Kohs & Company Pennsylvania K-4 "Pacific" Troubleshooting guide

The Kohs & Company Pennsylvania K-4 locomotive is an exact scale replica of the original pro-
totype. It is constructed of formed and fabricated brass and incorporates many scale operating
features. Although the model is very sturdily built, the boiler, tender shell and particularly the
detailing are very susceptible to damage by rough or careless handling. To prevent damage,
please exercise great care in unpacking and handling the model. The locomotive is best handled
by lifting under the front pilot beam and the rear cab deck. When touching the painted surfaces,
it is advisable to wear the supplied gloves to protect the nish.
This locomotive model is designed to operate on Direct Current (DC) electricity. Any applica-
tion of Alternating Current (AC) WILL DESTROY THE INTERNAL ELECTRONIC COM-
PONENTS OF THIS MODEL. Kohs & Company will not be responsible for damage caused
by the application of AC power to the model. We will offer further power supply specication
recommendations under the heading of 'Power Supply Requirements', please make note of the
information offered.
Before unpacking, handling or operating your new model PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO
FULLY READ THIS MANUAL. This is a small investment in time to protect your substantial
nancial investment and to prevent unnecessary disappointment and frustration.
OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE INSTRUCTIONS
Pennsylvania K-4 ‘Pacic’
©2006 Kohs & Company, Inc - Clarkston, Michigan 48348

PREPARING THE LOCOMOTIVE FOR OPERATION
Although your K-4 was shipped ready to operate, a couple preventive maintenance precautions
should be observed to ensure the smooth operation and longevity of the model. If losse fasteners
are found on the packing materials please notify Kohs & Company immediately. First, make
certain that all of the small fasteners used to assemble the running gear are snug and have
not come loose during shipping. Secondly, the locomotive has been lightly lubricated during
assembly and testing, while this will sufce for initial operation and break-in, you may wish
to further lubricate the side rod assemblies by applying 1 or 2 drops of good quality ne oil to
areas where moving parts are in contact with each other. Your local hobby dealer should be
able to guide you in the selection of a suitable lubricant. Care must be taken to avoid soiling the
surface of the sound cam located on the rear-most drive axle. Should this occur you will notice
an alteration of the cufng pattern heard during the operation of the locomotive. This situation
can be corrected by carefully removing the lubricant using a cotton swab and alcohol.
LOCOMOTIVE AND TENDER CONNECTIONS
The locomotive and tender require that two pair of connectors be joined to allow the operation
of the model. The connections are made by matching the shape of the connectors and rmly
pressing them together while holding them by the black housings (it is not possible to incor-
rectly make these connections). With the connection made, the excess wire may be carefully
pushed into the locomotive and tender. When disconnecting the locomotive from the tender,
pull only on the housings - Do Not Pull On The Wires! It is advised that the wire connections
be made with the locomotive and tender in place on the track, do not attempt to move the pair
while connected together. (Refer to instruction insert for illustrations)
The stoker feed tube should be positioned inside the stoker feed-ramp receptacle under the cab
when joining the locomotive and tender. The feed-ramp will swivel from side to side during
operation to prevent binding. The rear cab deck apron should rest on the front edge of the tender
deck when you are ready to operate. The drawbar on the locomotive should be lined up with
the drawbar 'pocket' on the tender, the two units should then be rmly pushed together so that
the drawbar will automatically lock in place. The triangular release below the drawbar on the
tender should be oriented from side to side in the visible detente to allow it to completely lock.
To disconnect, pull down on the triangular ring and separate the loco and tender. You must
have patience to properly connect the loco and tender, there are many small detail items that
may be otherwise damaged. (Refer to instruction insert for illustrations)
POWER SUPPLY REQUIREMENTS
Your Kohs & Company model is a Direct Current (DC) electric scale locomotive. Do not attempt
to use AC power as damage will occur. The following criteria should be used when select-
ing your power supply:
1) Direct Current (DC) which is ltered
2) 0-18 volts (DC)
3) The minimum available current should be approximately 2.0A (more is better)

Should you choose to use a less expensive power supply or one which does not meet the above
criteria, undesirable operating characteristics may result as well as possible damage to the
electronics used in the model. If you have questions regarding your selection, do not hesitate
to contact us for advise.
PREPARING THE SOUND SYSTEM FOR OPERATION
The locomotive and tender contain a state-of-the-art sound/control/lighting system which digi-
tally recreates actual locomotive sounds, provides automatic and manual control of all lighting
functions and affords you automatic as well as manual control of the reverse-gear mechanism
all using standard DC track power. While this system requires track voltage to actuate certain
sounds and directional features, the actual power used to operate the system is supplied by the
9V batteries that are placed in the tender coal bunker during the operation of the locomotive.
There is a wiring harness with battery connectors packed in the box along with the locomotive
and tender. At the end of the wiring harness is a male plug which needs to be inserted into the
receptacle located in the coal bunker of the tender, with this connection made, the coal load
can be placed over the batteries to conceal their installation. When you unplug the batteries,
do not pull on the wires, only the plug shell. (Refer to instruction insert for illustrations)
Note: If the ON/OFF switch located under the tender cistern hatch is left in the on position
with the batteries installed, they will be drained whether the tender is connected to the locomo-
tive or not. If the locomotive will not be operated for an extended period or will be in storage,
it is highly recommended that the batteries be removed from the model.
To access the manual functions of the system, the supplied system controller needs to be wired
in-line between your power supply and the track. There are four (4) screw terminals on the
bottom of the control box, please refer to the instruction manual insert page for illustrations of
the proper wire connections. There is an included 9V wall transformer to supply power for the
control box, you will see the receptacle on the control box near where the wires for the trans-
former and track are connected.
OPERATING THE LOCOMOTIVE
The tender was shipped to you with a scale type coupler installed for display and operation,
it may be replaced by a Kadee coupler if so desired. It is recommended that you operate the
locomotive at a varying speeds and in both directions during the break-in period, the break-in
period should last for a total of approximately 60 minutes (this may be accomplished on an
incremental basis). This will help the drive system to 'run-in' resulting in smoother running
characteristics.
You are now ready to put your locomotive into operation. To activate the sound system, locate
the sound system switch under the water cistern hatch. Shortly after turning the system on you
will hear the blowers activate. With the locomotive stationary you will hear, in addition to the
blowers, the air compressors and pressure relief valves on an intermittent basis. The whistle
and/or bell may be sounded at any time, when the system is turned on simply by touching the
appropriate control button once to turn it on and again to turn it off.

When 'track' power is applied to the locomotive and as soon as the drivers begin to turn, the
chufng of the cylinder exhausts will start synchronized to the position of the crank pins. In
normal operation all lighting and reverse-gear functions will happen automatically, if you choose
to issue a manual command, you will need to continue manual commands unless you issue a
'Auto Reset' command, all command and button combinations are listed below.
HEADLIGHT - Headlight on/off HEADLIGHT / ALT - Backup Light on/off
MARKER - Marker Lights on/off AUX 1 - Cab Lights on/off
FORWARD - Reverse-gear Forward FORWARD / ALT - Cylinder Blowout on/off
REVERSE - Reverse-gear in Reverse REVERSE / ALT - Main Sounds on/off
BELL / ALT - Restore Auto Direction AUX 3 - None
AUX 2 (AUX 1/ALT) - None
The sound portion of the system uses three speakers (two in loco and one in tender) and three
audio ampliers to produce the sound. Each amplier has independent volume, bass and treble
controls that are accessible through the tender cistern hatch and the arrangement of the controls
is pictured on the Sound/Control System insert page included with these instructions. Using
high or low extremes on these controls is not recommended as severe distortion will result in
the sound
LOCOMOTIVE CARE AND MAINTENANCE
Routine maintenance consists of periodic lubrication as described under the heading 'Prepar-
ing For Operation' and replacement of the sound system batteries covered under the heading
'Sound System'. It is advisable to periodically check the tightness of the small fasteners used
to assemble the side rods and other detailing to make certain that parts will not be lost. If
the model will not be operated for an extended period of time, remove the batteries from the
locomotive and sound controller.
SERVICE
The Kohs & Company Pennsylvania K-4 comes with a limited lifetime warranty to the original
owner. We will repair any model requiring service as a result of normal use, but not abuse. All
of our guidelines for operation must be followed otherwise the warranty is voided. We will not
replace consumable items such as light bulbs and batteries as a matter of course, but will make
such items available to customers on a cost basis. If you have technical questions or questions
regarding service, please contact us directly:
Phone [phone]
Fax [phone]
E-mail [email protected]
Revision: 1/2/06

The photograph to the left shows the drawbar
release hanging down under the operational
buffer assembly. The prototypical double
drawbar inserts into the two slots just above
the release.
The Photograph to the right shows the
sound system battery connection in the
tender coal bunker, it is critical to observe
proper polarity as marked, the batteries
should be placed in the bunker and cov-
ered with the supplied coal load.
The photograph to the left shows the sound/
control system on/off switch under the cistern
hatch. The sound controls are accessed under
the hatch to the right of the switch.
The image to the right illustrates the
arrangement of the sound controls
as though looking through the cis-
tern hatch facing to the front of the
locomotive. The controls should be
adjusted using a small plastic screw-
driver to prevent shorting the circuit
board should you touch it during the
adjustment.

Shown above is the completed connection of the locomotive and tender, notice the vertical position
of the electrical connectors with their wide dimension oriented from side to side.
Pictured above is the sound system control box, in the left view the terminals and markings are vis-
ible, in the right view notice the 9V wall adapter transformer and connection location.
DCC Compatibility - The installed sound/control system is compatible with current DCC
technology and there are connectors on the internal circuit boards to interface with DCC
decoders. For more specific information on this connection process, please get in touch
with us directly.
Rechargeable Batteries -Your Pennsylvania K-4 model was delivered ready to use normal
alkaline ‘AA’ batteries for system power, the system does have a charger circuit built in to
allow the use of rechargeable nickel-cadmium ‘AA” batteries. A plastic shelled jumper
must be installed on the main circuit board to activate this circuit. If you would like to
employ nickel-cadmium batteries, get in touch for the details. Version 1/1/2006
Power In Power Out
+ - + -