MTHTrains 263E STEAM ENGINE CONTEMPORARY VERSION Operating Instructions Manual Download

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MTH 263e Operating Manual

TINPLA

COUPLER PROBLEMS

REMEDY

The ProtoCoupler wont let the engine uncouple on the

Fly.

The power required to fire the coupler open when the

engine is on the Fly may be greater than the

ProtoSound system is capable of providing. As a

result, you may experience times when the coupler

wont fire open. Unfortunately, the only solution is to

stop the engine and fire the coupler in Neutral. If that

doesnt resolve the problem, try lubricating the coupler

knuckle and rivet as explained in the ProtoCoupler

Operation section.

I cant get the coupler to arm or fire open when I press

the whistle button.

You may be pressing the whistle button too quickly.

See the third remedy in the whistle section above.

Another possibility is that ProtoSounds has been

programmed to turn the coupler function off. See the

section entitled Using RESET to Program

ProtoSounds

Only one coupler will function when I press the whistle

button.

Only one coupler can operate at any one time. Use

the coupler selection switch on the bottom of the

chassis to choose which coupler you want active.

LOCKOUT PROBLEMS

REMEDY

I cant get the engine to run after I power up the

transformer. It sits still with the steam compressor

sounds running.

The engine is locked out into the Neutral position.

Follow the unlocking proceedures in the Lockout

Section.

The engine wont lock out into Forward, Neutral or

Reverse even after the short whistle blast sounds.

You are waiting too long to turn the throttle back on

after the short whistle blast sounds. The power must

be turned back on immediately after the short whistle

blast sounds or the engine will go back into RESET.

See the lockout proceedure in the Lockout Section.

VOLUME PROBLEMS

REMEDY

When I try to run the engine, the steam volume is OFF

or very low.

The steam volume has been programmed at a

reduced volume or to be silent. Go to RESET Feature

6 and adjust the volume. See the section entitled

Using RESET to Program ProtoSounds for more

information.

When I try to set the steam volume, it resets itself to

the original volume after I selected the new volume.

You are trying to set the volume with a poorly charged

or dead backup battery. See the section on Battery

Backup for more information.

When I try to set the Steam Volume to O Volume, I

still hear the cab chatter sounds.

When the steam volume is set to O, you will hear the

Cab Chatter sounds because setting the steam

volume only controls the sound of the steam engine

itself. All other sounds, including Cab Chatter, the

whistle and bell will continue to play at the volume

level set by the manual volume control knob located

on the bottom of the chassis. See the section entitled

ProtoSound Volume Adjustment for more

information.

The sounds seem distorted, especially when the

whistle or bell is activated.

The overall ProtoSound volume has been set to high

creating the distorted sounds. Try turning the volume

control knob located on the bottom of the chassis

counter clockwise to reduce the overall volume level.

Summary of Contents for 263E STEAM ENGINE CONTEMPORARY VERSION

Page 1: ...ge 34 for a complete list of compatible transformers and wiring instructions and is completely compatible with most other 3 rail locomotives rolling stock and accessories The locomotive and tender are equipped with several deluxe features that are simple and fun to operate Each feature is described among the following pages which should be read before the engine is operated For those of you who ca...

Page 2: ...7 USING RESET TO PROGRAM PROTOSOUNDS 18 Entering RESET Options 18 Setting The Engine Volume 19 Programming For A Separate Bell Button Controller 20 Programming For Squeaking Brake Operation 20 Programming For Whistle In Neutral Operation 21 Programming For Squeaking Brakes and PFA Operation 22 Activating Remote Lockout Control 22 ResettingAll ProtoSound Options To Factory Default 23 REVERSE UNIT L...

Page 3: ...nd reverse states that are entered each time the throttle is turned on and off or by using the transformer direction switch if so equipped The reverse unit is designed to ignore dirty track dead spots on switches or minor short circuits without disrupting the engine operation even at slow prototypical speeds Before the engine can be operated however the reverse unit plug that extends out of the te...

Page 4: ...erior engine components When the smoke output begins to diminish while running the engine an additional 10 15 drops of smoke fluid should be added or the smoke unit switch should be turned off When storing the engine for long periods of time you may want to add at least 15 drops of fluid to keep the wick soaked with fluid and prevent it from drying out After removing the engine from storage it is ...

Page 5: ...ed earlier when power is first applied to the track the reverse unit begins in RESET or what seems like a neutral state Power must be interrupted again to get the locomotive to enter the forward state It is this first RESET state that gives ProtoSound its unique remote controlled functions The system will enter RESET whenever power to the track is off for three or more seconds NEUTRAL will be refe...

Page 6: ...tle button is pressed If you don t want to configure or change your locomotive using any of these programmable features simply leave RESET and wait 2 2 seconds before interrupting the power to put the engine in forward After you leave RESET your engine will operate normally in all the direction states of forward neutral and reverse Remember though once power is turned off for more than 3 seconds t...

Page 7: ...ycle the engine into NEUTRAL Turn the throttle to 8 volts or less any higher voltage will arm the ProtoCoupler and press the whistle button The bell should begin chiming To turn the bell off press the whistle button again If you want to keep the bell on while running the engine simply interrupt the power with the transformer throttle or the transformer directional switch and enter forward or rever...

Page 8: ...ame three second length each time the voltage is reduced from high to low Some practice may be required to synchronize the playing of the brake sounds with the movement of the engine It is not uncommon for the engine to stop before the brake sound is completed Operators will find that by coordinating the movement of the throttle setting from 8 volts to off will allow the engine to maintain its mov...

Page 9: ...tle to keep the engine moving while the brake sounds play and then turning the throttle off just as the sounds stop Remember that once you stop the engine you should turn the throttle to the off position if you don t want to activate the Passenger Sounds feature described later in this manual The ProtoSound squealing brake feature also has the ability to simulate the squeal of wheel flanges when y...

Page 10: ...re messages passenger disembarking and embarking sounds conductor voices and general train station ambient sounds Each is described in more detail in the following sections ACTIVATING PASSENGER SOUNDS Your ProtoSounds equipped engine features an operator controlled passenger station sound set Once activated this easy to use feature plays digitally reproduced sounds of a passenger station whenever ...

Page 11: ...tle button To activate the feature turn on the transformer throttle and get your engine into the neutral position not RESET Once in neutral set the transformer throttle at 8 volts or less and press and hold the whistle button for at least three seconds You will hear the bell chiming turn on and if you listen carefully you should hear an air release sound after three seconds have passed at which ti...

Page 12: ...direction it arrived The following operator controlled events control PFA s actions and sounds Event 1 Forward While the locomotive is running in forward or reverse PFA is activated by the operator pushing and holding the bell button down for three or more seconds The locomotive bell begins chiming and can be left on or turned off without disabling PFA Event 2 Neutral Before Reverse The operator n...

Page 13: ...g for a taxi In addition several highlight or foreground sounds play including more conductor voices saying watch your step have a nice day and baggage to the right Event 3 Reverse The operator now interrupts the transformer throttle again to enter the next reverse unit phase reverse In an effort to enhance realism PFA has disabled the reverse phase so that it doesn t power the motors and cause th...

Page 14: ... 5 Forward The operator now interrupts the transformer throttle again to enter the next reverse unit phase forward PFA confirms to the operator that it has entered the forward phase by playing a conductor voice yelling All Aboard Immediately after playing all aboard the sound of the doors closing is heard Within two seconds of the doors closing the locomotive bell begins chiming and the air compre...

Page 15: ...d with ProtoSounds or PFA If the engine isn t equipped with PFA the only thing to remember is that you not turn up the transformer throttle very high when entering the reverse state found in Event 3 If the throttle is set too high then the second locomotive will begin vibrating on the track as its motors will be turning in the reverse state since engines not equipped with PFA cannot disable the re...

Page 16: ...r body is a special NiCad 7 cell 8 4v battery NOT the 6 cell 7 2v battery found in most convenience stores The 6 cell NiCad is NOT recommended for use with ProtoSound applications The battery is continually charged from the track when power is applied and should last for up to five years In addition the NiCad battery is a dry battery and should not leak or cause any damage to your locomotive durin...

Page 17: ...he chassis See Fig 5 below allows you to control all the sounds in the system and a remote control RESET option Option 6 allows you to control the volume level of the engine sounds remotely from the transformer Turning the volume adjustment knob clockwise will increase the volume and counterclockwise will lower the volume of all sounds bell horn engine sounds Cab Chatter etc For information on ope...

Page 18: ... feature at a time through the available options An air release sound is heard each time the throttle is advanced In addition there are special sounds to tell you what RESET position you are in For example if you want to select Feature 2 you put the engine in RESET and move the throttle up and down from full throttle to low two times After the second advance you will hear two clinks indicating tha...

Page 19: ...u 50 volume pushing it a third time will give you 25 volume and pushing it a fourth time will give you no sound The microprocessor will immediately play the sound level each time the whistle button is pushed so that you can decide if it is acceptable You can recycle through the four choices by simply continuing to press the whistle button Once you have decided on the appropriate volume level turn ...

Page 20: ...bell button Simply turn the throttle off and then on again to Lock In the new setting To reset the computer to its original factory default setting no separate bell button operation repeat the above procedure but keep pushing the whistle button until the computer only responds with one bell ding PROGRAMMING FOR SQUEAKING BRAKE OPERATION ProtoSounds can be programmed for squeaking brake operation i...

Page 21: ...gine is in neutral you will need to program ProtoSounds to do so as the factory setting only allows the horn to blow in forward or reverse To do this enter RESET and go to Feature 25 See the section Using RESET To Program ProtoSounds on page 18 Once in Feature 25 press the transformer whistle button and wait for ProtoSounds to sound a bell ding s Continue pressing the whistle button until ProtoSou...

Page 22: ...ce in Feature 28 press the transformer whistle button and wait for ProtoSounds to sound a bell ding s Continue pressing the whistle button on and off until ProtoSounds sounds two bell dings signifying that the PFA features have been turned off Simply turn the transformer throttle OFF and then ON again to lock in the new setting To reset ProtoSounds to its original factory setting of Squeaking Brak...

Page 23: ...luding Remote Lockout Control RESETTING ALL PROTOSOUND OPTIONS TO FACTORY DEFAULTS ProtoSounds is equipped with a RESET feature Feature 18 that resets all programmable options back to their original factory settings This is a useful feature if you find your engine not operating the way you think it should and don t want to take the time to check each RESET feature one at a time To reset all the RE...

Page 24: ...ND THEN LET GO OF THE WHISTLE BUTTON After about one second you will hear a short horn blast QUICKLY TURN THE THROTTLE BACK ON AGAIN Your engine is now locked into Forward or Reverse and it will remain so until you unlock the engine even if you wait a year to run your engine again UNLOCKING THE ENGINE Unlocking the engine is a similar procedure WHILE THE ENGINE IS MOVING PRESS THE WHISTLE BUTTON W...

Page 25: ...oupler firing depending on the transformer throttle voltage settings prior to the user s attempt to lock out the engine Remember the whistle doesn t blow in NEUTRAL unless you programmed it to do so using Feature 25 See page 21 for details only the bell rings or the coupler operates in NEUTRAL While it doesn t make any difference on how the lockout function operates you may hear one of the three d...

Page 26: ...unscrewing the two screws on the plate located in front of the motor Grease can then be applied into the gear box using a grease tube dispenser Use motor oil 1OW 40 or 10W 30 for lubrication Apply oil sparingly using a toothpick or similar applicator Before beginning please be sure to have several toothpicks and cotton swabs to apply oil and clean up excess spills Familiarize yourself with the loc...

Page 27: ...d of the locomotive downward so that you can see one of the drive axles on each motor Using a toothpick or length of wire carefully apply two drops of oil to the axles at all four bronze bearings Now turn the locomotive around with the other end downward so that you can see the other two axles Carefully apply two drops of oil on the axles at the bronze bearings Lubricating the Side Rods Figure 7 5...

Page 28: ... small drop of oil at the axles of the pickup rollers Wipe away excess oil with a cotton swab The rolling surface should be free from oil LUBRICATING THE TENDER Every 5 Hours 1 Add a single drop of motor oil to all twelve wheels at the axle 2 Apply a small drop of oil at the axles of the pickup rollers Wipe away excess oil with a cotton swab The rolling surface should remain free of oil 1 1 Figure...

Page 29: ...ter intensity depending on the transformer voltage setting The headlight can be easily removed from its lampholder should the bulb expire To remove the bulb unclasp the boiler front clasp Pull the boiler front open to reveal the headlight and gently unscrew the bulb from its socket Replacement bulbs are available directly from MTH Electric Trains ...

Page 30: ...ton is depressed fully the ProtoSound circuit may not recognize the signal Try pressing the whistle button slower taking approximately 1 second to fully depress the button BELL PROBLEMS REMEDY When I press the whistle button to activate the bell the whistle sounds You are trying to ring the bell in Forward or Reverse The bell only operates in Neutral unless you have programmed ProtoSounds to recog...

Page 31: ...ven after the short whistle blast sounds You are waiting too long to turn the throttle back on after the short whistle blast sounds The power must be turned back on immediately after the short whistle blast sounds or the engine will go back into RESET See the lockout proceedure in the Lockout Section VOLUME PROBLEMS REMEDY When I try to run the engine the steam volume is OFF or very low The steam ...

Page 32: ... completed This will guarantee that the system check will have been completed since the startup sounds take longer than 2 2 seconds to play If the problem persists we recommend that you operate the throttle with a slower movement as you interrupt the power in RESET and enter the Forwaard Phase BRAKE SOUND PROBLEMS REMEDY When the transformer is throttled down the sounds won t play The brake featur...

Page 33: ... the bell when the system enters Event 5 After approximately 15 rings of the bell it automatically will turn off Whenever PFA is enabled pressing the whistle and bell buttons has no affect Because PFA must control various effects in each PFA event the bell and whistle functions are disabled until either the PFA events have been completed or the engine is shut down for 3 or more seconds PROTOSOUND ...

Page 34: ...r Rating Transformer Type Lionel 1032 U A 5 16v 90 Watt Standard Lionel 1032M U A 5 16v 90 Watt Standard Lionel 1033 U A 5 16v 90 Watt Standard Lionel 1043 U A 5 16v 90 Watt Standard Lionel 1043M U A 5 16v 90 Watt Standard Lionel 1044 U A 5 16v 90 Watt Standard Lionel 1053 U A 8 17v 60 Watt Standard Lionel 1063 U A 8 17v 60 Watt Standard All Trol Left Terminal Right Terminal 0 24v 300 Watt Electro...

Page 35: ...mmended for children under ten years of age without adult supervision MTH recommends parents examine the toy transformer used to power this device periodically for conditions that may result in the risk of fire electric shock or injury to persons such as damage to the primary or output cord plug blades housing or other parts including proper functioning of the circuit breaker and that in an event ...

Page 36: ... your sales receipt and a full description of the problem must be included to facilitate the repairs Please include the description regardless of whether you discussed the problem with one of our service technicians when contacting MTH for your Return Authorization number 3 Please make sure you have followed the instructions carefully before returning any merchandise for service LIMITED ONE YEAR W...

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