Lionel LionMaster Challenger User manual

Lionel
LionMaster Challenger
Steam Locomotive
Owner’s Manual
73-8090-250
7/04
Lionel
LionMaster Challenger
Steam Locomotive
Owner’s Manual
SYSTEM
featuring
and

Congratulations!
Congratulations on your purchase of the Lionel LionMaster Challenger steam locomotive and tender! On the outside, this locomotive features numerous prototypical details and
expert decoration in your favorite livery. Inside the body, this locomotive is equipped with some
of the most advanced sounds and controls in model railroading. This powerful locomotive is
ready for duty on your layout.
Features of this locomotive
• TrainMaster Command Control equipped—able to run in the TrainMaster
Command Control environment or in the conventional environment with
only a standard transformer
• Odyssey System for speed control with ON/OFF switch
• Refined Conventional Transformer Control Mode with lower starting
speeds, improved smoke output, and simplified Odyssey System controls
• RailSounds sound system with CrewTalk communication and TowerCom
announcements
• FatBoy speaker
• Dual powerful maintenance-free motors with momentum flywheels
• Four traction tires
• Wireless Tether connection between locomotive and tender
• Directional lighting with operating headlights and back-up light on rear of
tender
• Illuminated classification lights
• Synchronized, fan-driven smoke unit
• Flickering firebox in cab
• ElectroCoupler on rear of tender
• Minimum radius: O-31
2
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™, Lockon®, Wireless Tether™,
LionMaster®
The name FasTrack®is used with permission from Pitsco, Inc.

Table of contents
Quick Start
Transformer operations 4
TrainMaster Command Control operations 5
Conventional transformer operations
Conventional operations 6
Operating your locomotive in the conventional environment 7
Locking your locomotive into a single direction 8
Coupling your locomotive in the conventional environment 9
RailSounds sound system operations
RailSounds sound system operations 10
Installing the battery 11-12
Using the RailSounds sound system in the conventional environment 13
Installing a Lionel Sound Activation Button for conventional operation 14
Using the RailSounds sound system in the TrainMaster Command Control environment 15
Odyssey System operations
Odyssey System operations 16
Odyssey System conventional (transformer) operation 16
Odyssey System Command Control operation 17
TrainMaster Command Control operations
TrainMaster Command Control operations 18
Operating your locomotive in the Command Control environment 18
CAB-1 Remote Controller commands 19
CAB-1 Remote Controller numeric keypad commands 20
Tuning your locomotive’s performance 21-22
Assigning your locomotive a new ID# 23
Reprogramming your locomotive to restore features 24
Maintaining and servicing your locomotive
Adding fluid to your locomotive’s smoke generator 25
Lubricating your locomotive 26
Maintaining your locomotive’s handrail antenna 27
Replacing the traction tires 28
Servicing your locomotive’s LED 29
Replacing your tender’s LED 30
Notes 31
Limited Warranty/Lionel Service 32
3

Quick Start
Transformer operations
1. Place your locomotive on Lionel or Lionel-compatible O-31 or larger
track.
2. Power your locomotive at 8-18 volts with your alternating-current (AC)
transformer.
Do not power your locomotive with a direct-current (DC) transformer. Damage to
sensitive electronic components may occur.
3. Wait three to eight seconds as your locomotive determines whether it is in
a conventional environment or a TrainMaster Command Control
environment.
4. Move ‘em out! Press the DIRECTION button on your controller, then
throttle up.
4
Caution!

Quick Start
TrainMaster Command Control operations
To operate your locomotive in the Command Control environment, you need a Command
Base (available separately, 6-12911) and a CAB-1 Remote Controller (available separately,
6-12868). Both products are offered together in the TrainMaster Command Set (6-12969).
1. Turn off track power and plug-in the Command Base.
2. Place your locomotive on Lionel or Lionel-compatible O-31 or larger
track.
3. Increase track voltage to full power (no more than 19 volts AC).
Do not power your locomotive with a direct-current (DC) transformer. Damage to
sensitive electronic components may occur.
4. Press ENG and 1 to address your locomotive with your CAB-1 Remote
Controller.
5. Throttle up and move ‘em out.
5
Caution!

Conventional transformer operations
Conventional operations
Your locomotive is capable of operating in the conventional environment, controlled by
nothing more than a standard Lionel alternating-current (AC) transformer.
In the conventional environment, your locomotive cycles through a repeating pattern of
operations: forward, neutral, reverse, neutral, and so on. To advance to the next operation, press
the DIRECTION button on your transformer. Alternately, you could use the throttle to briefly
turn off track power so that the locomotive advances to the next operation when power is
restored.
Once you cycle the locomotive into forward or reverse, you control your locomotive’s speed
by varying track voltage with the transformer’s throttle. To increase the speed of the locomotive,
you increase track voltage. To decrease the speed, you decrease track voltage. To stop the
locomotive and to change directions (or to enter neutral), track voltage is turned off or
interrupted.
Use the WHISTLE and BELL buttons on your transformer (or separate buttons if your
transformer is not equipped with these controls, see page 14) to activate these features.
To experience all of your locomotive’s features, we recommend operating in the TrainMaster
Command Control environment. With a simple one-wire connection, you can use the CAB-1
Remote Controller to access all of the functions of your locomotive. Refer to pages 18-24 to see
how to operate your locomotive in the TrainMaster Command Control environment.
6

Conventional transformer operations
Operating your locomotive in the conventional environment
1. With your transformer turned off, place your locomotive on Lionel or
Lionel-compatible O-31 or larger track.
2. Connect the drawbar between the locomotive and tender as illustrated in
Figure 1.
7
Figure 1. Drawbar connection
3. Power your locomotive at 8-18 volts with your alternating-current (AC)
transformer.
Power your locomotive with an alternating-current (AC) transformer only.
Powering your locomotive with a direct-current (DC) transformer may result in
damage to sensitive electronic components.
4. Wait three to eight seconds as your locomotive determines whether it is in
a conventional environment or a TrainMaster Command Control
environment. The headlight flickers as the locomotive searches for a signal from the
Command Base. When the locomotive has determined that a Command Base is not
connected to the track, the flickering will stop and the headlight will remain illuminated.
You are ready for operation in the conventional environment.
5. Move ‘em out! Press the DIRECTION button on your transformer to sequence your
locomotive through the repeating pattern of operations: forward, neutral, reverse, neutral,
and so on. You may also briefly turn off track power to advance the locomotive to the next
operating state. Adjust the throttle until your locomotive moves at your desired speed.
When placing your locomotive on your layout for the first time, it will start out in
neutral. Thereafter, it will start in forward after every power interruption lasting five
seconds or longer.
Use the WHISTLE and BELL buttons on your transformer to activate those features. Refer
to page 14 if your transformer is not equipped with those buttons.
Caution!
Note!

Conventional transformer operations
Locking your locomotive into a single direction
When the Command reverse unit switch is in the RUN position, your locomotive sequences
through a repeating pattern of operations: forward, neutral, reverse, neutral, and so on.
To “lock” your locomotive into a single direction (for example, to operate in forward only),
you can deactivate the Command reverse unit’s sequencing function. Refer to Figure 2 for the
location of the Command reverse unit switch.
1. Use your transformer’s DIRECTION button or interruptions in track power to get your
locomotive moving in the desired direction.
2. Slow the locomotive down without stopping (reduce the throttle without turning off track
power).
3. Slide the Command reverse unit switch to the PROG position. At this point, the locomotive is
“locked” into your chosen direction. To restore the forward-neutral-reverse sequence, just
slide the Command reverse unit switch back to the RUN position.
Your locomotive will “reset” to forward after any power interruption lasting five
seconds or longer, regardless of the direction you set.
8
Figure 2. Locomotive switch locations
SMOKE
ODYSSEY
Smoke unit switch
(see page 25 for
details)
Odyssey System switch
(see pages 16-17 for details)
Note!
Command reverse
unit switch

Conventional transformer operations
Coupling your locomotive in the conventional environment
The locomotive’s tender features one ElectroCoupler that is released by remote control at any
point around your layout in the TrainMaster Command Control environment.
In the conventional environment, the ElectroCouplers will not open manually or by using a
Remote-Control Track section. To couple your locomotive in the conventional environment, you
must rely on a piece of rolling stock equipped with a magnetic coupler. Simply release the
magnetic coupler and couple the rolling stock to the locomotive, even if the ElectroCoupler is
closed.
Keep in mind that you may still make use of Lionel Remote-Control Track sections (6-65530
for O gauge; 6-12746 and 6-65149 for O-27 gauge; and 6-12020 for FasTrack layouts) with the
magnetic couplers on the rolling stock. Place the trigger disc on the magnetic coupler over the
central coil on the Remote-Control Track section, then press UNCOUPLE on the track section’s
controller. As illustrated in Figure 3, the magnetic field pulls the disc downward, releasing the
coupler.
9
Figure 3. Magnetic coupler operation
Remote-Control
Track Section

10
RailSounds sound system operations
RailSounds sound system operations
Your locomotive is equipped with the Lionel RailSounds sound system, the most realistic
model railroad sound system in the world. The RailSounds sound system brings the sounds
of the railroad to your layout through high quality digital samples of real locomotives.
When you operate your locomotive in the conventional environment, you get realistic
chuffing sounds, which automatically increase through four levels as the speed of the
locomotive increases. You can sound the locomotive’s whistle or activate the ringing of the bell.
When you are through with operations and power down the track, your locomotive’s RailSounds
sound system starts a realistic steam shutdown sequence (a nine-volt alkaline battery is
required).
When you operate your locomotive in the TrainMaster Command Control environment, you
get full control of the RailSounds sound system, including the whistle and bell sounds. The
locomotive’s chuffing sounds automatically increase, but you can also set a particular chuff
level using your CAB-1 Remote Controller. In the Command Control environment, the release of
the ElectroCoupler is accompanied by a coupler release sound. Use the BRAKE button, and
listen for the sound of squealing metal. You can also trigger CrewTalk communication and
TowerCom announcements, which simulate the interaction between the locomotive crew and
the yardmaster. Whenever you choose to shutdown your locomotive, the realistic shutdown
sequence commences (a nine-volt alkaline battery is required).