RK
AIL ING
®
By MT H ElectricTrains
RAILKING NW-2 DIESEL ENGINE
OPERATING INSTRUTIONS
Thank you for purchasing the RailKing® production of General Motors’
NW-2 diesel engine. The engine’s durable ABS body and die-cast trucks
are traditionally sized for operation on any O-27 Gauge track. The engine
should operate for years with any compatible AC transformer (see the chart
on page 35 for a list of compatible transformers) and is completely
compatible with most 3-rail locomotives, rolling stock and accessories.
The locomotive is equipped with either an electronic horn or the
ProtoSound® Digital Sound and train control system which contains several
deluxe features that are simple and fun to operate. Each feature is described
among the following pages which should be read before the engine is
operated. For those of you who can’t wait to get started, the Quick Start
Basic Operating Instructions found on Pages 3 and 4 should be read so that
you understand the basics of the operating system. Please note that some
features are only found in the ProtoSound® models and are marked as such.
Features not marked as ProtoSound® features are available in all models.
RAILKING
Table Of Contents
QUICK START - BASIC OPERATION
PROTOSOUNDS® OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
ProtoSound® DCRU® Reverse Unit Operation(All 3-Rail Models) 5
Horn Operation 5
Bell Operation 5
ProtoCoupler Operation 6
Squeaking Brake Sounds 7
Tips On Using Squeaking Brakes 8
Freight Yard Sounds (FYS) 9
Tips On Using The Freight Yard Sounds 13
Self-Recharging Battery Backup System 15
Replacing The Battery 15
ProtoSound® Volume Adjustment 16
USING “RESET" TO PROGRAM PROTOSOUNDS®
Entering RESET Options 17
Setting The Engine Volume 18
Programming For A Separate Bell Button Controller 19
Programming For Squeaking Brake Operation 19
Programming For Horn In Neutral Operation 20
Programming For Cab Chatter Sounds 21
Programming For ProtoCoupler Operation 22
Programming For FYS Operation 22
Activating Reverse Unit Lock-Out Control 23
Resetting All ProtoSound® Options To Factory Defaults 24
Reverse Unit Lockout Control Functions 25
Locking The Engine Into Forward or Reverse 25
Unlocking The Engine 25
Locking The Engine Into Neutral 25
OIL & LUBRICATION INSTRUCTIONS
TRACTION TIRE REPLACEMENT INSTRUCTIONS
LIGHT BULB REMOVAL & REPLACEMENT
TROUBLE SHOOTING PROTOSOUND™ PROBLEMS
ProtoSound® RESET Feature Chart 34
Transformer Wiring Chart 35
O-27 OPERATION
SERVICE AND WARRANTY INFORMATION
HOW TO GET SERVICE
LIMITED ONE YEAR WARRANTY
3
4
17
27
28
29
30
36
36
36
36
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QUICK START - BASIC OPERATION
The RailKing NW-2 contains state-of-the art electronics with several builtin automatic features for incredibly realistic operation. Despite these
advanced features, the NW-2 is easy to operate with any compatible
standard AC transformer (see the compatibility chart on page 35).
All models are controlled by a ProtoSound® DCRU® electronic reverse
unit. The reverse unit operates in the same manner that all reverse units
function by using forward, neutral and reverse states that are entered each
time the throttle is turned on and off or by using the transformer direction
switch (if so equipped).
The reverse unit is designed to
ignore dirty track, dead spots on
switches or minor short circuits
without disrupting the engine
operation, even at slow, prototypical
speeds. Once the engine is placed
on the track, the throttle on the
transformer can be advanced. You
will see that only the engine’s lights
come on and that only two dings of
Figure 1: ProtoSound® DCRU® Lockout Switch
the ProtoSound® bell occur
followed by the diesel start-up
sounds (on ProtoSound® equipped 3-rail models). The engine does not run.
This is known as the RESET state
and is explained in more detail
RESET
Forward
Neutral
Reverse
Neutral
beginning on Page 4. The
ProtoSound® DCRU® will not
power the motors until the throttle
is turned OFF and then ON again.
Figure 2: DCRU Cycle Phases
At this point, the engine will now
function just like any other
electronic or mechanical E-unit. On ProtoSound® equipped engines, the
diesel engine sounds will change in volume as the engine begins to move.
The horn can be activated by pressing the whistle button on the transformer
just as any horn would be activated. See the sections later in this guide,
beginning on page 5, for more information on activating the horn and bell
sounds.
DCRU® Electronic Reverse Unit
Lockout Switch
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PROTOSOUNDS® OPERATING
INSTRUCTIONS
The MTH ProtoSound® digital sound and train control system provides
the operator with unprecedented realistic operation on your model railroad.
In addition to actual diesel engine, CD-equivalent 16-bit digital sounds,
you get the following features:
Built-In ProtoSound® DCRU® Reverse Unit * Authentic Diesel Engine Horn
*
Sound * Authentic Diesel Engine Bell Sound * Squeaking Brake Sound * Freight
Yard Sounds * Operating Remote Controlled ProtoCoupler™ * SelfRecharging Battery Back-Up System With Automatic Battery Shut-Off *
Remotely Controlled Reverse Unit Lock-Out * Remotely Adjustable Diesel
Engine Volume * Authentic Diesel Engine Start Up & Shut Down Sounds *
Random Selection of Four “Cab Chatter" Radio Transmission Sound Clips *
Each feature is described among the following pages. Though the system
is easy to use, we encourage you to read the instructions thoroughly.
ProtoSound® DCRU® REVERSE UNIT
As mentioned in the Basic Operating section, the engine is controlled by a
ProtoSound® DCRU® reverse unit that contains the standard forwardneutral-reverse states found on most reverse units. However, as described
earlier, when power is first applied to the track, the reverse unit begins in
RESET or what seems like a neutral state. Power must be interrupted again
to get the locomotive to enter the forward state. It is this first RESET state
that gives ProtoSound® its unique, remote controlled functions. The
system will enter RESET whenever power to the track is off for three or
more seconds. NEUTRAL will be referred to as the state between Forward
and Reverse.
ProtoSounds® is equipped with a microprocessor, that, depending on the
amount of memory it is allotted, allows the user to utilize several remotely
activated functions. In the simplest terms, ProtoSounds® has its own
“Computer" controlling these functions. In fact, the power of this
microprocessor is the same as that of a 286 desktop computer! In order to
access many of these remotely controlled functions, the user must be in the
RESET state to do so. RESET is entered anytime power to the locomotive
has been off for more than 3 to 5 seconds. When the engine first enters
RESET, the microprocessor initiates a system check to determine if the
system, transformer and engine are operating correctly. This takes
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approximately 2.2 seconds during which you will hear the engine’s startup
sounds begin. In order for ProtoSounds® to properly initiate the system
check, do not advance the transformer throttle past 10 volts when you first
enter RESET, wait for the diesel startup sounds to begin and then slowly
turn the transformer throttle to the off position and then back on again to
enter the forward phase. Interrupting the power too quickly may cause the
system to re-enter RESET (signaled by two dings of the bell). Should this
happen, wait longer before interrupting the power to enter the Forward
phase.
ProtoSounds® comes with several programmable functions, including
Engine Volume Adjustment, Separate Bell Button Operation (preprogrammed at the factory), Cab Chatter On/Off Control, ProtoCoupler
On/Off Control and Horn-In-Neutral Operation. Each of these features are
described in more detail later. You will notice that when in RESET, your
engine will not respond to the whistle button with a horn blast or continuous
bell ringing. In fact, when in RESET and the whistle button is depressed,
only one single bell chime will be heard each time the whistle button is
pressed. If you don’t want to configure or change your locomotive using
any of these programmable features, simply leave RESET and wait 2.2
seconds before interrupting the power to put the engine in forward. After
you leave RESET, your engine will operate normally in all the direction
states of forward, neutral and reverse.
HORN OPERATION
Your RailKing NW-2 ProtoSound® equipped engine is equipped with a
digital recording of a diesel horn. The horn sound can be activated anytime
the engine is in forward or reverse by pressing the whistle button on your
transformer. The horn will continue to blow as long as the whistle button is
depressed. The horn will not function in RESET and must be configured
through a RESET option to allow the horn to work when the engine is in
neutral. See page 17 for information on horn programming in the Using
RESET To Program ProtoSounds® section of this manual.
BELL OPERATION
Your RailKing NW-2 ProtoSound® equipped engine is equipped with a
digital recording of an actual diesel bell. Unlike previous versions of
ProtoSounds®, the bell can be turned on or off with any separate bell
button, like the Lionel® Railsounds® No. 5906 Bell Button, by simply
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pushing the button. If you don’t have a separate bell button, the bell can be
controlled through your transformer’s whistle button whenever the engine
is in NEUTRAL. The bell will never ring continuously in RESET
(Remember NEUTRAL is the state between Forward and Reverse). Once
the bell is turned on, it will continue to ring when the engine is cycled into
forward or reverse until you press the bell button or re-enter NEUTRAL
and turn the bell off with the whistle button.
In fact, because of ProtoSounds® state-of-the-art design, the
microprocessor remembers its last command. Therefore, unless you turn
the bell off before you quit running your train, the next time you run the
engine, the bell will come on. No matter whether you come back an hour
later or a year later, the bell will begin chiming once the engine enters one
of the three directional states.
To turn the bell on using the transformer’s whistle button, turn on power to
the track and cycle the engine into NEUTRAL. Turn the throttle to 8 volts
or less (any higher voltage will arm the ProtoCoupler™) and press the
whistle button. The bell should begin chiming. To turn the bell off, press
the whistle button again. If you want to keep the bell on while running the
engine, simply interrupt the power with the transformer throttle or the
transformer directional switch and enter forward or reverse.
PROTO-COUPLER™ OPERATION
Your RailKing NW-2 ProtoSound® equipped locomotive has two coilwound ProtoCouplers™ for remote uncoupling action. The couplers are
mounted on the power trucks. Because the ProtoCoupler™ is controlled
through ProtoSounds® microprocessor, it doesn’t’t require an uncoupling
track section or modification to your layout to function. The three simple
steps below are required to operate the coupler.
1. Put your engine in NEUTRAL and turn the throttle all the
way up.
2. Press the transformer whistle button to “Arm" the coupler.
(You will hear a “Clank")
3. After arming the coupler, press the whistle button again to
open the coupler.
Put Engine In Neutral
At Full Power
Press & Release
The Whistle Button
Ca-Clunk
H
Listen For The
Ca-Clunk Sound
Press & Release
The Whistle Button
H
See The Coupler Open
And Listen For The
Cha-Chusshh Sound
Cha-Chussshhh
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When the knuckle fires open you will hear the buzzing of the coil
energizing and the sound of the air lines coming apart. It can best be
described as a CHA-CHUSHHH sound. The coupler doesn’t’t have to be
fired in NEUTRAL. Once the
coupler is armed it can be fired
in Forward, Neutral or Reverse.
However, you may find that the
coupler doesn’t’t open when
firing the coupler at high
speeds. Reduce the voltage
setting on your transformer if
this occurs and run your engine
at a slower speed before firing
the coupler. If the coupler
continues to open erratically, try
lubricating the knuckle with
light oil as indicated in Fig. 3.
For multiple heading purposes, only one of the two ProtoCouplers™ will
function at any one time. Use the coupler direction switch as shown in Fig.
5 on page 16 to select either the front or rear coupler. Simply slide the
switch toward the direction of the coupler you want to make active.
Lubricate Coupler Rivet
Figure 3: Lubricating The ProtoCouplers
SQUEAKING BRAKE SOUNDS
ProtoSound® equipped engines feature the ability to play the sound of
squeaking brakes whenever your engine slows in speed. There are two
settings for activating the squeaking brake sounds. The default setting
allows the brake sounds to play while the engine is in forward or reverse
and the transformer throttle is lowered from a high setting to a low setting
(14 volts to 8 volts or less). The second setting requires that a bell button be
used to “arm” the brake feature and is explained in more detail in the
“Activating Freight Yard Sounds” section found later in this manual. The
sound itself is a stored record on the ProtoSounds® software chip and will
always play the same brake sound for the same three second length each
Throttle Down From
High Voltage To Low
Listen For The
Squeaking Brake Sounds
Squeeek
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time the voltage is reduced from high to low. Some practice may be
required to synchronize the playing of the brake sounds with the movement
of the engine. It is not uncommon for the engine to stop before the brake
sound is completed. Operators will find that by coordinating the movement
of the throttle setting from 8 volts to off will allow the engine to maintain its
movement while the brake sounds play. Note: The brake sounds will not
be heard if the transformer throttle is not set above 14 volts and/or not
reduced below 8 volts.
TIPS ON USING THE SQUEAKING BRAKE FEATURE
Because the squeaking brake feature always plays for approximately 3
seconds, it is possible that the brake sounds will play longer or shorter than
what visually seems prototypical. You will find that by practicing with the
brake feature, you can quickly determine how quickly to throttle down and
what speeds and voltage settings give you the most prototypical braking effect.
Typical users will find the feature to be a very realistic way to simulate the
sound of an engine slowing down for curves, crossings or coming to a stop at a
station, side track or switch yard. As mentioned above, you will find that
initially your engine may continue to play the brake sounds once your engine
comes to a stop or that the sounds stop prematurely before the engine comes to
a complete halt. For example, if you simply run the engine and turn the throttle
off quickly, the brake sounds will likely continue playing even though the
engine has come to a complete stop. This annoying effect can be eliminated by
simply practicing with the brake feature. In no time, you will quickly learn
how to feather" the throttle to keep the engine moving while the brake sounds
play and then turning the throttle off just as the sounds stop. Remember that
once you stop the engine, you should turn the throttle to the off position if you
dont want to activate the Freight Yard Sounds feature described later in this
manual.
The ProtoSound® squeaking brake feature also has the ability to simulate the
squeal of wheel flanges when your train enters a curve at high speeds. The
same brake squealing sound plays, but you dont need to reduce the
transformer throttle to activate the squealing sounds. To play the squealing
sounds as wheel flange sounds, trigger the brake feature using either method 1
or 2 above. Once triggered set the transformer throttle setting at 14 volts or
higher. As your engine enters a curve (or anywhere on the layout) quickly
flick" your transformer whistle button about half way. This flicking" action
causes the transformer to release a short DC signal that ProtoSounds® reads as
an indicator to activate the brake sounds. The engine wont slow down even
though the sounds play. This simulates the wheel flange squeal of a train
traveling through a turn too quickly.
Note: Consistent activation of the wheel flange squealing is determined by the
condition of your transformers whistle button rectifier disc. Older rectifier
discs may not release a clear and strong enough DC signal required by
ProtoSounds® computer to play the wheel flange squealing.
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FREIGHT YARD SOUNDS (FYS)
ProtoSounds® comes equipped with operator controlled Freight Yard
Sounds, hereby referred to as FYS. This easy to use feature plays digitally
reproduced freight yard sounds whenever your engine stops on your layout
and is parked in the Neutral position. No additional wires or modifications
are needed on your layout to enjoy these amazing sound effects. The
sounds themselves are randomly generated and randomly “shuffled” on the
ProtoSounds® software chip. This gives the system the ability to produce
different sounds in a different order each time FYS is enabled. These
different sounds are heard each time you cycle the transformer throttle from
ON to OFF in the same manner that you would cycle the throttle to enter the
various states of Forward, Neutral and Reverse. The entire FYS sequence is
designed to simulate the arrival, loading or unloading and departure of a
freight train in a freight yard. Each sequence is described in more detail in
the following sections.
ACTIVATING FREIGHT YARD SOUNDS
Your ProtoSounds® equipped engine features an operator controlled
freight yard sound set. Once activated, this easy to use feature plays the
sound of freight yard activities whenever the operator places the engine in
the neutral position.
ARMING THE FREIGHT YARD FEATURE
Before the freight yard sounds can be heard, ProtoSounds® must activate
the feature so that the next time the engine enters the neutral position, the
sounds can play, The feature can be activated one of two ways.
Option 1: If you are using a separate bell button controller to ring your
bell (like the Lionel Railsounds® No. 5906 bell activation button) you can
activate the feature by pressing and holding the bell button for three seconds
or longer (it doesn’t matter if you are in forward, neutral or reverse). You
will hear the bell
chiming turn on and if
you listen carefully you
should hear an air
release sound after three
seconds have passed at
which time you can
Put Engine In Neutral,
Forward or Reverse
Press & Hold
The Railsounds® Bell Button
For 3 Seconds
Listen For The
Start Of The Bell Sound
Ding, Ding
Psshhee
Air Release Sound
Listen For The
After 3 Seconds
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release the bell button. (Note: because the air release sound is hard to
hear, we recommend that you count out a full three seconds before
releasing the bell button.) The bell will continue to chime, so if you want to
turn off the bell ringing, simply press and release the bell button a second
time. If you were in neutral when you triggered the brake feature, interrupt
the transformer throttle to enter either forward or reverse to allow the
engine to begin running. (
Note: the feature will only be activated in the
first direction state you enter after triggering the feature from the neutral
position. You cannot interrupt the power twice to enter another direction
state and still have the brake feature active.) Once your engine begins
running, you can trigger the sounds to begin playing whenever you enter
neutral.
Option 2 If you do not have a separate bell button on your layout, you can
still activate the feature with your transformer whistle button. To activate
the feature turn on the transformer throttle and get your engine into the
neutral position (not RESET). Once in neutral, set the transformer throttle
at 8 volts or less and press and hold the whistle button for at least three
seconds. You will hear the bell chiming turn on and if you listen carefully
you should hear an air release sound after three seconds have passed at
which time you can release the whistle button. (
release sound is hard to hear, we recommend that you count out a full three
seconds before releasing the whistle button.) The bell will continue to
chime, so if you want to turn off the bell ringing, simply press and release
the bell button a second
time. Interrupt the
Put Engine In Neutral
At Low Power
transformer throttle to enter
either forward or reverse to
allow the engine to begin
running. (
feature will only be activate
Note: the
Press & Hold
The Whistle Button
For 3 Seconds
in the first direction state
you enter after triggering the feature from the neutral position. You cannot
interrupt the power twice to enter another direction state and still have the
feature active.) Once your engine begins running, you can trigger the
sounds to begin by entering neutral.
Note: because the air
Listen For The
Start Of The Bell Sound
Ding, Ding
H
Psshhee
Listen For The
Air Release Sound
After 3 Seconds
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ACTIVATING AND TRIGGERING FREIGHT YARD SOUNDS
Before FYS can be heard the feature must be activated first. Activation is
accomplished by holding down the bell button for three or more seconds as
described in the Activating and Triggering The Squeaking Brake Sounds
section found earlier. Once the feature is activated, FYS will be played the
next time the engine enters the neutral position. In order for FYS to begin,
power must remain on once the engine enters the Neutral position. At this
point ProtoSounds® has taken over control of your engine and disabled the
bell and whistle buttons from any further operator functions. In addition,
ProtoSounds® has reconfigured the way the reverse unit functions by
disabling the reverse unit state during operation of the FYS feature. This
forces the engine to leave your freight yard in the same direction it arrived
in. The following operator controlled “events” control FYS’s actions and
sounds.
Event 1 (Forward) While the locomotive is running in forward (or
reverse) FYS is activated by the operator pushing and holding the bell
button down for three or more seconds. The locomotive bell begins
chiming and can be left on or turned off without disabling FYS.
Event 2 (Neural Before Reverse) The operator now interrupts the
transformer throttle to stop the engine and put it into Neutral. If the throttle
setting was at 14 volts or higher , ProtoSounds® will play the sound of
squeaking brake sounds as the engine comes to a halt.
A. Upon stopping of the engine, the operator must immediately turn
the throttle back on to keep the engine in the Neutral position. If the
bell was not turned off after activating FYS, it now turns off
automatically.
Note:
3 seconds of leaving the Forward phase will
disable FYS and shutdown ProtoSounds®. The
next time you turn power back on your engine will
be in the RESET position. See page 4 for more
information on RESET.
Failure to turn the throttle back on within
Put Engine In Neutral
At Low Power
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