Lionel Zenith Express User manual

71-1826-250
Rev. 9/96
CAUTION—ELECTRIC TOY
NOT 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.
TRANSFORMER RATINGS—INPUT: 120 VAC; 0 HZ ONLY.
AC OUTPUT: 20 VA; 54 VA
O-27 set
Owner’s Manual

2
2
Y
ou’re now the proud owner of the
Zenith Express ready-to-run O-27
train set. Everything you need to get
started is included. You’re already off to
a great start by reading this instruction
anual. It has i portant infor ation
on train setup and operation. This
booklet also covers proper aintenance
procedures to help your Lionel trains
live long, healthy lives.
If you have any questions after
reading this booklet, contact your
nearest Lionel Authorized Service
Center using the list included in a sep-
arate flier in this set or call Lionel
Service at 810-949-4100. And have fun!
Table of contents
Track layout
Getting started 3
Joining the track sections 4
Suggested track layouts 5
Grade crossing 5
Attaching the lockon to the track 6
Controller operations
Stripping the wire 7
Attaching the controller wires to the lockon 7
Controller functions 8
Controller and short circuits 9
Train operation
Reverse unit procedure 10
Tire-Traction™11
Coupling 11
Maintaining and servicing your set
Lubricating your 4-4-2 locomotive 12
Adding smoke fluid to your 4-4-2’s smoke generator 13
Replacing your 4-4-2’s headlamp 14
Assembling your flatcar with bulkhead and stakes 15
Lionel Service 15
Congratulations!

3
3
Getting started
B
efore you do anything else, we
reco end you check the contents
of your set box to ensure all of the
parts of your set have been included
and that the quantities (when applica-
ble) are correct.
The parts list below will tell you
what’s included and the correct quan-
tities. If you find any discrepancies,
contact the dealer you purchased
your set fro for ore infor ation or
call Lionel Service at 810-949-4100.
Now co es the fun part—decid-
ing what kind of layout you want.
The only rule—let your i agina-
tion be your guide.
• 4-4-2 loco otive 1
• Tender w/whistle 1
• Boxcar 1
• Flatcar w/bulkheads and
10 stakes 1
• Caboose 1
• Tractor/trailer 1
• S oke fluid 1
• Grade crossing 2
• Crate load 2
• Controller 1
• 40-watt power pack 1
• Lockon 1
• Straight track 8
• Curved track 8
• Service Center list 1
• Railroader Club application 1
• Warranty Card 1
Track layout

Track layout
Joining the track sections
4
4
J
oin the track sections together
by inserting the pins of one track
section into the rail
openings of anoth-
er. For good electri-
cal contact, pins
ust be carefully
inserted and track
joints tightly fitted.
If the track is dif-
ficult to connect,
try this installation
tip. You can “break
in” O-27 track sec-
tions by inserting
and withdrawing a
track pin into one
rail at a ti e before
joining the entire
track section.
If the openings
beco e too open
(causing the track
to fit loosely), pinch the rail together
around a track pin with a pair of pli-
ers. If any pins fall out of the track
and are issing,
replace the with
extras available
fro your Lionel
dealer.
Maintenance tip:
The rails should be
kept clean, dry, and
free fro oil and
grease. Clean rust
and dirt spots with
a track eraser. Wipe
the track using a
cloth da pened
with track cleaner
fro the Lionel
aintenance kit
(no. 6-62927), avail-
able fro your
nearest Lionel
Authorized Value
Added Dealer or Lionel Service.

Grade crossing
5
5
I
ncluded in your set are two pieces of
grade crossing.
These can be used
on any straight
section of track
and will allow
you to drive your
Lionel tractor-
trailer as well as
other toy cars and
trucks over the rails of your layout.
To install, si ply place the grade
crossings under a
section of straight
track lining up the
rails with the
grooves in the
crossing.
You ay install
two crossings on the
sa e section of
track or on separate sections.
Suggested track layouts
Here are some examples of layouts you can build with 8 straight and 8 curved sections of
track. Remember the more track you own, the more variations you can create in your
train layout. And that means more action and more fun!

Track layout
6
6
Attaching the lockon to the track
T
he lockon connects power fro
your controller to the track.
Attaching the lockon to the
track is quick and easy.
First, place the lockon
under any straight
section of track.
Fit the center
lip of the lock-
on onto the edge of an outside rail. Press
the lockon upward so that the spring
contact snaps onto the center
rail. The lockon should
face outward when set-
ting up your track and
ake sure it is firmly connect-
ed. Use the illustrations below as
a step-by-step guide.
Once the lockon is securely
attached to the track, it’s ti e to
insert the wires fro the controller
into the two spring clips on the lock-
on. See page 7 for easy-to-follow
steps.
2
1
LIONEL
CTC
LOCKON
Snap spring contact
to the iddle rail
2
Hook lip to the
outside of the rail
1

OFF
FULL
SPEED
R
Controller operations
Attaching the controller wires to the lockon
7
7
N
ow you’ll need to insert a controller
wire into each of the two spring clips
on the lockon.
It’s easy! Depress the spring clip with
your finger and insert the bare end of
the wire into the exposed opening.
Release the spring clip. Give the wire a
little tug to ake sure it’s secure. Repeat
these steps with the other spring clip.
Next, insert the s all plug end of the
power pack into the back of your con-
troller, and plug the other end into a
standard outlet.
If the whistle fails to operate
when you press the whistle
button on your controller (see
page 8), re ove the wires
fro the lockon and reinsert
each one into the opposite clip
to reverse polarity.
Plug this end into
back of controller.
Stripping the wire
O
nce your track is asse bled and
the lockon is
securely attached,
you can connect
the wires fro
the controller to
the lockon.
First you‘ll want to
check the ends of the
wires to ake sure that the insulation is
stripped back about 1⁄4" to
3⁄8". To strip the
wires, use a
pair of wire
strippers or
a sharp knife.
Caution:
Only an adult
should perfor this task!
Always use care when stripping wires.
Note!
Plug power pack
into standard
wall outlet
Make sure that the bare end
of each wire is securely
attached to the spring clip.

Controller operations
8
8
Controller functions
A
s you turn the throttle control knob
to the right, power to the track is
increased. When the indicator reaches
the green band, there should be suffi-
cient power to operate the loco otive.
The further into the green area the knob
is turned, the faster your train will go.
Re e ber that the greater the load on
the engine (adding ore cars for the
engine to pull, for exa ple), the farther
into the green the knob ust be turned
before it will operate the loco otive.
The yellow band indicates the aver-
age power range that the train will be
operating in. The red band represents
axi u power output.
FULLFULL
SPEEDSPEED
OFFOFF
R
FULL
SPEED
OFF
FULL
SPEED
OFF
Press this button to pro-
duce a realistic whistle
sound.
Press this button to go
forward or reverse, or to
place the loco otive in
“neutral” (no ove ent,
headlight is on).
Turn the throttle control
knob to the right for
ore power.
The LED indicator
shows when your con-
troller is ON.
Green band
Yellow band
Red band
FULL
SPEED
OFF
FULL
SPEED
OFF

Y
our Lionel power pack is listed by
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. and
has been carefully designed and tested
to ensure peak perfor ance. The con-
troller is equipped with a built-in elec-
tronic circuit breaker that alternately
cuts off and restores the flow of power
to the track whenever a short circuit
exists—for exa ple, when the train
derails. The circuit breaker’s action con-
tinues until the cause of the short circuit
is eli inated. This circuit breaker is
incorporated into the controller to pro-
tect it fro possible da age. It will not
protect the loco otive or electrically
operated accessories, so it’s i portant
to eli inate short circuits as soon as
possible.
The power pack ust be
unplugged fro the wall
socket when a short circuit
is noticed, and the short cir-
cuit ust be corrected.
A short circuit is caused by a direct
connection between the center rail and
one of the outside rails or by a direct
connection between bare wires. The
axles of a derailed car or loco otive are
the ost frequent cause of short circuits,
so ake sure that all wheels are proper-
ly set on the rails. So e other causes of
short circuits ight be staples, nails,
paper clips, or other etallic objects
lying across the rails, or two bare wires
touching each other.
If too any cars or accessories are
used, your controller will exceed its
power li it and begin to cycle on and
off. To correct this proble , cars or
accessories ust be re oved before
nor al operation can resu e. For ore
power, see the line of Lionel high-out-
put transfor ers at your Authorized
Lionel Value Added Dealer.
The sa e condition can occur if the
power is turned up too quickly. This
also could cause your train to ove too
fast and derail.
After your power pack has been oper-
ating for a while, you will find it war
to the touch. It is the nature of all electri-
cal power equip ent to beco e war
when in use. If your controller is loaded
to capacity, it is a good idea to let it cool
down after an hour or two of continu-
ous use. Unplug the power pack fro
the wall when the controller is not in
use.
Note!
9
9
Controller and short circuits

10
10
Train operation
Reverse unit procedure
T
he reverse unit inside your Lionel
loco otive is an electronic device
that acts like the trans ission in your
car. When you apply power to the
track, the loco otive oves in the
direction specified by the reverse
unit—or it sits in neu-
tral, 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 loco-
otive’s reverse unit,
press the direction control button or
turn the throttle to the OFF position and
ONagain. The reverse unit alternates
between three states: forward, neutral,
and reverse.
Also, the loco otive can be “locked”
into a certain ode of operation by
throwing the switch located on the
underside of the fra e (see illustration
above). When the switch is thrown to
the OFF position, the loco otive will be
locked in the next ode of operation in
the sequence. For instance, if the loco-
otive is oving forward, then is
stopped and the switch is thrown back,
the loco otive will be “locked” in neu-
tral. If the switch is thrown back while
the loco otive is
under power, the loco-
otive will re ain in
the ode it was in
when the switch was
thrown. The controller
direction control will
then have no affect on
the direction of the
loco otive.
Additionally, this
reverse unit has a “power-up reset” fea-
ture, which eans that should the loco-
otive sit without power for a short
period of ti e, the reverse unit will
auto atically reset and start in the for-
ward direction when the transfor er is
turned on or “powered up,” regardless
of the locking switch position. If the
locking switch is in the OFF position, the
loco otive will start in the forward
direction and be “locked” there.
Reverse unit on/off switch
OFF
FULL
SPEED
R
Direction control
button
Whistle control
button