Lionel 2-8-4 Berkshire Locomotive and Tender User manual

Lionel 2-8-4 Berkshire
Steam Locomotive
Owner’s Manual
Featuring Conventional RailSounds™
72-8616-250
3/03

Table of contents
Transformer operations
Running your locomotive with a Lionel transformer 3
Locking your locomotive into a single operational state 4
Using your locomotive’s magnetic coupler 5
Conventional RailSounds operations
Installing a Lionel no. 610-5906-001 Sound Activation Button 6
Experiencing the Conventional RailSounds system 7
Features of your locomotive’s RailSounds sound system 8
Notes on Conventional RailSounds 8
Maintaining and servicing your locomotive
Adding fluid to your locomotive’s smoke stack 9
Replacing your locomotive’s lamp 9
Lubricating your locomotive 10-11
Replacing your locomotive’s traction tires 11
Lionel Service 12
Congratulations!
2
• Conventional RailSounds sound system
• Powerful flywheel-equipped can motor
• Lionel electronic reversing unit
• Smoke generator that produces clean,
safe, realistic smoke
• Brilliant headlight
• Die-cast metal locomotive and tender
• Die-cast magnetic coupler
(rear of tender)
Features of the locomotive and tender
You own a tough, durable locomotive— the Lionel 2-8-4 Berkshire steam loco-
motive. From the crisp die-cast metal detail
and the authentic decoration on the outside,
to the advanced technology and brute power
within the boiler, your steam locomotive is
ready for duty on your model railroad.
Experience the superiority of today’s Lionel.
The following Lionel marks may be used throughout this instruction manual and are protected under law.
All rights reserved.
Lionel®, TrainMaster®, Odyssey®, RailSounds™, CrewTalk™, TowerCom™, DynaChuff™,
StationSounds™, Pullmor®, ElectroCoupler™, Magne-Traction®, CAB-1 Remote Controller®,
PowerMaster®, Lionel ZW®, ZW®, PowerHouse®, TMCC™, Lionelville™
The name FasTrack®is used with permission from Pitsco, Inc.

Transformer operations
Move ‘em out!
Place your locomotive on Lionel or
Lionel-compatible O or O-27 gauge track.
With track power OFF, connect the drawbar between the locomotive and tender as
illustrated in Figure 1.
1
1
Running your locomotive with a Lionel transformer
Power up your steam locomotive with your transformer.
Your locomotive is designed to operate on 8-16 volts alternating cur-
rent. Virtually all Lionel and Lionel-compatible alternating-current transformers
are suitable.
Do not power your locomotive with direct current (DC). Damage to sen-
sitive electronic components may occur.
Get your locomotive moving. Press the DIR button on your Lionel transformer.
This advances the Lionel reverse unit to the next operating state in the repeating
sequence: forward, neutral, reverse, and neutral.
Adjust track voltage until your locomotive moves at your desired speed. To
increase speed, increase track voltage. To decrease speed, reduce voltage. To stop the
locomotive, turn off track power.
3
3
4
4
Add smoke fluid to the locomotive or switch the smoke
generator off.
See page 9 for more information.
2
2
3
Figure 1. Drawbar connection
Caution!

4
Transformer operations
Locking your locomotive into a single operational state
The reverse unit inside your Lionel locomotive is an electronic device that
acts like the transmission in your car. When
you apply power to the track, the locomotive
moves in the direction specified by the
reverse unit—or it sits in neutral, 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
locomotive’s reverse unit, press the direction
control button or turn the throttle to the OFF
position and then ON again. The reverse unit
alternates between these states: forward,
neutral, reverse, and neutral.
Also, the locomotive can be “locked” into
a particular mode of operation by throwing
the reverse unit switch located inside the cab
(see Figure 2). When the switch is thrown to
the OFF position, the locomotive will be
locked in the next mode of operation in the
sequence. For instance, if the locomotive is
in neutral when the switch is thrown, the
locomotive will be “locked” in neutral. If the
switch is thrown to the OFF position while
the locomotive is under power, the
locomotive will remain in that mode. The
transformer direction button will then have
no affect on the direction of the locomotive.
Should the locomotive sit without power
for a short period of time, the reverse unit
will automatically reset and start in the
forward direction when the transformer is
turned on, regardless of the reverse unit
switch position. If the switch is in the OFF
position, the locomotive will start in the
forward direction and be “locked” there.
Figure 2. Switch locations
ON
SMOKE
OFF ON
REVERSE
OFF
OFF
ON Reverse
unit switch
Smoke
ON/OFF switch
OFF
ON
Rear of locomotive

Transformer operations
5
The rear of your locomotive’s tender is equipped with an operating magnetic
knuckle coupler, a revolutionary design first
introduced by Lionel in 1945. These magnet-
ic couplers react to the magnetic field gener-
ated by a Lionel Remote-Control Track sec-
tion (available separately, 6-65530 for
O gauge; 6-65149 or 6-12746 for O-27 gauge;
or 6-12020 for FasTrack layouts).
Place your locomotive’s tender coupler
trigger disc over the central coil of a Remote-
Control Track section and press UNCOUPLE
on the controller. The magnetic field pulls
the disc downward, and the knuckle opens as
illustrated in Figure 3.
One operating technique favored by Lionel
railroaders is the “moving uncouple.” Press
the UNCOUPLE button as the locomotive
passes over a Remote-Control Track section.
The magnetic field will open the coupler; the
consist remains behind as the locomotive
moves on. But be careful—the speed of the
locomotive can increase quickly after it has
been uncoupled.
Figure 3. Magnetic coupler operation
Using your locomotive’s magnetic coupler

Conventional RailSounds operations
Installing a Lionel Sound Activation Button
12
POWER
SUPPLY
For AC transformers with a horn/whistle button
For AC transformers lacking a horn/whistle button
Existing wire
Black wire
Red wire
Lionel no. 610-5906-001
SoundActivation Button for
activating the bell
Lionel no. 610-5906-001
SoundActivation Button
for activating the
whistle Lionel no. 610-5906-001
SoundActivation Button for
activating the bell
Black wire
Wire
nut
Red wire
Red wire
The no. 610-5906-001 button works with any Lionel AC transformer except
no. 6-4690 Type MW. Transformers made by other manufacturers may not be
compatible with RailSounds.
Note!
To activate the bell and whistle sounds when operating your locomotive with
conventional transformers, you may need to
install Lionel no. 610-5906-001 Sound
Activation Buttons (available separately) if
your transformer is not equipped to activate
these features. Connect the button(s) as
shown below.
All track power must feed through
the Sound Activation Buttons. Do
not bypass the buttons.
Note!
Existing wire
Common/Ground/U
Power/A
Common/Ground/U
Power/A
6

With Conventional RailSounds, you experience the sounds of real
railroading like never before. Be sure to
install a nine-volt alkaline battery in the
tender as illustrated in Figure 4. This ensures
interruption-free operation of the RailSounds
sound system.
Begin by removing the tender body to
access the battery clip. Remove the four
tender body screws and lift the body away.
Refer to Figure 4 for the location of these
screws. Snap the battery into the harness,
then lower the battery into the clip. Finish
the battery installation by replacing the
tender body, securing it with the four screws.
To silence the RailSounds sound system,
slide the RailSounds switch to the OFF
position. The whistle and bell will remain
operational. Refer to Figure 4 for the
location of this switch on the underside of
the tender.
Experiencing the Conventional RailSounds system
Conventional RailSounds operations
Battery clip
Rear of tender
Figure 4. RailSounds controls and battery installation
Battery harness
+
OFFON
RAILSOUNDS
-
Volume control knob
RailSounds switch Body screws
Body screws
7

Conventional RailSounds operations
8
Features of your locomotive’s RailSounds sound system
Whistle. Press the WHISTLE button on your
controller and your locomotive’s whistle will
sound as long as the button is pressed.
Authentic bell. Press the BELL button on
your controller to start ringing the bell; press
the button again to discontinue the ringing.
Even the final “hit” is muted—just like the
real thing!
Train brakes. Quickly slow down from a
medium speed, and you will hear authentic
braking sounds.
Wheel flange squeal. Depending on your
track layout, you may hear brake sounds to
simulate the sound of wheel flanges against
the rails when you enter a curve.
Shutdown sequence. When you turn off
track power, you will hear an air release
sound. You have seven seconds to power up
your locomotive before RailSounds com-
mences with an authentic steam locomotive
shutdown sequence.
A nine-volt alkaline battery must
be installed for your locomotive to
play the shutdown sequence.
Variable chuff rate. The speed of your
locomotive determines the rate of steam
chuffing.
TowerCom announcements. TowerCom
features several “Stand by” and “Cleared for
departure” messages from the dispatcher
with responses from the engineer. Each time
TowerCom is triggered, a random message
will be played.
When the train is stopped, a short whistle
blast triggers the first message. If the train
has been stopped for less than 15 seconds, a
“Stand by” message is played. If the train
has been stopped for more than 15 seconds, a
“Cleared for departure” message will play.
The 15-second interval is marked by the first
time a CrewTalk message plays automatically
after the locomotive has stopped.
CrewTalk communication. These “call”
and “response” radio messages occur auto-
matically after the train has stopped. You will
hear them at random intervals, ranging from
thirty seconds to three minutes.
Note!
Notes on Conventional RailSounds
• The volume control knob is located on
the underside of the tender. Refer to
Figure 4 on page 7. You will need a small
screwdriver to turn the volume set screw
clockwise or counter-clockwise to adjust
the volume.
• Listen for incidental locomotive sounds
during RailSounds operation. They’re
automatic and, of course, authentic.
• The nine-volt alkaline battery you
installed ensures continuous steam
locomotive sounds. (Use alkaline
batteries only.)
• Longer track-power interruptions
(including locomotive derailments)
cause RailSounds to shut down after
about seven seconds.

Your locomotive’s headlight and marker lights are illuminated by one lamp.
During the course of normal operations, the
lamp may require replacement.
Carefully remove the three body screws
(see Figure 6 on page 10 for their locations),
then lift the body off of the frame. Locate
and unscrew the expired lamp shown in
Figure 5. Replace the lamp with Lionel part
no. 600-2314-300, available from your
authorized Lionel Service Center. (See the
Lionel Service section on page 12 for more
information.) Reinstall the cab and the
three screws, taking care to not pinch any
wires during reassembly.
Replacing your locomotive’s lamp
Lamp
Part No. 600-2314-300
Maintaining your locomotive
9
Adding fluid to your locomotive’s smoke stack
Your locomotive is equipped with a smoke generator that produces safe,
clean, white smoke during operation.
The smoke generator requires the periodic
addition of Lionel smoke fluid in order to
function. Pierce the tube end with a pin, then
add four to eight drops of fluid directly into
the locomotive’s stack. Smoke production
will commence momentarily, faster if you
run your locomotive at speed. When smoke
production decreases, add more fluid (four to
eight drops).
If you prefer smoke-free locomotive opera-
tion, move the SMOKE switch located inside
the cab to the OFF position, and your locomo-
tive will stop smoking. Refer to Figure 2 on
page 4 for the location of the switches
When the smoke unit is on, always keep a
small amount of smoke fluid in the locomo-
tive’s smoke generator; the generator’s ele-
ment can become damaged if operated with-
out fluid. Smoke production is greater at
higher voltages and when the locomotive is
pulling a heavy load or long consist.
Always keep a small amount of
smoke fluid in the smoke unit
when the smoke unit is on.
Figure 5. Lamp replacement
Caution!

Maintaining your locomotive
10
Help your Lionel steam locomotive lead a long and productive life on your rail-
road by maintaining it properly. We recom-
mend that you purchase a Lionel Lubrication
and Maintenance Kit (6-62927), available
from your Lionel dealer. Two basic rules to
keep in mind: never over-lubricate (a small
amount will do), and avoid getting grease or
oil on the steam locomotive’s wheels, contact
rollers, or your track.
You’ll know your steam locomotive
requires lubrication when visual inspection
reveals dryness on the parts indicated in
Figure 6 below. Remove accumulated dirt
and dust before lubricating, and always
lubricate any locomotive emerging from pro-
longed storage. Also, lightly lubricate the
steam locomotive’s side rods after every ten
hours of operation.
Lubricating your locomotive
Figure 6. Lubrication points
Body screw
Body screw
Body screw
Lubricate axle ends with
Lionel oil sparingly
Lubricate axle ends
with Lionel oil
sparingly
Lubricate with Lionel
oil sparingly
Lubricate with Lionel
oil sparingly