won't buzz right, then I got it going, pug the shell back on, took it to the layout, and it wasn't working. In addition, the reverse unit was sticking, so I took it apart and tried to de-magnetise the solenoid, but ended up just ruining everything and doing nothing at all. I. An figure out what the $@#% is wrong, because all the contacts appear to be lined up right, pressed against the drum, there are no broken wires, and it STILL gets the sticky reverse unit, only now it doesn't run at all. I don't even know what I was thinking when I tried opening it up. I should have just left it alone from the start.

@tmackinator

7 жыл бұрын

I have a two part video on e unit repair you may want to watch.

@leverettrailfan5414

7 жыл бұрын

Funny thing... I solved the issue. I had to replace the drum, one nub to hold it in place had been sheared off do it wouldn't sit in place, and then found the contacts were lined a bit off, so I set them right. A squirt of WD40 up the solinoid's housing made it stop sticking. Man, it sure was a pain in the ass to get it all done, but she runs pretty darn good now. Well, up until tonight she growled quite a bit, but I just went back inside tonight and gave her a large dosage of WD40 on all moving parts again to attempt freeing up sticky axles, gears, etc, and now she runs much smoother. I want yo see if she'll work better on the graduated strestle set now, as well as pulling long trains. I mean, i did a test with about 7 cars while the shell was off, just to get an idea for how she sounded after running her light, to see if that changed the sounds, and all, but no dummy unit. She did twice as well as she used to, at least in my mind. I also re-lubed the dummy to see if I could eliminate more friction, taking good care to get less obvious spots, where things scraped other things as the trucks pivoted. I'll go more tomorrow, I have all day pretty much. It'll give me some time to mess with the horn relay too.

@tmackinator

7 жыл бұрын

Be aware that although wd-40 is great for freeing sticky mechanisms, it is not specifically a lubricant. I really suggest you go back and re-lube all necessary points with train/sewing machine oil and light grease such as white moly grease on gears. If you get wd all over the motor armature and brushes it won't end up good in the long run. E units are designed to run dry. electrical contact cleaner is the thing to use on them as it evaporates quickly and leaves little or no residue. Be sure what you use is safe on plastics. Most "sticking " problems are due to mis adjustment of the ratchet pawl.

@grizzleybearz282004 I'm sorry but I do not understand your question.

I tried it an I screw it up worse .well I got to fined a repair train shop to fix it

i cant even get the tabs up any suggestions?

@tmackinator

8 жыл бұрын

+Jeffrey Morrow Try using an exacto knife using the thin part of the blade to get under the tabs to start them. Be aware if you move the tabs too much they will break off.

@jeffmorrow3320

8 жыл бұрын

+tmackinator ok thanks

What transformer are you using that causes it to trip the horn. By reverse do you mean by reversing by cycling the e unit?

Doesn't sound much like a train horn to me... but maybe that's because Lionel came out with that horn thing back when real diesel and electric engines had the older truck-like air horns (like on the GG1), so Lionel was attempting to emulate that in miniature (like the air whistles in their tenders.)

2019

@tmackinator

4 жыл бұрын

?

@landonhitt8550

4 жыл бұрын

@@tmackinator i meant 2019 anyone

@tmackinator

4 жыл бұрын

@@landonhitt8550 Thanks for your comment but I still don't get it?

@landonhitt8550

4 жыл бұрын

@@tmackinator its kind of a trend for videos before or in 2018

Those horns are nothing but Delta Bicycle Horns.

Nice! Well... Perhaps do you can help me... so, I need other motor truck to my Engine GE 44 Ton Lionel Postwar, but I'm tempted in varios stores and sites like Traindoctor, Lionel, Trainz.com and others but I dont have found... Where i can find this motor truck? Sorry my English, but I'm from Brazil... And, I like so much of my Lionel Trains...Thanks And watch my videos...

DONT RUN IT PUT IT ON A SHEILF SO IT NO BURNOUT!!!!!!!

I have the Lionel Santa Fe it's red and silver pretty the same as yours I would like the Horn to work on mine which is not rusted at all But there is a place to put a "D' sized batt.which is rusted I guess the spring load where the black wire is terminated is gone the wire is not connected. My question is if every thing was working and you put a Batt. in the Engine how do you work the horn it can not run all the time.I put this set together left to me by my Father and the last time it ran was 1978,the trains run great but I would love to here the horn again like when I was a young boy.

@tmackinator

10 жыл бұрын

You can put the battery in the horn bracket as normal and manually move the horn relay contact which is the moveable plate on the lower end of the relay. You can also take a 1.5 v D cell (Or 2 batteries in series for a little more power) and connect it to the pickup roller (or the hot side connection) and frame ground which will simulate the whistle button on the transformer and actuate the horn relay.-TM

Thats a nasty horn