Lionel SD38 User manual

20033011250
2/20
Lionel
SD38 Diesel Locomotive
Owner’s Manual
Lionel
SD38 Diesel Locomotive
Owner’s Manual

2
Thank You!
Thank you for your purchase of this Lionel LEGACY diesel locomotive! On the outside, this loco- motive features numerous 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 railroad-
ing. This powerful locomotive is ready for duty on your layout.
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules and with Industry Canada license-exempt
RSS standard(s). Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may
not cause harmful interference, and (2) This device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired operation.
Contains
FCC ID: 2AH7AKW2541A
IC: 21416-KW2541A
FCC Statement
LEGACY®Control System
This revolutionary control system allows you to run your LEGACY®Control System-
equipped locomotive just like a real engineer runs his trains. With its enhanced sounds
and 200 speed steps, this system allows properly equipped engines to function with
unparalleled options. The CAB-2 Remote Controller has an LCD screen display, vibration
that simulates the effort of the locomotive, and other exciting operating features. The
new CAB-IL Remote Controller is a simplified alternative to unlock many LEGACY®
features.
ODYSSEY II®Speed Control
Slow speed and start-up operation are smooth and steady with ODYSSEY II®Speed
Control. Watch your locomotive as it creeps through the yard or fights up a grade
without hesitation.
LEGACY®RailSounds®
Widely regarded as the industry standard, the impressive RailSounds®sound system
brings the real sounds of the railroad to your layout. From the mechanical symphony of
the locomotives, to the commotion of the station, you will be impressed by the digitally
recorded samples of these special and authentic sounds.
LionChief®Bluetooth®
Incorporating Bluetooth technology into Lionel model trains opens a new world,
integrating the tradition of model railroading with the latest smart-device technol-
ogy. With Lionel’s new LionChief app, you can control full operation and sounds
directly from your Bluetooth-enabled smart phone or tablet and operate multiple
locomotives from the same device. LionChief is available to smartphone users and
is compatible with all new 2017 LionChief, LionChief Plus, S-Gauge, and HO Trains.

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Running your locomotive
LEGACY Control operations 4
TrainMaster Command Control (TMCC/Command) operations 5
Conventional transformer operations 6
Locomotive basics
Adding smoke fluid to your locomotive's smoke generator 7
Locomotive switch locations 8
Assigning your locomotive a new ID# (LEGACY and TMCC) 9
Lash-ups (for LEGACY operations only) 10
LEGACY Control System operations
The LEGACY CAB-2 Remote Controller 11
The Velocity Throttle 12
The Multi-Controller 12
The Train Brake Slider 12
The Warning Sound Controller 13
The Speed Bar 13
EFX Trim and EFX Bar Graph 14
Leaving the Preset Speed Screen 14
LEGACY RailSounds Sound System operations
LEGACY RailSounds sound system 15
LEGACY RailSounds Sequence Control 16
CrewTalk dialog and TowerCom announcements in the LEGACY environment 17
LEGACY RailSounds sound system dialog on a round trip 18
Using the Bluetooth LionChief App
Connecting to your LionChief, LionChief Plus, FlyerChief, or Legacy locomotive 19
What if my Bluetooth enabled engine didn’t automatically connect? 19
Connecting to your LionChief, LionChief Plus, or FlyerChief locomotive on Android devices 20
Running Your Locomotive 21
Settings 22
Volume Control 22
Switching Connection Between Multiple Bluetooth®Locomotives 23
Troubleshooting 23
Using the LionChief Universal Remote
The LionChief Universal Remote (6-83071) 24-25
Adjusting the locomotive volume using the Universal Remote 26
Pairing locomotives to the Universal Remote 27
Operating locomotives with the Universal Remote 28-29
TrainMaster Command Control operations
CAB-1 Remote Controller commands 30
CAB-1 Remote Controller numeric keypad commands 31-32
Setting the smoke level 32
Conventional transformer operations
Using the LEGACY RailSounds sound system in the conventional environment 33
Activating CrewTalk dialog and TowerCom announcements 34
Locking your locomotive into a single direction 35
Maintaining and servicing your locomotive
Reprogramming your locomotive to restore features 36
Lubricating your locomotive 37
Servicing your locomotive’s lamps 38
Replacing the traction tires 38
Locomotive diagnostics 39
Lionel Warranty 40
Table of Contents

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Power your locomotive with an alternating-current (50-60Hz AC) transformer only.
Powering your locomotive with a direct-current (DC) transformer, or in excess of
19 volts AC, may result in damage to sensitive electronic components.
Your locomotive requires Lionel or Lionel-compatible O-54 or larger track curves when
coupled to some freight cars. Your locomotive will negotiate an O-36 curve independently
and with most scale freight cars.
1. Turn off track power, and then plug in the
LEGACY Base and connect it to the track.
2. Place your locomotive on the track.
3. Increase track power voltage to full power
(no more than 19 volts AC). If a circuit breaker
trips when you turn on the Lionel power supply, check
the wheels of your locomotive to make sure they are all
securely on the track. Check to make sure the track is free
of all metals that may cause a short circuit.
4. As illustrated in Figure 1, press ENG and 1
(or your selected ENG ID#) to address the
locomotive with your LEGACY CAB-2 Remote
Controller.
5. Press the Start Up button on your LEGACY
CAB-2 Remote, shown in Figure 2. Then,
throttle up and move 'em out! Your engine sound
will start up, and the locomotive-specific touch screen
buttons will populate the remote. For more information
on operating your locomotive with the LEGACY system,
please refer to the LEGACY section of this manual.
Additional information is also found in the LEGACY
System Manual, available online at www.lionel.com.
.
Note!
Note!
Running your locomotive
Figure 1. LEGACY engine selection
Figure 2. LEGACY start-up
LEGACY Control operations
For the finest operating experience, your locomotive is fully compatible with the LEGACY Control System. To operate in LEGACY mode, you need a LEGACY Command Base and LEGACY CAB-2
Remote Controller (6-14295).
Your commands are sent by the CAB-2 Remote Controller to the Command Base, which sends
a digital code through the rails to your locomotive. Your locomotive will not respond until it
recognizes its unique ID#, so you can operate multiple Command-equipped locomotives on the
same track at the same time.

5
Running your locomotive
Power your locomotive with an alternating-current (50-60Hz AC) transformer only.
Powering your locomotive with a direct-current (DC) transformer, or in excess of 19
volts AC, may result in damage to sensitive electronic components.
Your locomotive requires Lionel or Lionel-compatible O-54 or larger track curves when
coupled to some freight cars. Your locomotive will negotiate an O-36 curve independently
and with most scale freight cars.
TrainMaster Command Control (TMCC) operations
For operation in the TrainMaster Command Control environment, you need a TrainMaster Command Base (6-12911) and a CAB-1 Remote Controller (6-12868). Refer to your TMCC
System Manual for complete information. To access all the locomotive's features, you
must operate in the LEGACY environment, as discussed on the previous page.
Your commands are sent by the CAB-1 Remote Controller to the Command Base, which
translates the command into digital code. That code is sent through the outside rails to your
locomotive, which will not respond until it recognizes its unique ID#. TrainMaster Command
Control gives you the power to operate multiple Command-equipped locomotives on the same track
at the same time.
1. Turn off track power, and then plug in the Command Base and connect it to the
track.
2. Place your locomotive on the track.
3. Increase track voltage to full power (no more than 19 volts AC). If a circuit
breaker trips when you turn on the Lionel power supply, check the wheels of your locomotive to
make sure they are all securely on the track. Check to make sure the track is free of all metals
that may cause a short circuit.
4. Press ENG and 1 (or the ENG ID# you set) to address your locomotive with
your CAB-1 Remote Controller.
5. Throttle up and move ‘em out.
For more information, please refer to the TrainMaster Command Control operations section
of this manual or the TMCC System Manual, available online at www.lionel.com.
Note!
Note!

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Running your locomotive
Conventional transformer operations
For Conventional operation, a Command Base must not be powered up anywhere
in the area, even if it is not connected to the track. If a base is detected, your
locomotive will default to Command mode.
Power your locomotive with an alternating-current (50-60Hz AC) transformer only.
Powering your locomotive with a direct-current (DC) transformer, or in excess of 19
volts AC, may result in damage to sensitive electronic components.
Your locomotive requires Lionel or Lionel-compatible O-54 or larger track curves
when coupled to some freight cars. Your locomotive will negotiate an O-36 curve
independently and with most scale freight cars.
1. With track power off, place your locomotive on the track.
2. Power up the track (8-18 volts AC). Starting voltage will vary based on the
locomotive's load. If a circuit breaker trips when you turn on the Lionel power supply, check
the wheels of your locomotive to make sure they are all securely on the track. Check to make
sure the track is free of all metals that may cause a short circuit.
3. Move ‘em out! When the locomotive’s headlight illuminates and the LEGACY RailSounds
sound system starts, press the DIRECTION button on your transformer to sequence your
locomotive through the repeating pattern of operations: neutral, 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 and after power
interruptions lasting longer than five seconds, it will start out in neutral.
Use the HORN and BELL buttons on your transformer to activate those features. Adjust the
volume using the volume control knob. Refer to Figure 4 on page 8 for the location of this control.
For more information, please refer to the Conventional transformer operations section of this
manual.
Note!
Note!
Note!
Note!

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Figure 3. Smoke fluid location
Locomotive basics
Your locomotive is equipped with a smoke generator that produces safe, clean, white smoke dur- ing operation. Add 10-20 drops to the stack (shown in Figure 3) to prime the unit the first time
you run the locomotive or after being stored for an extended period of time. Add 10 to 20 drops to
refill when smoke production decreases.
When refilling, DO NOT EXCEED 20 DROPS as this can cause your smoke unit to become
oversaturated allowing leakage onto the electronics. Note that operating your locomotive's smoke
unit without smoke fluid will cause damage to the heating element.
If you prefer to operate your locomotive without smoke, locate the smoke unit switch and slide it
to the NO SMK position. Refer to Figure 4 on page 8 for the location of the switch.
For best performance, we recommend using Lionel smoke fluid only. Do NOT use smoke
fluid from ready-to-run train sets.
Adding smoke fluid to your locomotive’s smoke generator
Note!
Add smoke fluid here
(no more than 10 to 20 drops)

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NO SMKSMK
PGMRUN
BLUETOOTHON OFF
The functions of your locomotive's switches are outlined below. Refer to Figure 4 for the location of the switches. The instructions below are specific to this particular locomo-
tive; note that available features (and switches) may differ from other loco-
motives and locomotive sets.
Smoke Unit Switch (SMK/NO SMK)
Used to turn the smoke unit function on and off.
Command Reverse Unit Switch (RUN/PGM)
Used to assign an ID# and to reprogram the locomotive for LEGACY and Command operation
when the switch is in the PGM position. Also used to “lock” your powered locomotive in a single
direction, or neutral, in conventional operation when the switch is placed in the PGM position.
Bluetooth Switch
Manually turn on/off power to Bluetooth module.
Locomotive basics
Locomotive switch locations
Figure 4. Locomotive switch locations
Smoke unit
switch
Command reverse unit
switch
Bluetooth switch
REMOVE COVER
Volume control
knob

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For operation in the LEGACY or TMCC environment, you will want to give each unit a unique ID#. The locomotive will respond to commands associated with its ID# while all other units will
disregard these commands. This procedure is not necessary for conventional (non-
Command) operation.
1. Slide the Command reverse unit switch on your locomotive to the PGM
position. See Figure 4 on page 8.
2. Place the locomotive on the track.
3. Connect the Command Base and plug it in.
4. Power up the track.
5. Press ENG on the CAB-1 or CAB-2 remote.
6. Enter the unique ID#. Choose any number from 1 to 98 that has not been
assigned to another locomotive (ENG). We recommend using a part of your
locomotive’s road number.
All LEGACY locomotives respond to ENG 99. We recommend that you reserve ID# 99 as a
"universal" ID#.
7. Press SET. The locomotive's headlight and cab light will turn on, and the horn
will sound if the RailSounds sound system is turned up.
8. Slide the Command reverse unit switch back to the RUN position.
The locomotive’s ID# has been set. Be sure to record the new ID# for your reference.
Locomotive basics
Assigning your locomotive a new ID#
Note!

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Locomotive basics
Lash-ups (for LEGACY operations only)
In the Command environment, building a lash-up allows you to control your locomotives as one in a prototypical manner. It is still possible to control any of the engines in the lash-up
individually. When you issue a train command, the individual engine you were controlling
will return to the group. If there is a difference in speed, the individual Engine will return to
the speed of the lash-up at the rate set in the train momentum.
To build a lash-up, assign a unique engine (ENG) ID# to each unit. See page 10 for details.
1. Address the train ID# you wish to create or edit, 1
to 99.
2. Press INFO.
3. Press BUILD softkey (button directly under
BUILD).
4. Enter the front engine number. It is not
necessary to enter ENG, just enter the #. It will
appear in the blinking box.
5. Press ADD to add the front engine. The engine
will move to the right and the blinking box will
be ready for your next engine to be added.
6. Enter the second engine ID# in the blinking box.
7. Press ADD to add the second engine. The engine
will move to the right and the blinking box will be
ready for your next engine to be added.
8. Add all the engines you want in your lash-up in
this manner.
9. To change the direction of an engine in your lash-
up, turn the Velocity Throttle to move the engine
you want into the blinking box. Then press DIR to
change the direction of the engine.
10. To delete an engine in your lash-up, turn the red
Velocity Throttle knob to move the engine you
want to delete into the blinking box. Then press
DEL.
11. To save your lash-up, press SET. Watch the
onscreen prompts and wait until you see the
message TRAIN CREATED.
12. Press CTC to exit to the operating screen.
See reference numbers 1 and 2
See reference number 4
See reference number 3
See reference numbers 6 and 7