Rail King 2-8-8-2 Steam Engine User manual

Compatibility
This steam engine will operate on any traditional O-31 Gauge track
system, including M.T.H.’s RealTrax® or ScaleTrax™ or traditional
tubular track. It is also compatible with most standard AC transformers.
(See page 17 for a complete list of compatible transfor mers and wiring instr uctions.)
RAILKING M.T.H. ELECTRIC TRAINS
Freight Yard Sound
Freight Yard Sound
2-8-8-2 Steam Engine
by

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2-8-8-2 STEAM ENGINE
Set Up ................................................................................................................ 3
Basic Operation ............................................................................................ 4
Tr a n s f o r m e r C o n t r o l s ................................................................................ 4
V o l u m e C o n t r o l ........................................................................................ 4
Proto-Sound 2.0 ............................................................................................ 5
Activating Proto -Sound 2.0 Conventional Mode F eatures ...................... 5
F r e ight Y a r d S o u n d s ................................................................................ 5
T i p s o n U s i n g F Y S .................................................................................... 6
Proto -Coupler ®O p e r a t i o n ...................................................................... 7
S p e e d C o n t r o l ........................................................................................ 7
L o c k i n t o a D i r e c t i o n S t a t e ...................................................................... 7
R e s e t t o F a c t o r y D e f a u l t s ........................................................................ 8
A u t o m a t i c S o u n d s .................................................................................... 8
Maintenance.................................................................................................... 9
L u b r i c a t i o n a n d G r e a s i n g I n s t r u c t i o n s ...................................................... 9
C l e a n i n g t h e W h e e l s , T i r e s a n d T r a c k ...................................................... 1 0
L o c o m o t i v e T r a c t i o n T i r e R e p l a c e m e n t .................................................. 1 0
S m o k e U n i t M a i n t e n a n c e ...................................................................... 1 1
Locomotive Light Bulb R eplacement ...................................................... 12
Self - C h a r g i n g B a t t e r y B a c k - U p ................................................................ 1 3
Troubleshooting .......................................................................................... 1 4
Compatibility ................................................................................................ 1 6
Transformer Compatibility Chart ........................................................ 1 7
Additional Features with DCS Remote Control System .............. 1 8
Safety Precautions...................................................................................... 19
Service and Warranty Information...................................................... 2 0
TABLE OF CONTENTS
RAILKING M.T.H. ELECTRIC TRAINS
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3
2-8-8-2 STEAM ENGINE
There are a few simple steps you must take before operating this R ailKing steamer.
1. You should prime the operating smoke unit with smoke fluid before
operating. Add 15-20 drops of smoke fluid through the smokestack, then gently
blow into the stack to eliminate any air bubbles in the fluid.
( See Fig. 4 on page 12)
2. If you choose not to prime the unit with fluid, tur n the smoke unit switch
located under the tender to the OFF position. ( See Fig. 5 on page 12) Running
the engine without a primed smoke unit may cause damage. See the “ProtoSmoke
Unit Operation ” section of this book for more infor mation on smoke unit
maintenance.
3. You should lubricate all side rods and linkage components and pickup
rollers to prevent them from squeaking. Use light household oil and follow the
lubrication points marked “L” in Fig. 2 on page 10. Do not over oil. Use only
a drop or two on each pivot point.
4. Put your engine on the track and inser t the reverse plug that extends out of
the tender into the receptacle at the back of the engine. WWAARRNNIINNGG::DDOONNOOTT
CCOONNNNEECCTTTTHHIISSEENNGGIINNEETTOOAATTEENNDDEERRFFRROOMMAANNOOTTHHEERREENNGGIINNEE;;IITTMMAAYYCCAAUUSSEE
SSEERRIIOOUUSSDDAAMMAAGGEETTOOYYOOUURRMMOODDEELL..Look at the bottom of the engine and tender
where each will have a color coded stamp. If they match you may connect those
two pieces, if not, do not connect them.
5. Connect the draw bar between the engine and the tender. If there are two
holes in the draw bar , the hold located far thest from the tender is for the
minimum track operation, such as O -31 circles of track. The second hole is for
O -72 or lar ger operation.
At this point, you are ready to begin r unning your engine.
SET UP
RAILKING M.T.H. ELECTRIC TRAINS
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2-8-8-2 STEAM ENGINE
Throttle up the power to your track. Give enough power so that the engine’s headlight
shines brightly . Then put the engine in to motion by either fir mly pressing the Direction
button on your transfor mer or remote once or dropping and advancing to throttle to put
the engine in for ward.
BASIC OPERATION
Use the operation buttons on your transfor mer as described below .
Horn/Whistle -T o sound the whistle, fir mly press the Hor n/ Whistle button. The whistle
will sound for as long as you continue to depress the button. It will stop when you release
the button. the whistle has four different endings, depending on whether you hold the
button for less than three seconds, three seconds, four seconds, five seconds or longer.
Bell -T o sound the bell, fir mly press and release the Bell button. To tur n the bell off , press
and release the Bell button again. The bell will continue to ring from the time your tur nit
on until you press the release the button again to tur n it off .
Direction -Y our train is programmed to star t in neutral. To put the engine into for ward
and then to change the direction of the train or to put it into neutral, fir mly press and
release the Direction button on your transfor mer. Just as you must stop your car between
for ward and reverse, this engine will not go directly from for ward to reverse; it goes into
neutral between directions. If the train has been moving for ward, the first press of the
Direction button will put the train from for ward into neutral, the second press into reverse,
the third press back into neutral, and the four th back into for ward. T o prevent accidental
high-speed star t-ups, this engine is programmed to restar t in neutral each time the track
voltage is tur ned off or 10 seconds or more.
OPERATION BUTTONS
MANUAL VOLUME CONTROL
To adjust the volume of all sounds made by this
engine, tur n the master volume control knob
located under the tender clockwise to increase
the volume and counter-clockwise to decrease
the volume.
(see Figure 1)
Volume Adjust switch
Figure 1 - Proto-Sound 2.0 Volume Adjustment Knob
THROTTLE
RAILKING M.T.H. ELECTRIC TRAINS
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2-8-8-2 STEAM ENGINE
This manual contains the operating instr uctions for Proto -Sound 2.0 in conventional mode
only. Instr uctions for accessing DCS command mode features accompany the DCS R emote
Control System equipment.
Because Proto -Sound 2.0 is an all-new system developed by M.T.H .’s own research
and development team, it operates differently from the original Proto -Sound. Most
Proto -Sound 2.0 features are automatically enabled, and the reset state has been
eliminated, so there is no need to program features as with original Proto -Sound.
Although the new system is easier to operate than original Proto -Sound, you should
read these instr uctions thoroughly before using Proto -Sound 2.0 features in order to
prevent har m to yourself or your equipment.
Activating Proto-Sound 2.0 Conventional Mode Features: Proto -Sound 2.0
features are activated by sequences of Bell and Whistle button pushes described below.
Please read the full descriptions of each feature before using it. T o use these buttons to
activate features rather than to blow the whistle or ring the bell, you should press the
buttons for a shor ter time
(1/2 second) ; you may need to practice your timing to make
this work smoothly.
PROTO-SOUND 2.0
OPERATION
Freight Yard Sounds (FYS): Your engine is equipped with a sound package of freight
yard sounds that you can play when you pull into a yard. E
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1. To cue the sound system to play the FYS, quickly but fir mly press the Bell button once
followed by 2 quick presses of the Whistle button while the engine is moving.
RAILKING M.T.H. ELECTRIC TRAINS
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Feature to be Activated Button Code
Freight Y ard Sounds 1 Bell, 2 Whistles
Fire the R ear Coupler 1 Bell, 3 Whistles
Speed Control On/Off 1 Whistle, 2 Bells (from neutral only)
Lock into a Directional State/Unlock 1 Whistle, 3 Bells
Reset to F actor y Defaults 1 Whistle, 5 Bells ( from neutral only)

6
2-8-8-2 STEAM ENGINE
2. Press the Direction button once to stop the engine. This will
trigger the first sequence of FYS. The reverse unit is temporarily
disabled so that the train will not move as you use the the Direction button to trigger the
sounds, and Proto -Sound 2.0 has disabled operator control over the Whistle and Bell
buttons until the full FYS sequence is complete.
3. After waiting about 30 seconds for that sequence to r un, press the Direction button
again to trigger the second sequence of FYS.
4. After waiting about 30 seconds, press the Direction button again to trigger the third
FYS sequence.
5. Again, af ter allowing about 30 seconds for that sequence to r un, press the Direction
button one more time to trigger the four th and final FYS sequence. The FYS will continue,
and within a few seconds, the engine will star t and move out on its own at the cur rent
throttle setting, in the same direction it was traveling when you began the sequence. Once
the bell tur ns off , the operator regains control of the transfor mers bell and whistle buttons
and can ring the bell or blow the whistle as usual.
Tips on Using FYS
You can ter minate FYS at anytime by tur ning off power to the track for 15 seconds.
You do not have to be in F or ward to use FYS. At the conclusion of the full sequence,
the train will pull away from the station in whatever direction you were going when
you activated the feature.
You can use FYS even if you are double-heading with another engine. If the second
is not equipped with FYS at all, you must remember not to leave the throttle at a high
voltage level once you have stopped the engine to r un the FYS. Other wise, the engine
without FYS will star t vibrating on the track as its motors strain to move the train, since
they cannot be automatically disabled during the FYS cycle. If the second engine is an
original Proto -Sound engine equipped with FYS, you may choose to disable it when
used in double-heading operations, so you will not experience competing FYS sounds.
To disable FYS in an original Proto -Sound engine, see the operating instr uctions for
that engine.
FYS can be triggered from Neutral. It will operate the same as if triggered while in
motion except that, at the conclusion of the FYS, the engine will depar t in the next
direction of travel, as opposed to the direction it was traveling before entering Neutral.
RAILKING M.T.H. ELECTRIC TRAINS
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7
2-8-8-2 STEAM ENGINE
This locomotive is equipped with a coil-wound Proto -Coupler for
remote uncoupling action. Because the Proto -Coupler is controlled through the
Proto -Sound 2.0 microprocessor , it does not require an uncoupling track
section or modification to your layout to function. Use the codes listed below .
Rear Coupler: To fire the rear coupler, press the Bell button once followed immediately
by three pushes of the Whistle button. The sound of the lif t bar and air line
depletion will play, and the knuckle will be released.
PROTO-COUPLER ®OPERATION
M.T.H . engines equipped with Proto -Sound 2.0 have speed control capabilities that allow
the engine to maintain a constant speed up and down grades and around cur ves, much
like an automobile cr uise control. Y ou can add or drop cars on the r un, and the engine will
maintain the speed you set.
While the engine is programmed to star t with the speed control feature activated, you can
opt to tur n it off . This means the engine’s speed will fall as it labors up a hill and increase
as it travels downward. It is also affected by the addition or release of cars while on the
run. T o maintain a constant speed when speed control is tur ned off , you need to adjust the
track voltage yourself . When speed control is off , the volume will drop to allow for better
low voltage operation. F ull volume is restored upon reactivation of speed control.
To turn speed control on and off: First, put the engine in neutral, then press the
transfor mer ’s Whistle button one time then immediately press the Bell button two times.
Two whistle blasts will indicate that the engine has made the change. R epeat the 1 whistle,
2 bells code to retur n it to the other state. Y
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.Each time you shut down
the engine completely, it will automatically tur n speed control on.
SPEED CONTROL
You can lock your engine into a directional state (forward, neutral, reverse) to prevent
it from changing directions. T o do this, put the engine into the direction you want or in
neutral, r un it at a ver y low speed
(<10 scale mph) , and quickly but fir mly press your
remote’s Whistle button once followed immediately by three presses of the Bell button.
Two whistle blasts will indicate that the engine has made the change. The engine will not
change direction
(including going into neutral) until you repeat the 1 whistle, 3 bells code
to retur n the engine to its nor mal state, even if the engine has been kept without power
for extended periods of time.
LOCK INTO A DIRECTIONAL STATE
RAILKING M.T.H. ELECTRIC TRAINS
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2-8-8-2 STEAM ENGINE
To over ride the settings you cur rently have assigned to the engine
and reset it to its factor y defaults, while in neutral press the Whistle button once, followed
immediately by five quick pushes of the Bell button. Two whistle blasts will indicate that
the engine has made the change
RESET TO FACTORY DEFAULTS
Cer tain Proto -Sound 2.0 sound effects automatically play in programmed conventional
mode conditions:
Squealing Brakes: This sound plays anytime the engine’s speed decreases rapidly.
Cab Chatter: This sound play when the engine idles in neutral.
Engine Start-up and Shut-down: This sound plays when the engine is initially
powered on or is powered off for five seconds or more.
AUTOMATIC SOUNDS
RAILKING M.T.H. ELECTRIC TRAINS
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2-8-8-2 STEAM ENGINE
The locomotive’s inter nal gearing was greased at the factor y and should not need
additional grease until af ter 50 hours of operation or one year, which ever comes first.
To access the gear box, do the following:
1. Unscrew the Grease screws as shown in Figure 3 and use an applicator to apply grease
into these screw holes.
This engine should be oiled and greased in order to r un properly .
You should regularly lubricate all side rods and linkage components and pick-up rollers to
prevent them from squeaking. Use light household oil and follow the lubrication points
marked “L” in Figure 2. Do not over oil. Use only a drop or two on each pivot.
MAINTENANCE
Figure 3 - Greasing points on the engine & location of body mount screws
LUBRICATION AND GREASING
Figure 2 - Lubrication Points on the Engine
RAILKING M.T.H. ELECTRIC TRAINS
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Lubricate Pick Up Rollers (L)
Lubricate Side Rods
& Linkage (L) - Both Trucks Lubricate Wheel Axels (L) - Both Trucks
Body Mount Screws
Grease Screws (G)

10
2-8-8-2 STEAM ENGINE
CLEANING THE WHEELS & TRACK
Periodically check the locomotive wheels and pick-up rollers for dir t
and buildup, which can cause poor electrical contact and traction and prematurely wear
out the neoprene traction tires. Wheels and tires can be cleaned using denatured alcohol
(not rubbing alcohol) , which can be found in home improvement stores, applied with
a cotton swab.
Occasional cleaning of the track will also help to ensure good electrical contact and
prolong the life of your engine’s tires. T o clean the track, use a clean rag and denatured
alcohol
(not rubbing alcohol) . Unplug the transfor mer and r ub the rails of the track, tur ning
the rag frequently to ensure that you are using clean cloth on the rails.
TRACTION TIRE REPLACEMENT
Your locomotive is equipped with four neoprene r ubber traction tires on the rear pair of
each set of flanged drivers. While these tires are extremely durable, you may need to
replace them at some point.
11.Remove the side rods
(the rods that connect each drive wheel to the other) from the
wheels in order to slip the new tire over the grooved drive wheel. This screw can be
loosened with a 5mm nutdriver.
22.Make sure the old tire has been completely removed from the groove in the drive
wheel, using a razor blade or small flathead screwdriver to pr y away any remains.
33.Slip the new tire onto the wheel. Y ou may find it useful to use two small flathead
screwdrivers to stretch the tire over the wheel.
44.If you twist the tire while stretching it over the wheel, you will need to remove
and reinstall the tire. Other wise your engine will wobble while operating.
55.Make sure the tires are fully seated inside the groove. Use a razor blade to trim away
any excess tire that doesn ’t seat itself inside the groove properly .
One set of replacement tires is included with your model.
Additional tires are available directly from M.T.H. Parts Department (Phone: [phone]).
RAILKING M.T.H. ELECTRIC TRAINS
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