Rapido Trains FL9 Instruction Manual

FRANÇAIS AU VERSO

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FL9 LOCOMOTIVE PRODUCT GUIDELINES
Thank you for purchasing the first accurate models ever produced of the New York,
New Haven and Hartford Railroad’s unique passenger locomotive, the EMD FL9. This
has been one of the most sought-after New Haven locomotives, as its extended length
requires all-new tooling and can’t be modified from existing F-unit molds. We at Rapido
have gone to great lengths to do justice to this iconic locomotive. We hope you will be
pleased with the results.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact us should there be anything wrong with
your model. Whether you have a warranty issue (missing parts, depleted uranium acci-
dentally left in the fuel tank, etc.), a question (“Why won’t this go around my 12” radius
curves? What a ripoff!”) or a comment (“The nose is wrong.”) please give us a shout.
More warranty information is available towards the back of this manual.
If you really do think the nose is the wrong shape, please bear in mind that it was scaled
from original EMD F-unit nose blueprints, including cross sections every inch up the nose
from pilot to roof. The windshield area dimensions were double-checked on a real F-unit
cab using a depth gauge and the results traced into our computer designs. If this makes
some of your other model locomotives look bad, you can make up for this by buying
more Rapido models.
You can reach us by email: [email protected], by phone (1-855-LRC-6917 or
[phone]) or by snail mail at the address below.
Please do not send any models back to us without first speaking to us to get authoriza-
tion. You’d be amazed at how many models arrive at our location with no documenta-
tion whatsoever. And if models get sent to one of our old addresses, they might as well
have been beamed into the mouth of a wormhole as we’ll never see them.
If you’ve finally got around to opening this model after your retirement in 2042, you’re
on your own. Sorry.
CONTACT US!
Rapido Trains Inc.
P.O. Box 796
Higganum, CT 06441
Tel. [phone] - Toll Free 1-855-LRC-6917
Fax. [phone]
Email. [email protected]

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Break-In ............................................................................................................4
Prototype Information..........................................................................................4
Checking and Adjusting Your Locomotive..............................................................5
Missing or Damaged Parts ..................................................................................5
Removing the Shell.............................................................................................6
Extra Parts ........................................................................................................7
Operation – DC (Silent) ......................................................................................7
Installing a Decoder in a DC model .....................................................................8
Operation – DCC/DC with Sound .......................................................................8
Locomotive Address ...........................................................................................9
• Turn On The Sound.................................................................................9
• Functions ............................................................................................10
• Functions: More Information ..................................................................10
• Horns .................................................................................................13
• Sound Volume Settings .........................................................................13
• Sound Volume Settings Chart ................................................................14
• Factory Reset ......................................................................................14
• Awesome Slow Speed Thingy ...............................................................14
• More Information ................................................................................15
• Limited Lifetime Warranty .....................................................................15
• Acknowledgements ..............................................................................16
FL9 DCC FUNCTION QUICK REFERENCE
F0 HEADLIGHTS
F1 BELL
F2 HORN/HANCOCK
F3 STRAIGHT TO 8
F4 DYNAMIC BRAKE
F5 DOPPLER HORN/HANCOCK
F6 STEAM GENERATOR
F7 DIMMER
F8 STARTUP/MUTE/SHUTDOWN
F9 CLASS LIGHTS - WHITE
F10 CLASS LIGHTS – RED
F11 BRAKE
F12 SWITCHING MODE
F14 GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL MODE

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BREAK-IN
Every locomotive needs a break-in period. Your FL9 has been tested at the factory... for
about 30 seconds. That is not enough time to get the gears to mesh nicely or to even
out any jerky operation in a new motor. We suggest that, after reading this manual, you
put your FL9 model on a test loop and just let it run in each direction for an hour or two.
Fast and slow.
There already should be enough grease in the gearbox so you don’t need to add any.
Just let the thing run.
PROTOTYPE INFORMATION
The FL9 was built in two batches of thirty units each. The first group, built between Oc-
tober 1956 and November 1957, included road numbers 2000-2029 and were clas-
sified EDER-5 (Electric Diesel-Electric Road) on the New Haven. The second group, road
numbers 2030-2059, were classified EDER-5a and were built in 1960. Unit #2059 was
the last F-unit ever built by EMD.
There were subtle differences between the two construction groups. The first group, road
numbers 2000-2029, featured nose MU doors and hoses, a door diaphragm, and a
small pantograph on the roof for use inside Grand Central Terminal with a rear ladder
for access to it. The second group, road numbers 2030-2059, did not have the nose MU
equipment due to the U.S. Government loan used to purchase them. They also lacked
the rear ladder and pantograph, it having proved to be an unreliable design.
As built, the second group was fitted with a side platform on the engineer’s side of the
nose along with additional grab irons both on the nose and L-shaped grabs above each
cab windshield. No door diaphragm was installed on the second group. The first group
was modernized with a similar platform and grabs at the same time, as well as the re-
moval of the roof pan, rear ladder and door diaphragm.
The New Haven, ever thrifty and resourceful (cheap?), removed the platforms and the
grabs from the left side of each of the second group of EDER-5a units and applied them
to the right side of the earlier batch that were already in service! The railroad also
added an L-shaped grab above the right side windshield on the earlier units, but only a
half-length grab above the left side windshield. These mismatched grabs stayed on these
units throughout their service life.
If you browse through pictures of the FL9 on the internet, chances are the majority of the
photos will be from the last few years of their lives, when they were regularly used in
push/pull service for the Connecticut DOT/Metro-North (despite being lettered for the
New Haven). A common sight is a head-end-power-equipped FL9 bringing up the rear
of a train of Comet cars. That was a comparatively modern invention. For most of their
service lives, and certainly when equipped with steam generators (as can be found on
our model), the FL9 was always found at the head end. But for those of you who would

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like to run your FL9 at the rear, we have conveniently provided you with operating red
classification lights on the nose in DC and DCC.
For the 1.5 of you modeling Grand Central Terminal in New York, we offer a “Grand
Central Terminal mode” on the model in which it emulates the third-rail power pickup
used in the terminal and tunnels. More information on this neat feature can be found in
the “Operation – DCC/DC with Sound” section of the manual, beginning on page 8.
Another feature of our FL9 is “straight to eight.” On real passenger locomotives – espe-
cially in commuter service – the engineer just puts the throttle into Notch 8 (full power)
and accelerates out of the station. We’ve recreated this on the model, should you desire
it. For more information on how it works, please refer again to the “Operation – DCC/
DC with Sound” section of the manual.
It is 100% prototypical for your FL9 to be pressed into freight service, especially on fast
TOFC trains, so go convince all of your freight modeler friends to buy one (or six).
CHECKING AND ADJUSTING YOUR LOCOMOTIVE
We try and make sure that every locomotive is perfectly up to spec before it leaves the
factory, but if the karaoke was particularly good the night before your model was as-
sembled there may be a couple of bugs. Doing a quick pre-service check will solve most
operational glitches.
• Check to see that all wheelsets are correctly in gauge using an NMRA RP-2
Standards Gauge. Should any of the wheelsets be out of gauge, than remove the
affected wheelset from the truck by prying off the bottom lid of the gearbox with
a small flat screwdriver. The wheelset can be regauged by grabbing each wheel
and twisting. Reverse the steps to replace the wheelset, and ensure the gearbox
cover is snapped into place before placing on the track.
• Check that all underbody piping and appliances are firmly installed and clear of
the track. Of particular note are the air hoses on the ends of the locomotive and
both coupler trip pins. Bend up any low coupler trip pins so they don’t interfere
with your switches and crossings. We recommend using Kadee part #237 (Trip
Pin Pliers) or Micro-Mark part #80600 (Trip Pin Bending Plier).
• Make sure that the trucks swivel freely and without binding. If they catch on any-
thing, check to ensure that the ends of the trucks don’t bind against any under-
body piping or conduit. If they do, see that everything is firmly installed.
MISSING OR DAMAGED PARTS
If you open your FL9 box and discover that something has obviously been bumped in
transit and is damaged, please contact us. If a part has broken off, the easiest way to

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reattach it is with a drop of white glue. You can’t ruin the paint finish with white glue. If
you don’t like to touch your model trains, you are welcome to send the engine back for
us to glue that doodad back on with white glue. But if you do send it back to us for us
to put that one part back on and other stuff falls off when we send it back to you, then
tough tooties. We’re not fixing it again.
We try to make our models courier- and mail-proof, but there really is no way to protect
a model from damage when it is used in a game of football at the UPS or FedEx distri-
bution center. Model trains generally don’t survive well after being “spiked” because
Bobby scored a touchdown near the warehouse receiving doors.
Our FL9 uses Rapido’s unique “No-Warp Grill” technology for the Farr grilles on the
body sides. Each metal grille is a stamped C-channel inserted into slots in the shell. This
prevents the grille from warping or falling off your locomotive. If your model was tossed
about a lot in shipping, the grille may become unseated in one corner. It can usually be
reseated using an X-Acto knife to push the corner of the channel back into the slot. You
would be amazed at how many people send back their models to us for a 12-second
repair. Don’t be afraid to touch your model… it won’t explode on contact!
More information about our limited lifetime warranty can be found towards the end of
this manual.
REMOVING THE SHELL
If you need to open up your FL9 it is actually quite easy to do. Just be sure to remember
these important points:
• We have a transporter lock on the molecular pattern of your locomotive. If some-
thing pops off while you are removing the shell, our starship’s transporters will
automatically lock on to the little part and beam it directly into the heart of the sun.
Don’t bother looking for it. It’s gone. You might hear the transporter effect as the
part is beamed away. I know it would have been more useful for us to beam the
part back onto your workbench but someone’s been fiddling with our transporters
and we haven’t been able to fix them. Sorry.
• To that end, please make every effort to ensure nothing flies away. Work on a
clean, white surface. In fact, paint all the walls, the floor and the ceiling white,
wear white coveralls, and remove everything else from within a three-mile radius
of your workbench, especially (but not limited to) vegetation, people and wind.
• Turn the locomotive upside down in a foam cradle (painted white, of course)
and remove the coupler screws. Pull the coupler boxes out of the ends and turn
the loco right-way up. Now spread the skirts and wiggle the shell off. Carefully.
Remember the transporter lock.
• That’s it, really.

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• No, really.
EXTRA PARTS
The first group of FL9s (class EDER-5) were delivered with rooftop pantographs, rear
ladders and diaphragms. Additionally, some of the earliest units (#2000 and 2001 and
possibly others) were equipped with a small grab iron on the roof above the end ladder.
These items were all removed when the units were modernized starting in about 1960.
We have included these parts in a separate parts bag for you to add if you want them
on your model. Refer to the diagrams for location. We have found that because of the
tight clearance to the rear door frame it may be easier to remove the two inner mount-
ing pins (along the left edge) of the ladder and use only the right-hand pins to hold the
ladder in place.
The rear diaphragm should only be installed if you plan on operating the unit on 30” or
larger radius curves as it may interfere with following equipment.
OPERATION – DC (SILENT)
If your FL9 locomotive is not equipped with a sound decoder, it should function like most
other HO scale locomotives. The gear ratio is 14:1 so there is a good chance that it will
MU (multiple unit) with your existing fleet. Put it on the track. Give it some juice. Watch
it go.
Because we can’t guarantee that your FL9 will actually MU with locomotives from other
manufacturers, we recommend you buy EVEN MORE Rapido stuff. If we don’t make a
particular locomotive that you need, then make a new shell out of cardboard and glue
it onto a Rapido chassis.
Of course, some of our older locomotives were made at a completely different factory
so we can’t even guarantee they will MU with your FL9. So on second thought, just
upgrade to DCC and then all of your engines will happily MU with each other, smooth
as silk. No, we won’t stop bugging you about this until you upgrade to DCC. DC is to
21st-century model railroading what Polaroids are to 21st-century photography. You can
properly control your trains including all sound and lighting features, or you can stand
around shaking your little square of paper and waiting for a blurry picture to appear.
In DC, the number boards and step lights are always on and the headlights work when
the locomotive is moving forward. When moving backward, the red classification lights
are lit. In DC, you can’t turn on the backup light or the white class lights. You also can’t
dim the headlight; control the horn, bell or any of the sounds except for the prime mover;
or use the model’s Grand Central Terminal or “Straight to 8” modes. See previous para-
graph about upgrading to DCC.

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Thank goodness all DC modelers have a great sense of humor, or they’d be REALLY of-
fended by the last two paragraphs…
INSTALLING A DECODER IN A DC MODEL
The FL9 contains a motherboard which is connected to the track, motor and lighting
outputs. A blind plug is attached to the motherboard using a 21-pin connector. To install
a decoder, remove the blind plug and install a 21-pin decoder (recommended) or a 21-
pin adapter to attach an 8-pin or a 9-pin decoder. Your chosen decoder should have six
function outputs.
We recommend the following 21-pin decoder:
• ESU #54615 - LokPilot V4.0 DCC with 21MTC
We feel the 21-pin connectors are superior because there are enough pins to ensure
that all your lighting functions are connected. The necessary resistors are included on
our motherboard so you don’t have to futz around with resistors. Just plug in the recom-
mended and you have DCC.
ESU has made an FL9 function map which can be downloaded into their non-sound
decoder (54615) so that the function buttons and motor control are exactly the same as
our factory-released sound versions. This is available for download on the FL9 page in
the Support section of our web site. You will need an ESU LokProgrammer to write the
function mapping to the 54615 decoder. If you don’t have a LokProgrammer, you can
adjust CVs in the usual way.
The silent ESU 54615 decoder with our FL9 settings can be purchased preprogrammed
from your favourite retailer. Just order ESU item number 91636. As the sound version
uses custom sounds we recorded ourselves, the FL9 sound file is not available as a down-
load from ESU. We will be selling FL9 sound decoders separately; if they aren’t on our
web site by the time you read this, call the office and yell at whoever answers the phone.
OPERATION – DCC/DC WITH SOUND
We go to extreme lengths for accuracy, in sounds as well as in looks. Our sound decod-
ers are LokSound Select decoders by ESU, programmed with sounds we recorded from
a General Motors 567 prime mover. The sounds are 100% correct for the FL9, though
even we will admit our air compressor sounds a bit clapped out!
As in all of our other sound-equipped engines, we recorded the locomotive under load
up a steep grade. This simulates a four- or five-car passenger train on the straight and
level.
More detailed decoder instructions, including all sorts of weird CV settings we don’t
understand, can be found in the ESU Loksound Select decoder manual. This is available

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for download on the FL9 page in the Support section of our web site.
WARNING: If you have purchased a sound-equipped FL9 and you operate your trains
with a Model Rectifier Corporation RailPower 1300 DC controller, stop what you are do-
ing immediately. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. The RailPower 1300 is notorious
for voltage spikes and it WILL destroy your locomotive. There is no “if” about it. We will
not repair any FL9 destroyed by a 1300 or any other “train set” DC controller. “Train
set” DC controllers should not be used with sound-equipped locomotives.
LOCOMOTIVE ADDRESS
Your Rapido FL9 comes from the factory with a decoder address of 3. We suggest if
you are using DCC control that you first test that the locomotive responds on address 3.
Once you have verified that the locomotive is responding you should assign it a unique
address (we suggest the road number of the locomotive) before going any further. This
can be done either on your programming track (recommended) or on the main if your
system supports programming on the main. Be aware however that if you do program
the locomotive on the main and you have any other locomotives on your layout assigned
to address 3 (the normal default address for new locomotives) that ALL of them will likely
also be changed to your new address!
TURN ON THE SOUND
Press F8. Your locomotive will start up. If you press F8 when the locomotive is already
moving, it will skip the startup and the sound will just turn on. Press F8 again to turn the
sound off.
Note that if you are listening to your FL9 idling nicely and then you select another en-
gine with your controller, your FL9 still thinks F8 is pressed so it will keep idling along.
However, if you then select your FL9 again or someone else selects your locomotive’s
number on his or her controller, the controller “forgets” that F8 was pressed and the FL9
will promptly shut down. You or he or she will need to press F8 again.
We’re still using “he or she.” We really hope the three female New Haven model rail-
roaders in the world appreciate it and will consequently buy even more Rapido stuff.
We’re talking about you, Kathy.
You can change some CV settings to have the prime mover always on, but we caution
that having your entire locomotive fleet rumbling away at one time is both a drain on
your power and on your sanity. To make your FL9 “always on,” use a programming
track (or LokProgrammer) and input the following (in order):
CV31=16, CV32=2, CV387=32
If you are operating with sound on a DC layout, the sounds won’t come on until the volt-
age is up around seven volts or more. This is normal.

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FUNCTIONS
F0 Headlights
F1 Bell
F2 Horn
F3 Straight to 8
F4 Dynamic Brake
F5 Doppler Horn/Hancock
F6 Steam Generator
F7 Dimmer
F8 Startup/Mute/Shutdown
F9 Class Lights - White
F10 Class Lights - Red
F11 Brake
F12 Switching Mode
F14 Grand Central Terminal Mode
F18 Brake Set/Release
F19 Air Release
FUNCTIONS: MORE INFORMATION
F0 Headlight
Like the real thing, our FL9 headlights are not directional. They stay on until you turn
them off.
F3 “Straight to 8”
This unique feature simulates the prototypical operation of the FL9 locomotive. New
Haven engineers did not slowly go through the notches if leaving a station on a clear
signal. They would put the locomotive straight from notch 2 to notch 8. Similarly, when
approaching a station, engineers would go right back down to idle and coast to a stop.
This sounds very different from a typical freight engine slowly notching up to 8 and back
down again.
When F3 is selected, the locomotive sound will ramp up quickly to “Run 8” (full power).
If you decelerate, it will go right back down to idle. If you push F3 when the locomotive
is at notch 8 and then you decelerate, it will notch down normally. Note that this function
controls the sound only and not the motor speed. Motor speed is still controlled using the
throttle settings as normal.
If you want your consisted engines to respond to F3 when you press it, refer to your DCC
system to check how consisted engines respond to functions. You may need to change
some CV settings in your consisted engines following the detailed instructions in section
5.2.3 of the ESU Loksound Select decoder manual, available for download on the FL9
page in the Support section of our web site.

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F4 Dynamic Brake
Press F4 for dynamic braking. Dynamic brakes are best enjoyed with a fine whine.
Ouch.
F5 Doppler Horn/Hancock
Play this when approaching level crossings at speed. It is a real recording of an FL9
complete with original Hancock Air Whistle, zipping past a level crossing at speed with
five cars in tow. It sounds fantastic, if we don’t say so ourselves. Special thanks to David
Magill for letting us use his sounds and for recording it in the first place!
F6 Steam Generator
We just couldn’t resist adding the steam generator noises to the FL9, and we only wish
we’d thought of it with a lot of our earlier engines, because it is so completely awesome.
If you have other F units that could use some neat-o steam generator sounds (along with
all of our other great sound features), you can order new Steam-Equipped sound decod-
ers from Rapido.
Press F6 at any time to start up the steam. We don’t include random loud blowdowns but
we include the irregular hiss that you can hear coming from the regulator and blowdown
valves all the time when the steam generator is operational.
When you accelerate, the volume of the steam generator gets lower as you wouldn’t
hear it as clearly when the train is moving. If you want MORE STEAM! you can adjust
the volume of the steam generator by adjusting the value of CV 315. Please refer to
Sound Volume Settings (below) before attempting this.
F7 Dim the Headlights
When approaching a station stop or an oncoming train, press F7 to dim your headlights
– you don’t want to blind your passengers or the oncoming train’s engineers with crazy
bright headlights. Press F7 again to return to normal.
F9 White Class Lights
Fan trips, Christmas specials, special moves, you name it – the FL9s hauled extra (un-
scheduled) trains many times over their long and varied careers. All extra trains require
white flags or classification lights. So you will want to press F9 to turn on the white class
lights when pulling any non-scheduled train, such as a track inspection train or a holiday
special. On regular, scheduled passenger runs, the class lights are off.
F10 Red Class Lights
All train movements require markers on the rear, and the FL9 was no exception. The
classification light housings on the real FL9 include red bulbs for use as markers when
the locomotive is in reverse, and F10 turns these lights on. When the FL9 is pushing a
train, the red markers should be lit. If the engine is moving light (i.e. by itself), generally

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the headlight and backup light should be on dim and the markers should be on as well.
See “F12 Switching Mode” below.
F11 Brake
F11 works just like the brakes on a real engine. Press F11 and you put on the brakes.
Turn off F11 and the brakes come off so you start moving again.
F12 Switching Mode
If you press F12, the headlight and rear light will both be on dim. This is appropriate
for switching operations, which would be common in yards and terminals, such as New
Haven and Boston. This is the only way to turn on the rear light on our model FL9 as
during normal operations it was the only time that it would have been used. Press F12
again to turn off the switching mode lighting.
F14 Grand Central Terminal Mode
We’re hoping that you will find this nifty feature on our FL9 model to be so enthrall-
ing that the number of people actually modeling Grand Central Terminal (GCT) will
double… to three. As originally designed, the prime mover was to be shut down when
third-rail power was provided to the traction motors. As anyone who tried to breathe
while near an FL9 on the platform at GCT can attest, locomotive engineers did not shut
down the engine in practice. It was left idling, much to the detriment of the health of
anyone required to be on the platform for longer than about three minutes.
If you are running south into GCT, stop at 125th Street and press F14. The locomotive
will switch into Grand Central Terminal Mode. The prime mover (diesel engine) is locked
in idle, and you can hear the traction motors whining quite loudly. If you are properly
following the rulebook and you want to shut down the prime mover, press F8. The prime
mover sounds will shut down. In Grand Central Terminal Mode, you will hear the traction
motors whining as well as the air compressor going off. If you have the steam generator
turned on, you can hear that too. Horn and bell work as usual.
Northbound trains from GCT should stop after leaving the Park Avenue Tunnel to switch
over to normal operation. Press F8 to fire up the prime mover and press F14 to turn off
Grand Central Terminal Mode. Proceed to Woodlawn and points northeast.
If your train does not stop at 125th Street, you can switch to and from third-rail power
on the fly. The prototype and model are both designed to allow the changeover at full
track speed.
F18 Brake Set/Release
This function turns off the brake release and brake set sounds when you start or stop mov-
ing, respectively. It has no effect on the function of the engine — it just affects the sounds.

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F19 Air Release
This makes an air release sound. Ahhhhh....
HORNS
There are two extra horn recordings included with your FL9, and you can change them
around by changing the value of CV 48. The default is the Hancock Air Whistle, which
was a New Haven staple and the horn these locomotives used for most of their service
lives. The K5LA and the Leslie S2 were for later editions for Amtrak and Metro-North/
ConnDOT, respectively.
CV48-0 Hancock Air Whistle
CV48-1 Nathan K5LA
CV48-2 Leslie S2
Note that you can only change the horn on a programming track or using a LokProgram-
mer.
SOUND VOLUME SETTINGS
The sound volume settings have been designed by Bill to be layout friendly. That means
that they will not sound particularly loud if you are used to other manufacturers’ locomo-
tives BLASTING at full volume out of the box. They will also not sound particularly loud
if you are going deaf like Jason. (He’s modeling Spadina Yard with its engine terminal
and 40 idling locomotives. You should be able to hear his layout from Buffalo.) You can
easily make the sounds louder if you regularly operate your locomotives at shopping
malls, train shows, or on airport runways. If you want the sounds to be even louder, we
suggest you give up scale modeling and go buy a real FL9.
You can also adjust the relative volume levels of the different elements of the sound
recordings. Jason demanded that Bill “turn that darn thing down!” when he heard the
bell volume. If you are the type of guy who wants his FL9 bell heard in the next county,
you have lots of room to increase its volume. Ours is set at level 25 of a possible 128.
To set the volume levels go into the program mode on your DCC system (refer to your
system’s manual for instructions on how to do this as each system is slightly different);
enter the desired CV number; then enter the desired levels. Note that this can be done
either on a programming track or on the main (ops mode) if your DCC system supports
programming on the main.
We strongly recommend that you keep notes on which settings you have changed and
which values were used. If you ever need to do a reset on the decoder (see “Factory
Reset” below) then having good notes will allow you to easily re-enter any changes that
you might want to keep.

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VERY IMPORTANT: Before you change any of the volume control CVs,
please make sure that CV 32 is set to 1. CV 32 is used as an index selec-
tion register and if you don’t set it first then we are not responsible for
your resulting rage and the fact that you will probably throw the loco-
motive against the wall in frustration.
For example, to set the horn volume, first set CV32=01, then CV275=0-128.
FL9 SOUND VOLUME SETTINGS
FUNCTION CV DEFAULT RANGE YOUR VALUE
MASTER VOLUME 63 150 0-192
PRIME MOVER 259 64 0-128
HORN 275 100 0-128
BELL 283 25 0-128
DYNAMIC BRAKE 299 60 0-128
STEAM 315 25 0-128
DOPPLER HORN 339 100 0-128
SHORT AIR LET OFF 363 128 0-128
BRAKE SQUEAL 459 35 0-128
FACTORY RESET
On your FL9, you perform a factory reset by entering a value of “8” into CV 8. Note that
this will cause all of your new volume and motor settings to be lost, so you will need to
reprogram any settings that you want to keep. You did keep notes, right?
You can NOT lose all of the pre-recorded sounds on your FL9 decoder by doing a fac-
tory reset. If you manage to lose all of the sounds on your locomotive then you have
probably set fire to your decoder with a voltage spike. Open up your locomotive and
pour out the ashes.
AWESOME SLOW SPEED THINGY (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)
There is an awesome trick that you can use to get even better slow speed running and
smoother operation. It’s called the Automatic Motor Tuning Feature. This feature will
automatically adjust the Back-EMF in most cases and give you phenomenal slow-speed
performance. Make sure you do this to each locomotive separately rather than your A
and B units together.
In order to use this automatic adjustment you need to use Ops mode programming, i.e.
programming on the main. Make sure your locomotive is in “forward” and that you have
lots of room in front of it on your mainline. Set CV 54 to a value of 0. Then get out of

15
programming mode and turn on the bell (press F1). We’ll say this again: Make sure you
have plenty of room in front of your locomotive and it is not headed for the layout edge
and the basement floor!!!
Your FL9 will quickly take off at full speed and gradually slow down to a stop while the
decoder reads the motor responses. You’ll have fabulous motor control after you do this.
If you ever have to reset your locomotive, you can do the automatic adjustment again – it
just takes a few seconds.
MORE INFORMATION
While addressing the features that most modelers will need for normal operation, these
instructions have covered just a small number of the many customizable features of
your ESU LokSound decoder. For advanced users who want to more fully explore the
capabilities of the decoder we suggest downloading the ESU Loksound Select decoder
manual. This is available on the FL9 page in the Support section of our web site.
LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY
We will do our best to solve any problems or issues that you may have with your FL9
locomotive. If your locomotive has any defects that originate from the factory, we will
repair your locomotive using new components or replace it outright should a repair not
be possible. However, we can only replace your locomotive while we have additional
ones in stock. We normally keep spares for up to six months after a model is released.
If you purchased this locomotive at age 23 and you’ve only first opened it upon retire-
ment, it is possible that we no longer have any replacements, we’re retired, or we’re
pushing up the daisies. It is also possible that by that time the molds have been stolen by
the Purple Army of Constantinople during the Madagascar-Jamaican War and used in a
catapult to break down the Kardashian Gates in Cleveland. In that case they probably
aren’t usable any more. Please check to see if we still exist and give us a call or write us
an email, and we will see what we can do to help you out. If Connecticut is covered by
one big glacier, chances are we’re extinct. Don’t bother calling.
There are a number of things that this warranty can not cover. We’ve already gone
over the bit about reattaching loose parts yourself – don’t be afraid! The worst thing
that can happen is that you ruin a gorgeous $350 locomotive and have to give it to the
neighbor’s dog as a new chew toy. If parts are missing, please call us or send us an
email and we’ll send you some replacements provided that we have them. As mentioned
above, this warranty does NOT cover damage caused by voltage spikes on MRC 1300
or “train set” power packs.
Of course, damage caused by throwing your FL9 out of a moving shuttlecraft, gener-
ously allowing your wife’s aunt to use your FL9 locomotives as hair curlers, changing the
locomotive numbers with a 1” wide brush and house paint, adding realistic weathering

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by leaving your FL9 on a windswept shore for seven years, or any other damage caused
by Acts of You that we haven’t mentioned here is not covered by the warranty. However,
if catastrophe does strike and your locomotive gets damaged, please give us a shout
and we’ll do our best to help you out. Yes, even if it was your fault we will try our best to
fix your locomotive for you. Don’t be shy! Yes, even if it was your fault we will
try our best to fix your locomotive for you. Don’t be shy!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A lot of people have been extremely helpful in ensuring that your FL9 is an accurate
work of art. Thank you to Rick Abramson, Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, Jeff Birmingham,
Paul A. Cutler III, Darth Cutler, Darth Vader, Bill & Cosette Dulmaine, Ronald Elsdoerfer,
Jim Fellows, J. Grumblatt, Jr., Scott Hartley, Jim Homoki, David Magill, Mighty Mouse,
Jean-Luc Picard, John Sheridan, Otto Vondrak, Asa Worcester, Craig Zeni and Broton,
warlord of the Zygons.
A special thank you to the New Haven Historical and Technical Association for all of
their kind assistance in the production and promotion of our FL9.
On behalf of our eight French-speaking FL9 customers, a special thanks to Richard Long-
pre for the French translation.
Packaging cover photo courtesy NHRHTA.
Instructions cover photo by Mike Schafer
Tell everyone you know about Rapido and the great stuff
we make. Most model railroaders in the USA think we are a
defunct European company from 1966 that put traction tires
on everything. Gotta love traction tires.
If you like your Rapido FL9, please spread the word about
us! If you don’t like your Rapido FL9, our company name is
pronounced T-Y-C-O.
PLEASE