1. DL manuals
  2. M.T.H.
  3. Toy
  4. Premier 4-6-6-4 Challenger
  5. Operator's Manual

M.T.H. Premier 4-6-6-4 Challenger Operator's Manual

Other manuals for Premier 4-6-6-4 Challenger: Operator's manual
Manual is about: USRA 0-8-0 Steam Locomotive

Summary of Premier 4-6-6-4 Challenger

  • Page 1

    Please read before use and save www.Mthtrains.Com 3 compatibility hi-rail wheels: this engine will operate on any traditional o gauge track system with o- 72 curves or larger. Scale wheels: this engine will operate on any traditional track system with 54” radius curves or larger. It is also compatib...

  • Page 2

    This product may be protected by one or more of the following patents: 6,019,289; 6,280,278; 6,281,606; 6,291,263; 6,457,681; 6,491,263; 6,604,641; 6,619,594; 6,624,537; 6,655,640. ©2013, m.T.H. Electric trains®, columbia, md 21046 caution: electrically operated product: warning: when using electric...

  • Page 3

    Set up checklist -lubricate engine and prime smoke unit -read all general maintenance instruction, starting on page 34 -apply power to run as described in the modes of operation section on page 7 do not over oil do not over oil before you begin: by visiting the m.T.H. Website, www.Mthtrains.Com, you...

  • Page 4

    Running the engine without a primed smoke unit may cause damage adding smoke fluid figure 2: add smoke fluid premier up 4-6-6-4 challenger steam engine 4 configuring locomotive for 2-rail or 3-rail operation ( the 2-rail / 3-rail switch is located underneath the tender). Your locomotive can be confi...

  • Page 5

    Figure 6: engine and tender to disconnect the engine and tender apply downward pressure near the tender until the connectors separate. If the drawbar is not properly connected your engine may exhibit erratic or no operation. If this happens turn off the track power and make sure that the drawbar con...

  • Page 6

    Ps 3.0 enhancements here are some of the exciting changes incorporated into your new mth proto- ® sound 3.0 locomotives. More advanced features such as custom speed tables and advanced consisting can be found in the dcc section of this manual. Conventional (analog) ac/dc start-up/shut-down your new ...

  • Page 7

    Programming track (for dcc operation) your mth ps3.0-equipped o gauge engine can function on programming track outputs from dcc systems. Most dcc systems can support the current requirements of the engine as long as it’s not started up. If you plan on powering up the mth engine on your programming t...

  • Page 8

    Conventional ac operation when using conventional ac power, the engine will respond to changes in track voltage. An increase in track voltage will increase the locomotive speed and a reduction in track voltage will reduce the engine speed. A short interruption (approximately 1 to 2 seconds) in the t...

  • Page 9

    ® proto-sound 3.0 conventional ac operating instructions ® activating proto-sound 3.0 conventional ac mode features throttle - to increase or decrease track voltage, and therefore train speed, turn the throttle control knob. Turning clockwise will increase voltage and speed, while turning counterclo...

  • Page 10

    ® proto-sound 3.0 manual volume control figure 8: manual volume control ® proto-sound 3.0 features are activated by sequences of bell and horn button pushes described below. Please read the full descriptions of each feature before using it. To use these buttons to activate features rather than to bl...

  • Page 11

    Your engine is equipped with a sound package of either passenger station announcements or freight yard sounds that you can play when you pull into a station or a yard. Each sequence described below will play as long as it is left on, randomly generating sounds, but be sure to allow approximately 30 ...

  • Page 12

    ™ proto-coupler operation this locomotive is equipped with one or more coil-wound proto-couplers for remote ® uncoupling action. Because proto-couplers are controlled through the proto-sound 3.0 microprocessor, they do not require an uncoupling track section or modification to your layout to functio...

  • Page 13

    M.T.H. Engines equipped with proto-sound® 3.0 have speed control capabilities that allow the engine to maintain a constant speed up and down grades and around curves, much like an automobile cruise control. You can add or drop cars on the run, and the engine will maintain the speed you set. While th...

  • Page 14

    Automatic sound effects ® certain proto-sound 3.0 sound effects automatically play in programmed conventional mode conditions: •squealing brakes play any time the engine's speed decreases rapidly. •cab chatter plays at random intervals when the engine idles in neutral. •engine start-up and shut-down...

  • Page 15

    Dcs - digital command system while the acronyms are close, this is where the similarity ends between dcc and dcs. Yes they are both digital control systems. However, m.T.H. Dcs is not dcc. There are several proprietary versions of dcc on the market, but dcs is not one of them. M.T.H.'s dcs system is...

  • Page 16

    Basic dcc operation: your mth ps3.0-equipped engine takes full advantage of dcc's capabilities. Below are the basic commands you'll want to know to get started running quickly. Please refer to the advanced dcc operation section of the manual if you want to dig into the full capability of dcc. Each e...

  • Page 17

    Bell/whistle (horn) f1 – bell to activate the bell press f1. To deactivate it, hit f1 again f2 – whistle (horn) to activate the whistle/horn, press f2. To shut it off either let off the f2 button or press and release it pfa f4 – pfa pfa in mth lingo stands for passenger/freight announcements. Your e...

  • Page 18

    Master volume f6 – master volume there are 10 volume levels. Pressing f6 twice (toggling on then off) raises the master volume one level. The master volume loops. That is, if you go past the 10th level it will loop back around to the 1st or lowest volume level. Couplers your mth ps3.0-equipped engin...

  • Page 19

    Engine sounds f25 – engine sounds you can turn the engine sounds on/off by pressing the f25 button. Pressing it once (enabling f25) will cause the engine sounds to shut off. Thewhistle/horn and bell sounds will still be active, however. To turn the engine sounds back on press the f25 button again (d...

  • Page 20

    F22 – coupler slack when an engine hooks up and pulls a train it has to take up the coupler slack. You can play this sound by pressing f22 twice (toggling on then off). This feature works two ways – while the engine is sitting still, press f22 twice to enable it. Then, when you move the engine, it w...

  • Page 21: *refer to Pages 25-27 For Cv

    Function chart f0 f1 f2 f3 f4 f5 f6 f7 f8 f9 f10 f11 f12 f13 f14 f15 f16 f17 f18 f19 f20 f21 f22 f23 f24 f25 f26 f27 f28 headlight bell horn start-up/shut down pfa lights master volume front coupler rear coupler forward signal reverse signal grade crossing smoke on/off smoke volume idle sequence 3 i...

  • Page 22

    Cv29 cv29 is the basic decoder setup cv that is used by all dcc decoder manufactures. So, if you are familiar with cv29 from other manufacturer's decoders mth's is no different. The most important part of cv29 is the ability to switch between long and short addressing. By default, cv29 on your mth p...

  • Page 23

    To change your engine's long address using pom: 1. Call up the current engine's address on your dcc handheld 2. Enter programming on the main (pom) on your dcc handheld 3. Write appropriate values to cv17 and cv18 to set the engine's long address. See the cv17 & cv18 conversion table on the mth's we...

  • Page 24

    Lost or unknown engine address and the 55-55-55 address reset if you do not know the engine address you are unable to use the above resets or programming methods. Never fear, there is a method to recover control of your engine if you do not know the address referred to as the 55-55-55 reset to chang...

  • Page 25

    Mth ps3.0 expanded dcc functionality advanced dcc operation: this section of the manual provides more in-depth detail on how to set up and configure your mth ps3.0-equipped engine using the nmra-standard cv's as well as the manufacturer-specific cv's. It also explains some of the other f functions n...

  • Page 26

    Below is the table of factory default mth supported dcc cv's. This table is specific to the engine in the title of this manual: factory default values for mth ps3.0 dcc configuration variables (cv’s) decimal 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 17 18 19 21 22 23 24 25 29 52 53 54 63 64 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 ...

  • Page 27

    User-settable f-function list this feature allows you to take the 28 f-functions that currently reside in each mth proto-sound 3.0-equipped o-gauge engine and change the location of that function. For example: f4 is currently pfa and you'd like that placed down to f28 which is feature reset. The bel...

  • Page 28

    The above list includes all f functions that an mth ps3 engine could have. You are free to change any of the above listed items to any f function position, 1-28. For example, if you your engine came from the factory without a smoke unit but you added one at a later date you could swap out any of the...

  • Page 29

    Advanced consisting advanced consisting follows the nmra standards. Any values assigned to cv's 21-24 are ignored once the consist is removed (cv19 set to 0). Setting the msb (bit 7) of cv19 tells the engine that it is facing reverse in the consist setting cv21 and cv22 determine which f functions t...

  • Page 30

    Premier up 4-6-6-4 challenger steam engine 30 to set this consists up so that: the headlight is on in the front engine when going forward, off when the consist is in reverse the reverse light and headlight is off in the rear engine when the consist is going forward, headlight is on, reverse light is...

  • Page 31

    Premier up 4-6-6-4 challenger steam engine 31 11. Call up the consist address (address 4 in this example) 12. Press the f0 button to ensure the fl is toggled on. Most systems have a light bulb icon to indicate whether f0 is active or not. Ensure that it is on note – the convenient thing about settin...

  • Page 32

    Dcc bit value decoder decimal value 128 0 16 0 0 1 64 8 example value (bit 7 -> bit 0) 11011001 binary example 1 (on) bit (decimal value) 7 (128) 5 (32) 4 (16) 3 (8) 2 (4) 1 (2) 0 (1) 6 (64) 1 (on) 1 (on) 1 (on) 1 (on) 1 (on) 0 (off) 0 (off) 0 (off) premier up 4-6-6-4 challenger steam engine 32 note...

  • Page 33

    So, in the above example you simply add up the values in the “decimal value” row – 128+64+0+16+8 +0+0+1 = 217. You would write 217 to the cv you were altering. The above applies to any cv. Also, if you have a cv that already has a value assigned that you do not want to alter but need to make additio...

  • Page 34

    Maintenance lubricating and greasing instructions the engine should be well oiled and greased in order to run properly. Regularly lubricate all side rods, linkage components and pickup rollers to prevent them from squeaking. Use light household oil and follow the lubrication points marked “l” below....

  • Page 35

    Cleaning the wheels, tires, and track periodically check the locomotive wheels and pickups for dirt 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 (not rubbing) alcohol applied wi...

  • Page 36

    Add 15-20 drops smoke fluid smoke unit cover wick in poor condition wick in good condition proto-smoke™ unit operation this steam locomotive contains a smoke unit that outputs smoke through the smokestack on the boiler of the engine. The smoke unit is essentially a small heating element and wick tha...

  • Page 37

    Starting up horn bell solution solution solution only my headlight comes on, nothing else. When i first turn the power on, the engine will not begin to run. The engine will not start after i press the direction button. I can't get the horn to blow when i press the horn button. I can't get the bell t...

  • Page 38

    Volume solution the sounds seem distorted, especially when the horn or bell is activated. No sound ® proto-sound 3.0 volume is set too high. Turn the volume control knob on the bottom of the tender counter-clockwise to reduce the volume. Volume is set too low, adjust volume control knob on the botto...

  • Page 39

    Conventional dc start-up solution sound solution when i apply power to the track my engine doesn't do anything. No lights, no sound, no nothing. I have no sound from my engine, but my lights are on and it moves just fine. There's a crackling sound from my engine my engine isn't smoking at all my eng...

  • Page 40

    One of my lights is out. None of my lights are on. Most likely you had been running the engine in dcc or dcs mode and toggled that light off. Put it back into one of those modes and turn that light back on. The engine will remember that when you run it again in conventional dc. Could be the same rea...

  • Page 41

    Dcc when i apply power to the track my engine doesn’t do anything. No lights, no sound. Did you press f3 yet? F3 on your dcc handheld will start your engine up. Check to see if that section of track has power. Use a voltmeter or a lit passenger car, not your tongue. Slide the engine a couple of feet...

  • Page 42

    One of my lights is out. None of my lights are on. Check your f keys. F0 is the headlight (also controls the back-up light) and f5 will toggle the cab light could be the same reason as “one of my lights is out” is the engine getting power? Check to see if there is voltage on the track or move the en...

  • Page 43

    Dcs (remember, it's not dcc) when i press the whistle button on my dcs remote or dcs commander the whistle doesn't blow i have no sound on my engine, but my lights are on and it moves just fine there's a crackling sound from my engine when i run doppler i can hear the doppler shift but then the engi...

  • Page 44

    One of my lights is out. None of my lights are on. Check that you haven't turned it off with the dcs controller. You have independent control over lights on your engine could be the same reason as “one of my lights is out” is the engine getting power? Check to see if there is voltage on the track or...

  • Page 45: Recommended Ac Transformers

    Transformer compatibility and wiring chart proto-sound® 3.0 is designed to work with most standard ac transformers. The chart below lists the many compatible transformers. Note that many of the operational commands described in these instructions require a bell button, so if your transformer does no...

  • Page 46: Recommended Dc Transformers

    Dc power supply chart transformer model min/max. Voltage power rating transformer type mrc controlmaster 20 0-20v 100-watt electronic ph hobbies ps5 ph hobbies ps10g 0-20v 0-20v 100-watt 180-watt electronic electronic bridgeworks magnum 15 bridgeworks magnum 200 bridgeworks magnum 1000 bridgeworks m...

  • Page 47

    Premier up 4-6-6-4 challenger steam engine 47 additional features accessible with the dcs remote control system (additional equipment required) while conventional mode operation of a proto-sound® 3.0 engine yields wonderfully realistic sound and several train control features, command mode operation...

  • Page 48

    Service & warranty information how to get service under the terms of the limited one-year warranty when you suspect an item is defective, please check the operator's manual for standard operation and trouble- shooting techniques that may correct the problem. Additional information may be found on th...