Lionel TrainMaster Command Control Railsounds 3.0 - 5.0

Railsounds 3.0

RailSounds 3.0 was Lionel’s first modular sound system, introduced during the early modular electronics era. RailSounds 3.0 audio boards must be used only with a RailSounds 3.0 power board and cannot be combined with RailSounds power boards designed for RailSounds 4.0, 4E, or 5.0 systems. Because of the large heat sink on the RailSounds 3.0 power board, it can only be mounted vertically on a motherboard.

RailSounds 3.0 is fully compatible with R2LC command receivers and enables upgrading sound sets across a wide range of applications. Because RailSounds 3.0 includes a broad variety of available sound sets, the PIC and ROM chips from a RailSounds 3.0 audio board can be transferred into a RailSounds 4.0 or 4E audio board, allowing the sound set to be used with the later, more commonly available RailSounds power boards (691RSPRA00 or 691PCB104D).

Power Boards

Audio Boards

Railsounds 4.0

RailSounds 4.0 was introduced two years after RailSounds 3.0 and featured a more compact design, allowing it to fit into tighter locomotive installations. RailSounds 4.0 audio boards are powered by the RailSounds power boards 691RSPRA00 or 691PCB104D. Some RailSounds power boards include a grounding shield over the inductor, which helps reduce electrical noise in certain locomotive applications.

Power Boards

Audio Boards

Railsounds 4E

Lionel later introduced RailSounds 4E—with the “E” indicating expanded memory, allowing for enhanced TowerCom and CrewTalk features. RailSounds 4E audio boards are physically identical to RailSounds 4.0 boards; however, the sound ROM and PIC include increased memory capacity to support additional sound features. These audio boards use the same RailSounds power supply boards as RailSounds 4.0, specifically 691PCB104D and 691RSPRA00.

Audio Boards

Railsounds 5.0

As Lionel continued to innovate, the RailSounds 5.0 audio board was introduced and began appearing in models in the mid-2000s. One major advancement was the integration of wireless drawbar serial-data decoding directly into the audio board, eliminating the need for an external AD20A modular board to decode serial data transmitted via the IR drawbar.

Similar to RailSounds 4E, RailSounds 5.0 added additional sound functions, expanding beyond the capabilities of RailSounds 3.0, 4.0, and 4E. All RailSounds 5.0 audio boards continue to use the same modular RailSounds power boards, specifically 691PCB104D or 691RSPRA00.

Audio Boards

Station Sounds & Other Non-Locomotive Audio Boards

Most Stationsounds audio boards are either Railsounds 4, 4E, or 5.0. We have listed them separately so you do not inadvertently purchase them for a locomotive application. We have also included any audio boards for animated cars, such as a command-controlled aquarium car.

AD20A

Any Lionel steam locomotive equipped with a wireless IR drawbar and using RailSounds 3.0, 4.0, or 4E was fitted with an AD20A board. The AD20A decodes wireless serial commands transmitted from the locomotive to the tender. The AD20A board was produced in two formats: a non-modular version supporting RailSounds 2.5–equipped locomotives, and a modular version supporting RailSounds 3.0, 4.0, and 4E audio boards.