Lionel Zenith Express User manual

71-1826-250

Rev. 9/96

CAUTION—ELECTRIC TOY

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR CHILDREN UNDER EIGHT YEARS

OF AGE. AS WITH ALL ELECTRIC PRODUCTS, PRECAUTIONS

SHOULD BE OBSERVED DURING HANDLING AND USE TO

REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK.

TRANSFORMER RATINGS—INPUT: 120 VAC; 0 HZ ONLY.

AC OUTPUT: 20 VA; 54 VA

O-27 set

Owner’s Manual

ou’re now the proud owner of the

Zenith Express ready-to-run O-27

train set. Everything you need to get

started is included. You’re already off to

a great start by reading this instruction

anual. It has i portant infor ation

on train setup and operation. This

booklet also covers proper aintenance

procedures to help your Lionel trains

live long, healthy lives.

If you have any questions after

reading this booklet, contact your

nearest Lionel Authorized Service

Center using the list included in a sep-

arate flier in this set or call Lionel

Service at 810-949-4100. And have fun!

Table of contents

Track layout

Getting started 3

Joining the track sections 4

Suggested track layouts 5

Grade crossing 5

Attaching the lockon to the track 6

Controller operations

Stripping the wire 7

Attaching the controller wires to the lockon 7

Controller functions 8

Controller and short circuits 9

Train operation

Reverse unit procedure 10

Tire-Traction™11

Coupling 11

Maintaining and servicing your set

Lubricating your 4-4-2 locomotive 12

Adding smoke ﬂuid to your 4-4-2’s smoke generator 13

Replacing your 4-4-2’s headlamp 14

Assembling your ﬂatcar with bulkhead and stakes 15

Lionel Service 15

Congratulations!

Getting started

efore you do anything else, we

reco end you check the contents

of your set box to ensure all of the

parts of your set have been included

and that the quantities (when applica-

ble) are correct.

The parts list below will tell you

what’s included and the correct quan-

tities. If you find any discrepancies,

contact the dealer you purchased

your set fro for ore infor ation or

call Lionel Service at 810-949-4100.

Now co es the fun part—decid-

ing what kind of layout you want.

The only rule—let your i agina-

tion be your guide.

• 4-4-2 loco otive 1

• Tender w/whistle 1

• Boxcar 1

• Flatcar w/bulkheads and

10 stakes 1

• Caboose 1

• Tractor/trailer 1

• S oke ﬂuid 1

• Grade crossing 2

• Crate load 2

• Controller 1

• 40-watt power pack 1

• Lockon 1

• Straight track 8

• Curved track 8

• Service Center list 1

• Railroader Club application 1

• Warranty Card 1

Track layout

Joining the track sections

oin the track sections together

by inserting the pins of one track

section into the rail

openings of anoth-

er. For good electri-

cal contact, pins

ust be carefully

inserted and track

joints tightly fitted.

If the track is dif-

ficult to connect,

try this installation

tip. You can “break

in” O-27 track sec-

tions by inserting

and withdrawing a

track pin into one

rail at a ti e before

joining the entire

track section.

If the openings

beco e too open

(causing the track

to fit loosely), pinch the rail together

around a track pin with a pair of pli-

ers. If any pins fall out of the track

and are issing,

replace the with

extras available

fro your Lionel

dealer.

Maintenance tip:

The rails should be

kept clean, dry, and

free fro oil and

grease. Clean rust

and dirt spots with

a track eraser. Wipe

the track using a

cloth da pened

with track cleaner

fro the Lionel

aintenance kit

(no. 6-62927), avail-

able fro your

nearest Lionel

Authorized Value

Added Dealer or Lionel Service.

Grade crossing

ncluded in your set are two pieces of

grade crossing.

These can be used

on any straight

section of track

and will allow

you to drive your

Lionel tractor-

trailer as well as

other toy cars and

trucks over the rails of your layout.

To install, si ply place the grade

crossings under a

section of straight

track lining up the

rails with the

grooves in the

crossing.

You ay install

two crossings on the

sa e section of

track or on separate sections.

Suggested track layouts

Here are some examples of layouts you can build with 8 straight and 8 curved sections of

track. Remember the more track you own, the more variations you can create in your

train layout. And that means more action and more fun!

Track layout

Attaching the lockon to the track

he lockon connects power fro

your controller to the track.

Attaching the lockon to the

track is quick and easy.

First, place the lockon

under any straight

section of track.

Fit the center

lip of the lock-

on onto the edge of an outside rail. Press

the lockon upward so that the spring

contact snaps onto the center

rail. The lockon should

face outward when set-

ting up your track and

ake sure it is firmly connect-

ed. Use the illustrations below as

a step-by-step guide.

Once the lockon is securely

attached to the track, it’s ti e to

insert the wires fro the controller

into the two spring clips on the lock-

on. See page 7 for easy-to-follow

steps.

LIONEL

CTC

LOCKON

Snap spring contact

to the iddle rail

Hook lip to the

outside of the rail

OFF

FULL

SPEED

Controller operations

Attaching the controller wires to the lockon

ow you’ll need to insert a controller

wire into each of the two spring clips

on the lockon.

It’s easy! Depress the spring clip with

your ﬁnger and insert the bare end of

the wire into the exposed opening.

Release the spring clip. Give the wire a

little tug to ake sure it’s secure. Repeat

these steps with the other spring clip.

Next, insert the s all plug end of the

power pack into the back of your con-

troller, and plug the other end into a

standard outlet.

If the whistle fails to operate

when you press the whistle

button on your controller (see

page 8), re ove the wires

fro the lockon and reinsert

each one into the opposite clip

to reverse polarity.

Plug this end into

back of controller.

Stripping the wire

nce your track is asse bled and

the lockon is

securely attached,

you can connect

the wires fro

the controller to

the lockon.

First you‘ll want to

check the ends of the

wires to ake sure that the insulation is

stripped back about 1⁄4" to

3⁄8". To strip the

wires, use a

pair of wire

strippers or

a sharp knife.

Caution:

Only an adult

should perfor this task!

Always use care when stripping wires.

Note!

Plug power pack

into standard

wall outlet

Make sure that the bare end

of each wire is securely

attached to the spring clip.

Controller operations

Controller functions

s you turn the throttle control knob

to the right, power to the track is

increased. When the indicator reaches

the green band, there should be sufﬁ-

cient power to operate the loco otive.

The further into the green area the knob

is turned, the faster your train will go.

Re e ber that the greater the load on

the engine (adding ore cars for the

engine to pull, for exa ple), the farther

into the green the knob ust be turned

before it will operate the loco otive.

The yellow band indicates the aver-

age power range that the train will be

operating in. The red band represents

axi u power output.

FULLFULL

SPEEDSPEED

OFFOFF

FULL

SPEED

OFF

FULL

SPEED

OFF

Press this button to pro-

duce a realistic whistle

sound.

Press this button to go

forward or reverse, or to

place the loco otive in

“neutral” (no ove ent,

headlight is on).

Turn the throttle control

knob to the right for

ore power.

The LED indicator

shows when your con-

troller is ON.

Green band

Yellow band

Red band

FULL

SPEED

OFF

FULL

SPEED

OFF

our Lionel power pack is listed by

Underwriters Laboratories Inc. and

has been carefully designed and tested

to ensure peak perfor ance. The con-

troller is equipped with a built-in elec-

tronic circuit breaker that alternately

cuts off and restores the ﬂow of power

to the track whenever a short circuit

exists—for exa ple, when the train

derails. The circuit breaker’s action con-

tinues until the cause of the short circuit

is eli inated. This circuit breaker is

incorporated into the controller to pro-

tect it fro possible da age. It will not

protect the loco otive or electrically

operated accessories, so it’s i portant

to eli inate short circuits as soon as

possible.

The power pack ust be

unplugged fro the wall

socket when a short circuit

is noticed, and the short cir-

cuit ust be corrected.

A short circuit is caused by a direct

connection between the center rail and

one of the outside rails or by a direct

connection between bare wires. The

axles of a derailed car or loco otive are

the ost frequent cause of short circuits,

so ake sure that all wheels are proper-

ly set on the rails. So e other causes of

short circuits ight be staples, nails,

paper clips, or other etallic objects

lying across the rails, or two bare wires

touching each other.

If too any cars or accessories are

used, your controller will exceed its

power li it and begin to cycle on and

off. To correct this proble , cars or

accessories ust be re oved before

nor al operation can resu e. For ore

power, see the line of Lionel high-out-

put transfor ers at your Authorized

Lionel Value Added Dealer.

The sa e condition can occur if the

power is turned up too quickly. This

also could cause your train to ove too

fast and derail.

After your power pack has been oper-

ating for a while, you will ﬁnd it war

to the touch. It is the nature of all electri-

cal power equip ent to beco e war

when in use. If your controller is loaded

to capacity, it is a good idea to let it cool

down after an hour or two of continu-

ous use. Unplug the power pack fro

the wall when the controller is not in

use.

Note!

Controller and short circuits

Train operation

Reverse unit procedure

he reverse unit inside your Lionel

loco otive is an electronic device

that acts like the trans ission in your

car. When you apply power to the

track, the loco otive oves in the

direction specified by the reverse

unit—or it sits in neu-

tral, awaiting another

power interruption.

Power interruptions

are the signal that tells

the reverse unit to

sequence to the next

operational state.

To interrupt power

and sequence the loco-

otive’s reverse unit,

press the direction control button or

turn the throttle to the OFF position and

ONagain. The reverse unit alternates

between three states: forward, neutral,

and reverse.

Also, the loco otive can be “locked”

into a certain ode of operation by

throwing the switch located on the

underside of the fra e (see illustration

above). When the switch is thrown to

the OFF position, the loco otive will be

locked in the next ode of operation in

the sequence. For instance, if the loco-

otive is oving forward, then is

stopped and the switch is thrown back,

the loco otive will be “locked” in neu-

tral. If the switch is thrown back while

the loco otive is

under power, the loco-

otive will re ain in

the ode it was in

when the switch was

thrown. The controller

direction control will

then have no affect on

the direction of the

loco otive.

Additionally, this

reverse unit has a “power-up reset” fea-

ture, which eans that should the loco-

otive sit without power for a short

period of ti e, the reverse unit will

auto atically reset and start in the for-

ward direction when the transfor er is

turned on or “powered up,” regardless

of the locking switch position. If the

locking switch is in the OFF position, the

loco otive will start in the forward

direction and be “locked” there.

Reverse unit on/off switch

OFF

FULL

SPEED

Direction control

button

Whistle control

button

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