Lionel’s steam RailSounds boxcar is a modern version of an old trick – put a locomotive sound system in the first car of a train and to onlookers the huffing and chuffing is coming from the locomotive itself. By separating the sound from the locomotive itself you can use any engine and tender combination to pull your train and still hear steam sounds. (Yes, you can even have amaze your friends by pulling the steam boxcar with a diesel locomotive.)
The boxcar is ready to roll right out of the box except for installation of a 9-volt alkaline battery. The battery provides uninterrupted sound when cutting track power briefly to sequence a reverse unit and also provides power for the steam shutdown sequence.
As for the digitally recorded sound? Rich and clear as, well, a bell. Static or “white” noise is minimal. The chuff rate is determined by the rotation of a magnet on one of the boxcar’s axles. Whether you’re operating an efficient can-motored locomotive or an electricity-guzzling postwar steamer, the magnet’s sensor coordinates the chuff rate to the speed of the locomotive, not the transformer voltage setting. The coordination of the chuff rate to the movement of the locomotive’s wheels and siderods adds tremendously to the illusion that you’re operating a real steam locomotive (in miniature, of course).
The whistle deserves special mention, or should I say whistles? A press of the transformer whistle button triggers by random selection one of several whistle variations, as if an O gauge engineer was dipping the whistle to show off. The bell sound is clearly audible above the steam sounds. When the bell is turned off the ringing sound trails off appropriately, not abruptly.
If your transformer only has a whistle/horn button you will need to purchase a bell activation button to access the ringing sounds. However, you do not need Lionel’s TrainMaster system to enjoy any of the sounds.
Keep in mind that blowing the whistle in your boxcar will also trigger a whistle-equipped tender. You may want to deactivate the mechanical whistling tenders on your roster or disconnect the speaker on tenders with electronic whistles to avoid dueling whistle sounds.
The 6464-sized 101/4-inch boxcar shell provides plenty of space for circuitry and an acoustic chamber surrounding the downward facing speaker. A volume-adjustment knob is beneath the car as is a switch to turn off the steam sounds without silencing the whistle and bell.
If you don’t care for the REA boxcar shell, you could always swap it with the shell of another same-sized Lionel boxcar in your fleet.
I encountered one glitch with our boxcar that was easily remedied. One of the brass electrical pickups was pressing tightly against the axle that triggers the chuff-rate sensor.
When the train passed over a rough section of track the wheels slide instead of rolled. This caused the chuff rate to skip a beat. I bent the brass pickup slightly to allow the axle to rotate more freely and the problem was solved.
Lionel’s steam RailSounds boxcar and its companion diesel sounds boxcar are easy and flexible ways to enjoy top quality sound on your layout regardless of the brand of trains you operate or the control system you use. You need to hear these cars for yourself.
