Lionel Early-Era Inspection Vehicle User manual

Lionel
Early-Era
Inspection Vehicle
Owner’s Manual
72-8453-250
2/11
®
featuring
Lionel
Early-Era
Inspection Vehicle
Owner’s Manual
Lionel
Lionel
Lionel
Lionel
Lionel

2
Congratulations on your purchase of the Lionel Early-Era Inspection Vehicle! This scale-sized die-cast metal inspection car is equipped with working headlights and Command Control for
operation on Command Control layouts. Reminiscent of early classics intended for use in railroad
maintenance, they operate on curves as tight as 0-27.
Congratulations!
Features of this vehicle
• Powerful maintenance-free motor
• Standard O scale model operates on O-27 curves
• Operates in forward, neutral and reverse
• Detailed die-cast metal body and frame
• Operating headlights
The following Lionel marks are used throughout this catalog and are protected under law. All rights
reserved.
Lionel®, LEGACY™, FasTrack™, TrainMaster®, Odyssey®, RailSounds®, CrewTalk™, TowerCom™,
DynaChuff™, StationSounds™, Pullmor®, ElectroCoupler™, Magne-Traction®, CAB® 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™

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Command Control operations
The Command Control environment 4
Running your vehicle in the Command environment 5
CAB commands for your vehicle 5
Assigning your vehicle a new ID# 6
Reprogramming the Command reverse unit to restore features 7
Transformer operations
Running your vehicle with a Lionel transformer 8
Command Reverse Unit switch 9
Maintaining and servicing your vehicle
Lubricating your vehicle 10
Servicing your vehicle’s LEDs 11
Limited Warranty/Lionel Service 12
Table of contents

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Command Control operations
The Command Control environment
Command Control is the advanced model railroad control system from Lionel. Command Control gives you the power to operate multiple Command-equipped vehicles on the same
track, at the same time.
To operate in Command mode, you need a Command Base and a CAB
Remote Controller. Find them both at your authorized Lionel retailer.
Place your vehicle on Lionel or
Lionel-compatible O-27 or larger track.
2Address your vehicle using CAB.
• Press ENG and 1 on the numeric keypad of your CAB. This command
is sent by the CAB to the Command Base, which then translates your
command into digital code. That code is sent around your railroad’s
outside rails in the form of a digital “halo.” All Command-equipped Lionel
engines listen to this digital communication, but they do not respond until
they hear their individual ID number—in this case, “1.”
• The digital language of Command—and not track power—
controls the actions of Command-equipped Lionel engines.
Track power is simply like gasoline in the tank of your car—it gives you
the power to go places, but it doesn’t tell you where to go or how fast to get
there.
• All Command-equipped vehicles come factory-programmed
with an ID# of “1.” To change the ID# of your vehicle, see page 6.
3Move ‘em out!
• Throttle up or press any command button on the CAB. Your vehicle will
respond to your every command. Read on.
1• Make sure track power is OFF before placing your vehicle on
the track.
• Make sure your Lionel Command Base is plugged-in and its
communications wire is connected to the COMMON post on your Lionel
transformer or the U terminal on any of your installed PowerMasters.
• Once positioned on the track, increase track voltage to FULL (no
more than 19 volts). On PowerMasters, slide the CMD/CONV switch to CMD.
Caution! Do not power your vehicle with direct current (DC). Damage to
sensitive electronic components may occur.

Running your vehicle in the Command environment
Your Command-equipped vehicle comes factory-programmed with an ID# of “1.” To get your vehicle in action, set PowerMasters to CMD or set all power supplies on full
(no more than 19 volts). Press ENG and “1” on your CAB. Turn the throttle or press any
command button; your vehicle is ready for Command operations.
CAB commands for your vehicle
Command Control operations
Note!
5
The CAB commands for the vehicle are outlined below.
Throttle
Turn the THROTTLE to the right to accelerate, left to decelerate.
AUX1, 0
Stops and resets the vehicle to the idle position; ready to start in the forward direction.
AUX2
Toggles the headlights on and off.
DIR
The DIR key is used to change the directional state of your vehicle. Use the DIR button to decelerate to a
complete stop; turn the throttle up, and the vehicle will accelerate in the opposite direction. There is no
neutral state.
BRAKE AND BOOST
The BOOST and BRAKE command buttons give you incremental control of speed and are the superior
way to handle grades, gradual stops-and-starts, and more.
In the TrainMaster Command Control environment, the Boost and Brake keys will increase and decrease
the speed of your vehicle only as long as the keys are held down.
In the LEGACY environment, the Boost and Brake keys can be set to maintain the speed without
reverting back to the previous set speed.
These settings will be lost when you assign a new engine ID number.
HALT
Press HALT to shut down all PowerMaster electrical output on your railroad. Stops all Command-
equipped Lionel locomotives in operation.
Use HALT only in emergency situations.
Note!

6
Command Control operations
We recommend that you choose an easy to remember ID# for your engine. You may choose a
part of the engine road number or any two-digit number that is not used by another engine.
Write the number on a small piece of tape and put this on the bottom of the fuel tank to aid in
remembering.
A
s your fleet of Command-equipped Lionel vehicles grows, you’ll want to give your vehicle
a more individualized number. Choose from any between 1 and 99. To make things easy,
use a portion of your vehicle’s cab number.
Set the vehicle’s Command reverse unit switch to PRG (see Figure 1 on
page 9). Plug in the Command Base and place the vehicle on track, then power up. Using
CAB, press ENG, the vehicle ID# that you select and then press the SET button on the CAB
remote. See the headlight flicker; that’s the Command reverse unit confirming the new ID#.
Set the Command reverse unit switch to RUN. Your vehicle is ready for operations with its all-
new ID#.
Assigning your vehicle a new ID#

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Command Control operations
Reprogramming the Command reverse unit to restore features
Due to the inevitable derailments and static, it is possible that your Command reverse unit could someday lose its setup program. The symptom of this condition would be
unresponsiveness in Command mode. This can be easily remedied by “reprogramming” your
Command reverse unit using the following steps.
STEP 1: Move the Command Reverse Unit switch on your vehicle to the PRG position.
STEP 2: Plug in your Command Base.
STEP 3: Place the vehicle on track, then turn on power to your track.
STEP 4: Press ENG then input the vehicle’s ID#. Press SET.
STEP 5: Turn off power to your track and wait ten seconds.
STEP 6: Remove the vehicle from your track, and move the Command Reverse Unit switch to
the RUN position.
STEP 7: Place the vehicle back on track, then turn power on to the track.
STEP 8: Press ENG and the ID#, then operate as normal.

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3Move ‘em out!
Get your vehicle moving. Press the DIRECTION button on your CAB Remote
Controller or Lionel transformer. This sequences the Command reverse unit to the
next operating state.
Adjust track voltage until your vehicle moves at your desired speed. To increase
speed, increase track voltage. To decrease speed, reduce voltage. To stop the vehicle,
turn-off track power, or cycle it to neutral.
Place your vehicle on Lionel or Lionel-compatible
O-27 or larger track.
2Power up your vehicle with your transformer.
Your vehicle is designed to operate on 7-18 volts alternating current
(AC). Virtually all Lionel and Lionel-compatible alternating-current
transformers are suitable.
When you first power up your track, the vehicle will wait between
three and eight seconds as it “listens” for digital language from the Command
Base (available separately). When it has determined that it’s on a conventional
(non-Command) railroad, the vehicle’s headlight will illuminate. At this point, the
vehicle is in neutral. (This occurs when placing the vehicle on your railroad for the
first time. Thereafter, it will start in forward following every three-second power
interruption.)
1
Running your vehicle with a Lionel transformer
Transformer operations
Note!
Caution! Do not power your vehicle with direct current (DC). Damage to
sensitive electronic components may occur.

Transformer operations
Command Reverse Unit Switch
Use the Command Reverse Unit Switch to “lock” your locomotive in a single direction, or neutral, in the Conventional environment when the switch is placed in the PGM position.
See Figure 1 below.
Also, the switch is used to assign an ID# and reprogram the locomotive in Command
operation when the switch is in the PGM position.
Figure 1. Program/Run switch
FRONT
REAR
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PGM
RUN
Command Reverse Unit
switch

10
Maintaining and servicing your vehicle
Lubricating your vehicle
H
elp your Lionel vehicle lead a long and productive life on your railroad by maintaining it
properly.
We recommend that you purchase a Lionel Lubrication and Maintenance Kit (no. 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 vehicle’s wheels or your track. You’ll know
your vehicle requires lubrication when visual inspection reveals dryness on the parts indicated in
Figure 2 below. Remove accumulated dirt and dust before lubricating, and always lubricate any
vehicle emerging from prolonged storage.
Figure 2. Underside details and lubrication points
Lubricate with Lionel oil
sparingly
Lubricate with Lionel oil
sparingly