Lionel C&NW WINDY CITY GP-38 User manual

78-1029-250
6/14
CAUTION—ELECTRIC TOY
NOT RECOMMENDED FOR CHILDREN UNDER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE. AS
WITH ALL ELECTRIC PRODUCTS, PRECAUTIONS SHOULD BE OBSERVED DURING
HANDLING AND USE TO PREVENT ELECTRIC SHOCK.
C&NW “Windy City”
GP-38 Freight Set
Owner’s Manual
C&NW “Windy City”
GP-38 Freight Set
Owner’s Manual
Featuring

Table of contents
Running your train
Running your train set 3
Coupling 4
Reverse unit procedure 5
Operating the RailSounds sound system 6
Adjusting the volume 7
Silencing the diesel sound system 7
Installing a 9 Volt Battery in your GP38 8
Maintaining and servicing your set
Lubricating your locomotive 9
Replacing your locomotive’s traction tire 10
Replacing your locomotive’s lamps 10
Replacing the lamp in your Bay-Window Caboose 11
Lionel Limited Warranty Policy & Service 12
2
The following Lionel marks are used throughout this Owner’s Manual and are protected under
law. All rights reserved.
Lionel®, LionChief™, LionChief Plus™, LEGACY™, FasTrack®,TrainMaster®, Odyssey®, RailSounds®,
CrewTalk™, TowerCom™, DynaChuff™, StationSounds™, Pullmor®, ElectroCoupler™, Magne-
Traction®, CAB-1®Remote Controller, American Flyer®, Lionel ZW®, ZW®, MagniVision®, TMCC®,
Lionelville®, Wireless Tether™, Powerhouse™, LionMaster®, Conventional Classics™, Postwar
Celebration Series™, TruRail™, PH-1 Powerhouse®, Powermaster®, Powerstation-Powerhouse®,
Accessory Motor Controller™, AMC™, Accessory Switch Controller™, ASC™, Action Recorder
Controller™, ARC™, Track Power Controller 300™, TPC 300™, Track Power Controller 400™, TPC
400™, Block Power Controller™, BPC™, Operating Track Controller™, OTC™, FatBoy™, Lionel
Lines®, Joshua Lionel Cowen Series™, Lockon®, TrainSounds™, MultiHorn™, MultiWhistle™,
Choo-Choo™, SensorTrack™

3
Running your train
Running your train set
With track power off, place your train set on the track.
Refer to the following section for information on coupling the cars.
3
2
3
Power up your locomotive with your transformer.
Your locomotive is designed to operate on 5-18 volts alternating cur-
rent. Virtually all Lionel and Lionel-compatible alternating-current transformers
are suitable.
Do not power your locomotive with direct-current (DC) transformers.
The locomotive was designed for use with alternating-current (AC)
transformers only.
Move ‘em out!
Get your locomotive moving. Your locomotive goes through a repeating pattern
of operations: forward, neutral, reverse, neutral, and so on. To sequence the reverse
unit, press the DIRECTION button on your transformer, or briefly bring the throttle
all the way back to the OFF position and then forward, for one to four seconds. When
track power is interrupted, the locomotive advances to the next operational state.
Adjust track voltage until your locomotive moves at your desired speed.
1
Note!

4
Running your train
Coupling
When coupling your cars, at least one of the mating couplers must be open as shown at the left in Figure 1. Press down on the lock release to open the coupler, then push the cars toward
each other until they lock together.
Keep in mind that it’s easier to couple cars on a straight stretch of track.
Lock release
Figure 1. Coupler operation
Note!

Running your train
Reverse unit procedure
The electronic reverse unit inside your Lionel locomotive acts like the transmission in a 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 briefly bring the throttle lever all the way back to the OFF position. The reverse unit alternates
between three states: forward, neutral, and reverse.
Also, the locomotive can be “locked” into a certain mode of operation by sliding the reverse unit
switch located on the underside of the frame (see Figure 2). To lock your locomotive into a specific
operational state, sequence the locomotive into the desired state and reduce track power without com-
pletely powering down the locomotive, then slide the switch to the OFF position. The DIRECTION but-
ton will then have no affect on the direction of the locomotive. If you would like to resume forward-
neutral-reverse operation, simply slide the reverse unit switch back to the ON position.
Additionally, this reverse unit has a “power-up reset” feature. If the locomotive sits 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 or “powered up,” 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.
5
Figure 2. Switch locations

6
Running your train
Note!
Operating the RailSounds sound system
When you power up the locomotive on the track, you will hear the sounds of the idling diesel motor. As you increase speed, the RPM sounds will ramp up through eight levels.
Horn
Press the HORN button on your transformer to sound the horn. The sound will play for as long
as you hold the button.
Bell
Press the BELL button on your transformer to activate the bell sound. Press BELL again to dis-
continue the sound.
Crew dialog
Crew dialogue can be activated when the locomotive is sitting at idle with power on nd also
when in motion.
Crew dialogue can be triggered by a short (1 second or less) horn blast. Press the HORN button
on your transformer and as soon as you hear the horn begin to play immediately release the
HORN button. The dialogue below is activated based upon the listed criteria.
The locomotive must be powered up on the track for the dialog to play. Do not turn
off track power
Press the HORN button Diaglogue
"Please stand by";
Engine recently stopped (less than 15 seconds).
"Good to go"; Engine stopped (more than 15 seconds).
"Train in motion"; Engine moving (less than 7 seconds).
"Clear ahead" Engine moving (longer than 7 seconds).
"Caution Speed"; (Bell must be ringing, engine must
be in motion).

7
Running your train
Adjusting the volume
Use the volume control potentiometer accessed from the underside of the locomotive (but located in the interior of the locomotive shell). Use a small flat blade screwdriver to access
the volume potentiometer. Turning it clockwise will increase the volume, counterclockwise will
lower the volume.
Figure 3. Volume control know and switch locations
Silencing the diesel sound system
To turn the sounds in this locomotive off simply turn the volume potentiometer all the way counterclockwise and the sounds from the locomotive will not be heard. (This will also
affect the horn and bell, these sounds will be silenced as well.)

8
Installing a 9 Volt Battery in your GP38
Your GP38's Railsounds system will allow you to install a 9 Volt battery to prevent the sounds from dropping out between directional state changes and to keep the sounds alive
during the shut down process, when power is removed from the track.
You will need to remove the shell from the locomotive by using a Phillips head screwdriver
and removing the 4 screws that hold the body to the frame. Once the screws are removed care-
fully lift the shell upwards from the locomotive frame. Do not yank the shell off, as there are
wires connecting the LED headlamps to the internal circuitry!
Once the shell is removed locate the 9-Volt battery harness and remove the 9-Volt battery
protective cover and install a standard Alkaline 9-Volt Battery to the connector. Seat the 9-Volt
battery into the battery holder and replace the shell. Reinstall the 4 body mount screws.
There is no recharging circuit incorporated in the Railsounds electronics. As such, should
your sounds begin to cut out during directional state changes in the future it will be a signal
that the battery needs to be replaced.
If you remove the battery and do not intend to replace it be certain you cover the
exposed leads on the 9-Volt battery connector so they do not short out against the
stamped metal frame of the locomotive! Otherwise serious damage can occur to the
internal electronics.
Running your train
Note!
Figure 4. Installing a 9 Volt Battery in your locomotive
Battery Clip

9
Maintaining and servicing your set
Lubricating your locomotive
H
elp your Lionel locomotive lead a long and productive life on your railroad by maintain-
ing it properly.
We recommend 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 locomotive’s wheels, contact
rollers, or your track.
You’ll know your locomotive requires lubrication when visual inspection reveals dryness
on the parts indicated in Figure 5. Remove accumulated dirt and dust before lubricating, and
always lubricate any locomotive emerging from prolonged storage.
Figure 5. Underside details and lubrication points

10
Maintaining and servicing your set
Replacing your locomotive’s traction tire
Your locomotive is equipped with four traction tires. These rubber tires increase the trac- tive effort of your locomotive, allowing it to pull more cars at once. During the course
of normal operations, the traction tires may become worn out. Because you must remove the
trucks and the side frames to access the wheels, we recommend that you have the traction tires
replaced by your local Factory Trained Authorized Service Station.
In the event you need to purchase additional traction tires from Customer Service in
Concord, NC this GP38 locomotive used part number 6000222108.
Your locomotive is equipped with directional LED headlamps which are designed to last for the life of the product. In the event the LED headlamps need replaced we suggest you take
it to your local Factory Trained Authorized Service Station or contact Lionel Customer Service
in Concord, NC.
Replacing your locomotive’s lamps