MTHTrains RAILKING BLUE COMET User manual

RAILKING BLUE COMET

STEAM ENGINE

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS

This RailKing Blue Comet Steam Engine is produced in detailed Die-Cast Metal and

operates on O-31 track. This RailKing Steam Engine contains M.T.H.’s Loco-Sound™

sound and train control system. The locomotive is easy to operate with any compatible

standard AC transformer (see the compatibility chart on page 14), and is completely

compatible with most other 3-rail locomotives, rolling stock, and accessories.

M.T.H. takes pride in manufacturing high quality products like your RailKing steam

engine, and we hope that you will enjoy it for a long time. Please read all the

accompanying instructions carefully before setting up and operating your locomotive.

With proper care, this engine should yield years of trouble-free performance.

RailKing Blue Comet Steam Engine

Table of Contents

Set Up 3

Basic Operation 4

Transformer Controls 4

Speed Control 5

Direction Lock 5

Proto-Cast and Proto-Dispatch 6

Volume Control 7

Maintenance 8

Lubrication and Greasing Instructions 8

Cleaning the Wheels, Tires and Track 9

Locomotive Traction Tire Replacement 9

Smoke Unit Maintenance 10

Locomotive Light Bulb Replacement 11

Troubleshooting 12

Compatibility 13

Transformer Compatibility Chart 14

Safety Precautions 15

Service and Warranty Information 16

RailKing Blue Comet Steam Engine

Set Up

There are a few simple steps you must take before operating this RailKing

steamer.

1. You should prime the operating smoke unit with smoke fluid before

operating. Add 15-20 drops of smoke fluid through the smokestack, then

gently blow into the stack to eliminate any air bubbles in the fluid. See Fig. 4

on pg. 10.

2. If you choose not to prime the unit with fluid, turn the smoke unit switch

located under the engine to the OFF position (Fig. 5 on pg 10). Running the

engine without a primed smoke unit may cause damage. See the “ProtoSmoke

Unit Operation” section of this book for more information on smoke unit

maintenance.

3. You should lubricate all side rods and linkage components and pickup

rollers to prevent them from squeaking. Use light household oil and follow the

lubrication points marked “L” in Fig. 2 on p. 8. Do not over-oil. Use only a

drop or two on each pivot point.

4. Put your engine on the track and insert the reverse unit plug that extends out

of the tender into the receptacle at the back of the engine. WARNING: DO

NOT CONNECT THIS ENGINE TO A TENDER FROM ANOTHER

ENGINE; IT MAY CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE. Look at the bottom of the

engine and tender where each will have a color-coded stamp. If they match

you may connect those two pieces; if not, don’t.

5. Connect the draw bar between the engine and tender. Hole farthest from

tender is for operation on O-31 curves. Second hole larger curves.

At this point, you are ready to begin running your engine.

RailKing Blue Comet Steam Engine

Basic Operation

Transformer Controls

Use the operation controls on your transformer as described below.

Throttle - Throttle up the power to your track. Then put the engine into

motion by either firmly pressing the Direction button on your transformer or

remote once or dropping and advancing the throttle to put the engine in

forward.

Horn/Whistle - To sound the whistle, firmly press the Horn/Whistle button.

The whistle will sound for as long as you continue to depress the button. It

will stop when you release the button.

Bell - To sound the bell, firmly press and release the Bell button. To turn the

bell off, press and release the Bell button again. The bell will continue to ring

from the time your turn it on until you press and release the button again to

turn it off.

Direction - Your train is programmed to start in neutral. To put the engine

into forward and then to change the direction of the train or to put it into

neutral, firmly press and release the Direction button on your transformer. Just

as you must stop your car between forward and reverse, this engine will not go

directly from forward to reverse; it goes into neutral between directions. If the

train has been moving forward, the first press of the Direction button will put

the train from forward into neutral, the second press into reverse, the third

press back into neutral, and the fourth back into forward. To prevent accidental

high-speed start-ups, this engine is programmed to restart in neutral each time

the track voltage is turned off for 25 seconds or more.

Direction Lock:

You can lock your engine into a directional state (forward, neutral, or reverse)

so that it will not change directions. To do this, put the engine into the

direction you want or into neutral, to lock it into neutral, run it at a very slow

speed (< 10 scale mph), and quickly but firmly press your transformer’s

Whistle button once followed immediately by three presses of the Bell button.

The engine will not change direction (including going into neutral) until you

repeat the 1 whistle, 3 bells code to return the engine to its normal state.

RailKing Blue Comet Steam Engine

Speed Control:

M.T.H. engines equipped with Loco-Sound have speed control capabilities

that allow the engine to maintain a constant speed up and down grades and

around curves, much like an automobile cruise control. You can add or drop

cars on the run, and the engine will maintain the speed you set.

While the engine is programmed to start with the speed control feature

activated, you can opt to turn it off. This means the engine’s speed will fall as

it labors up a hill and increase as it travels downward. It is also affected by

the addition or releasing of cars while on the run.

To turn speed control on and off,put the engine in neutral, then press the

transformer’s Whistle button firmly but quickly one time then immediately

press the Bell button two times. Repeat the 1 whistle, 2 bells code to return it

to the other state. You will want to do this during the initial neutral upon

start-up if you ever couple this engine to another engine that is not

equipped with speed control to avoid damaging the motors in either

engine. Each time you shut down the engine completely, it will automatically

turn speed control on.

Feature to Be Activated:

Speed Control On/Off

Lock into a Direction/Unlock

Button Code:

1 Whistle, 2 Bells

1 Whistle, 3 Bells

RailKing Blue Comet Steam Engine

Proto-Cast and Proto-Dispatch:

When used with the RailKing Remote Lock-on (sold separately),

Loco-Sound-equipped engines gain Proto-Cast™and Proto-Dispatch™features.

Proto-Cast: This feature allows you to play audio recordings through your

engine’s speakers. You must supply the audio source (a small portable is

sufficient) and a male-to-male mini cable (1/8” plug, like that used for the

headset with a portable CD/tape player) to connect your audio source to the

remote lock-on. To use Proto-Cast, simply plug the mini-cable into your audio

source (usually into the headphone jack) and into the “Audio” port on the right

side of the remote lock-on and adjust the volume.

Proto-Dispatch: This feature allows you to broadcast your own voice through

your engine’s speakers. You must supply the microphone and a mini cable

(1/8” plug, like that used for the headset with a portable CD/tape player) to

connect your microphone to the remote lock-on. To use Proto-Dispatch,

simply plug the mini-cable into the microphone and into the “Mic” port on the

left side of the remote lock-on and speak into the microphone.

When these features are in use, the locomotive’s own sounds (engine sounds

and bells, whistles, and horns) will be muted so that only the sounds you

broadcast will be heard. Because these two features are voice activated, there

will be a 10-15 second delay after you stop speaking into the microphone or

turn off the audio source before the engine sounds resume. To stop using the

feature and return to normal operation, unplug the cable from the lock-on jack.

If using parallel tracks with multiple Loco-Sound-equipped engines, Proto-Cast

and Proto-Dispatch transmissions from one track may be picked up by the other

nearby engines.

If you experience popping and interference, try cleaning the track with

denatured alcohol as described in the “Cleaning the Wheels, Tires and Track”

section of this booklet.

Note: M.T.H. does not recommend using Proto-Cast and Proto-Dispatch

at the same time.

RailKing Blue Comet Steam Engine

Volume Control –To adjust the volume of all sounds made by this

engine, turn the master volume control knob located under the tender

clockwise to increase the volume and counter-clockwise to decrease the

volume (see Fig. 1).

Proto-Sound 2.0

Volume Adjustment Knob

Figure 1. Loco-Sound Volume Adjustment Knob

RailKing Blue Comet Steam Engine

Maintenance:

Lubrication and Greasing Instructions

The engine should be oiled and greased in order to run properly.

You should regularly lubricate all side rods and linkage components and

pickup rollers to prevent them from squeaking. Use light household oil and

follow the lubrication points marked “L” in Fig. 2. Do not over oil. Use only

a drop or two on each pivot point.

The locomotive’s internal gearing was greased at the factory and should not

need additional grease until after 50 hours of operation or one year, whichever

comes first. To access the gear box, do the following:

1. Turn the engine upside down.

2. Remove the Phillips screw (marked “GREASE”) located behind the third

set of drivers (counting from the front of the engine).

3. Use a grease tube dispenser to put a small amount (approx. 1-2 ml.) of

lithium-based grease into the gearbox.

4. Replace the screw.

Lubricate Pick Up Rollers (L)

Lubricate Side Rods (L)

Figure 2. Lubrication Points on the Engine

Body Mount Screws

Grease Screw (G)

Figure 3. Greasing Points on the Engine and Body Mounting Screws

RailKing Blue Comet Steam Engine

Cleaning the Wheels, Tires and Track

Periodically check the locomotive wheels and pickups for dirt and buildup,

which can cause poor electrical contact and traction and prematurely wear out

the neoprene traction tires. Wheels and tires can be cleaned using denatured

alcohol (not rubbing alcohol), which can be found in home improvement

stores, applied with a cotton swab.

Occasional cleaning of the track will also help to ensure good electrical

contact and to prolong the life of your engine’s tires. To clean the track, use a

clean rag and denatured alcohol (not rubbing alcohol). Unplug the

transformer and wipe the rails of the track, turning the rag frequently to ensure

that you are using clean cloth on the rails.

Traction Tire Replacement Instructions

Your locomotive is equipped with two neoprene rubber traction tires on the

rear set of flanged drivers. While these tires are extremely durable, you may

need to replace them at some point.

1. Remove the side rods (the rods that connect each drive wheel to the other)

from the wheels in order to slip the new tire over the grooved drive wheel.

This screw can be loosened with a 5mm nutdriver.

2. Make sure the old tire has been completely removed from the groove in the

drive wheel, using a razor blade or small flathead screwdriver to pry away any

remains.

3. Slip the new tire onto the wheel. You may find it useful to use two small

flathead screwdrivers to stretch the tire over the wheel.

4. If you twist the tire while stretching it over the wheel, you will need to

remove and reinstall the tire. Otherwise your engine will wobble while

operating.

5. Make sure the tire is fully seated inside the groove. Use a razor blade to

trim away any excess tire that doesn’t seat itself inside the groove properly.

One set of replacement tires is included with the model. Additional tires are

available directly from the M.T.H. Parts Department (phone: 410-381-2580;

fax: 410-423-0009; e-mail: [email protected]; mail: 7020 Columbia

Gateway Drive, Columbia MD 21046-1532).

RailKing Blue Comet Steam Engine

ProtoSmoke®Unit Operation

This steam locomotive contains a smoke unit that outputs smoke through the

smokestack on the boiler of the engine. The smoke unit is essentially a small

heating element and wick that soaks up and then heats a mineral oil-based fluid

that emits a harmless smoke. The smoke is then forced out of the stack by a

small electric fan.

With a few easy maintenance steps, you should enjoy trouble-free smoke unit

operation for years.

• When preparing to run this engine, add 15-20

drops of smoke fluid through the smokestack

(see Fig. 4). We recommend M.T.H.

ProtoSmoke, Seuthe, LGB, or LVTS fluids (a

small pipette of ProtoSmoke fluid is included).

Do not overfill the unit or the fluid may leak out

and coat the interior engine components.

• If you choose not to add the fluid (or have

already added the fluid but choose to run

smoke-free), turn off the smoke unit switch

located under the engine body (see Fig. 5).

Failure either to add fluid to the unit or to turn it

off may damage the smoke unit heating element

and/or wicking material.

• When the smoke output while running the

engine begins to diminish, add another 10-15

drops of smoke fluid or turn the smoke unit off.

• When storing the unit for long periods of time,

you may want to add about 15 drops of fluid to

prevent the wick from drying out.

• After removing the engine from storage, add

another 25 drops of fluid, letting the wick soak up

the fluid for 15 minutes prior to operation.

If you experience poor or no smoke output when

the smoke unit is on and has fluid, check the wick

to see if it has become hard, blackened, and

unabsorbent around the heating element. Remove

Add Smoke

Fluid Here

Figure 4. Add Smoke Fluid

Smoke Unit

ON/OFF Switch

Figure 5. Smoke Switch

Smoke Unit

Cover Screws

Figure 6. Smoke Unit

Inspection Cover

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