Lionel Thomas & Friends User manual

CAUTION-ELECTRICTOYNOT RECOMMENDED FOR CHILDREN UNDER EIGHT YEARS OF AGE. AS WITH ALL
ELECTRIC PRODUCTS, PRECAUTIONS SHOULD BE OBSERVED DURING HANDLING
AND USE TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK.
TTRRAANNSSFFOORRMMEERR RRAATTIINNGGSS- INPUT: 120 VAC 60 H 28W
DC OUTPUT: 6-16V; 19.2 VA TOTAL.
78-1011-250
9/02
Large Scale
Owner’s Manual

Table of contents
Introduction
2
Congratulations on your purchase of the Large Scale Thomas & Friends Train
Set! Before you assemble your train set for
operation, this instruction book should be
read by everyone who will be operating it.
You will learn important information on
train set operation and the proper use of
your set in order to avoid damage. If you
have any remaining questions about your
train set or accessories, contact your autho-
rized Lionel Service Center using the listing
included in a separate flyer in your train set
box. After you have read this booklet, assem-
bled your train, and plugged in the trans-
former, you will be ready to enjoy many
hours of railroading fun.
As with all LIONEL LARGE SCALE engines,
this set was designed o run on Lionel Large
Scale Track and has an operating voltage
range of 6-16 volts D.C. only. CAUTION:
USING A.C. POWER WILL DAMAGE
THE MOTOR IN YOUR LOCOMOTIVE.
Parents should periodically inspect the
power pack for potential hazards and have it
repaired if necessary. See the Lionel Service
Station listing for the address of the nearest
authorized Service Station.
Track Layout
Joining the track sections 3
Creating a Large Scale layout 4
Attaching the Lock-On to the track 5
Connecting the Lock-On to the track 6
Controller operations
Understanding short circuits 7
Connecting the power supply 8
Operating the power supply 9
Train operations
Arranging the train on the track 10
Operating the knuckle couplers 10
Installing and operating hook and loop couplers 11
Attaching the 3 Thomas Faces 12
Picking Up Thomas 13
Locomotive Care 14
Troubleshooting 15
Limited Warranty/Lionel Service 16
QGullane (Thomas) Limited 2002
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™
Visit the Thomas & Friends website at:
www.thomasthetankengine.com

3
Track layout
Joining the track sections
Join the track sections together by insert- ing the pins of each track section into
the rail openings of another section. Refer
to Figure 1. Track joints must be tight for
good electrical contact, and the track should
fit together firmly.
If the rail openings have become enlarged
so that the track fits loosely together, pinch
the rail around a track pin with a pair of pli-
ers. If any pins fall out of the track and are
missing, replace them immediately. The rails
should be kept clean, dry, and free from oil
and grease. Clean off tarnish and dirt spots
with any commercial metal polishing pad to
keep your track in top condition. Wipe the
track with a clean soft cloth dampened with
track cleaner from the Lionel Maintenance
Kit (available separately, 6-62927).
Figure 1. Track assembly

4
Track layout
Creating a Large-Scale layout
The layout shown in Figure 2 can be assembled using the twelve track sec-
tions supplied with this set.
Extra sections of track are available from
your authorized Lionel dealer. Add on to your
circle to build your own railroad empire!
Figure 2. Circle of track
NOTE: 12 curved track sections = circle layout
Track Diameter 51”

5
To attach the Lock-On onto the track, first place the Lock-On under any curved sec-
tion of the track between the rail ties. Fit the
flange of the outside rail into the squared
brass contact on the Lock-On. Next, press
the Lock-On upward so the spring contact
snaps onto the inner rail. See Figure 3. The
Lock-On should now be attached to the track
as shown in Figure 5 on page 6.
SQUARED BRASS CONTACT
SPRING CONTACT
BRASS FLANGE OF
THE OUTSIDE RAIL
Track layout
Attaching the Lock-On to the track
Figure 3. Lock-On attachment

6
The wire coming out of the controller splits into two thinner wires that are
stripped on the ends. These stripped wires
will be inserted into the Lock-On. This is
done by pressing down the upper half of the
clip until the metal loop in the lower part
projects through the top. Insert the bare wire
end into the loop and release the clip, as
illustrated in Figure 4 below. Spring tension
will hold the wire tight. The wire positions
are interchangeable.
The set-up should now look something like
the one in Figure 5. You will find the wire on the actual controller is much longer than appears in the illustration.
Track layout
Connecting the controller wires to the Lock-On
Figure 4. Wire connections
R
Figure 5. Completed track connections

Parents should periodically inspect the power pack for potential hazards such as a broken
or damaged case and have it repaired or replaced. See the Lionel Service Station listing for
information and the address of the nearest Authorized Service Station.
Controller operations
7
The power pack furnished with this train set has been listed by the Underwriters
Laboratories, Inc. and has been carefully
tested to assure proper performance. This
controller is equipped with a built-in circuit
breaker that will alternately cut off and
restore the flow of power to the track when-
ever a short circuit exists until the cause of
the short circuit is eliminated. This circuit
breaker is incorporated into the controller to
protect the power pack from possible perma-
nent damage. It will not protect the locomo-
tive or electrically operated accessories.
NOTE: The transformer must be unplugged
from the wall socket when a short circuit
is noticed, and the short circuit must be
corrected.
A short circuit is caused by a direct con-
nection across the rails (such as a derailed
engine), or by two bare wires touching each
other at the track Lock-On. Some other
causes of short circuits might be staples,
nails, paper clips, or other metallic objects
lying across the rails.
An overload condition could be caused by
carrying too much weight inside the cars, or
by holding the engine while it is under
power, or by a sudden start or direction
change.
After operating the power pack for a while
you will find it warm to the touch. It is the
nature of all electrical power equipment to
become warm when in use. If your power
pack is loaded to capacity, it is a good idea
to let it cool down after an hour or two of
continuous use. Be sure to unplug the power
pack when not in use.
Understanding short circuits

8
OFF
FULL
SPEED
R
POWER
PACK
NOTE: The speed control
dial should always be in
the OFF position when the
power pack is first
plugged in.
CONTROLLER
JACK
FORWARD / REVERSE SWITCH
Controller operations
Connecting the power supply
Figure 6. Power supply connection
With the throttle in the OFF position, plug in the wall power pack to a stan- dard wall outlet, then plug the power pack into the controller jack. See Figure 6.

9
After you have assembled the track lay- out, place the locomotive and cars on
the track (see page 10 and 11). Before cou-
pling the cars, make sure the wheels are
properly set on the rails. Once your train is
ready, have an adult plug the wall pack into
any wall outlet. Next, advance the trans-
former dial until the train begins to move.
To change directions, turn the speed con-
trol to off to stop the train, then change the
position of the direction switch. Increase the
throttle, and the engine is now traveling in
the reverse direction. Refer to Figure 7.
It should be noted that, while power is
continually increased as the controller knob
is turned to the right, it will not drive the
train until the knob is in the approximate
position shown in the illustration above. As
the load on the engine increases, (by adding
cars for the engine to pull for example) the
amount that the knob needs to be turned to
the right to run the train will increase.
OFF
FULL
SPEED
R
Controller operations
Operating the train
Figure 7. Direction control switch
Directional control switch

10
THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE
CLARABEL ANNIE
After the track is assembled, place Thomas, Annie, and Clarabel on the
track, making sure that all wheels are prop-
erly set on the rails. The engine and two
coaches should be positioned as follows:
Thomas the Tank Engine - Annie - Clarabel.
You may want to arrange the coaches as they
appear in the books and on TV. Annie travels
facing Thomas, and Clarabel travels facing
away from Thomas. Refer to Figure 8.
To join the cars together, open at least one
coupler by pressing up on the plunger locat-
ed on the bottom of the coupler, then push
the cars together on any part of your track
with the couplers lined up.
Plunger, push up to open
ANNIE
Train operations
Arranging the train on the track
Operating the knuckle couplers
Figure 8. Arranging the set on the track
Figure 9. Knuckle couplers