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N SCALE TURBOTRAIN PRODUCT GUIDE
Thank you for purchasing the first accurate N scale model ever produced of the United
Aircraft TurboTrain. The Turbo, as it was usually called, is a particular favourite of us
folks here at Rapido. You can honestly say that the Turbo is why we exist. Jason created
Rapido to, in his words, “increase the number of TurboTrains in the world.” It was our
first powered model in HO scale and let’s just say that was the trial run for this new N
scale model, which we think is far superior!
We’re particularly pleased with how the sounds turned out, so if you have a soundequipped model we hope you will enjoy them. Our friends at ESU did wonders with our
original sound files and they are a huge improvement over the HO model. If you ordered
a silent model, you might want to head to a buddy’s house or the club to see the sound
model in action. It may finally convince you to embrace sound-equipped model trains.
Well, at least Rapido sound-equipped model trains.
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, peanut-shaped wheels,
the exhaust stacks really melted the roof), a question (“This model doesn’t actually have
working gas turbines. You liars! I want my money back!”) or a comment (“This looks
different than my Bachmann Bros. model from 1970 so you must be wrong.”) please
give us a shout. More warranty information is available towards the back of this manual.
Please note that we have nothing to do with Arnold Rapido so please stop sending
us your old steam engines. We don’t want to fix them. And for those of you who sent
them in without giving us your contact info, thanks! We’re welding all of the old Arnold
Rapido models we receive into a life-size sculpture of Arnold Schwarzenegger. It’s
looking good so far.
Continuing that thought, please don’t send your TurboTrain back for repair without
getting authorization from us first. If this model has been sitting in your crawl space since
2019 and it’s now 2072 and you’ve finally opened it, you may have some issues getting
spare parts. Following that messy business on the moon a couple of years ago, we’ve
had a serious rethink about our business model. We’ve abandoned model trains and
we now specialize in cybernetic upgrade kits to replace your worn-out body parts with
metal and solvent-resistant plastic. Our new company name is “International Electromatic
Upgrades Inc.” Consequently, we are fresh out of TurboTrain spare parts. However,
should you need replacement spare parts for your cybernetically-enhanced body, we
are the source for you. Contact us at Telos Ω and ask for the Customer ServiceMan or
the Cyber ServiceMan.
Enjoy your model!
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DEDICATION
This N scale TurboTrain model is dedicated to the memory of Mike McGrattan. Mike
was a bright light in the model railroad community and at Rapido. But he was a light that
was extinguished far too young. When Mike fell ill we had all but given up on producing
N scale models as we felt we just couldn’t get them right. But with his encouragement
we decided to stick with it.
Two days before Mike passed away we spoke on the phone and I asked him what model
he wanted us to do in N scale for him. Despite the painkillers and other medication
he was on, there was no hesitation in his voice as one word came out: Turbo. I was
surprised, but I told him then that I would make it happen.
We at Rapido miss Mike terribly. Especially me. He was my rock. When I had doubts or
fears about Rapido’s finances or viability, Mike would look at the books and show me
why I had nothing to worry about. He understood the pitfalls and stresses of running a
company and he always knew what to say to keep me sane.
We used to watch hockey games together on Saturday nights – I was at my house and
he was at his, and we’d chat on the phone. His insights were hilarious. I try to tell his
story of golfing in Scotland but I can’t do it justice. We would always be rolling on the
floor when he told it and his many other priceless anecdotes.
So Mike, I know that our petty physical needs and interests are very much beneath you
now. Your soul is beyond us on a spiritual journey and we’re the caterpillars to your
butterfly. But if you ever do decide to check in on how things are going down here in the
physical world, know that we still miss you and every time someone runs their beautiful
TurboTrain on their model railroad they will be thanking you for making it happen.
This one’s for you, buddy.
Jason Shron
President
Rapido Trains Inc.
August 2018
CONTACT US!
Rapido Trains Inc.
500 Alden Road, Unit 21
Markham, Ontario
L3R 5H5 Canada
Tel. (905) 474-3314 - Toll Free 1-855-LRC-6917
Fax. (905) 474-3325
Email. trains@rapidotrains.com
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Putting Your Train on the Track ................................................................................. 5
Break-In ................................................................................................................ 5
Prototype Information .............................................................................................. 6
Nomenclature ........................................................................................................ 6
Train Length and Arrangement ................................................................................. 7
Clean the Wheelsets ............................................................................................... 8
Traction Tires ......................................................................................................... 8
Removing the Shell ................................................................................................. 9
Extra Parts ............................................................................................................. 9
Operation – DC (Silent) .......................................................................................... 9
Installing Silent DCC Decoders ............................................................................... 10
Operation – DC (Sound) ....................................................................................... 10
Operation – DCC with Sound ................................................................................ 11
• Locomotive Address .................................................................................11
• Turn On the Sound ................................................................................... 12
• Canada/USA ..........................................................................................13
• Functions ................................................................................................13
• Functions: More Information ...................................................................... 13
• Sound Volume Settings ............................................................................. 15
• Sound Volume Settings Chart ..................................................................... 16
• Factory Reset ........................................................................................... 16
• Awesome Slow Speed Thingy .................................................................... 16
• More Information ..................................................................................... 17
Limited Lifetime Warranty ...................................................................................... 17
Acknowledgements .............................................................................................. 18
TURBOTRAIN DCC FUNCTION QUICK REFERENCE
F0 HEADLIGHT F11 TORONTO/NEW YORK
F1 BELL F12 MONTREAL/BOSTON
F2 HORN F14 GUILDWOOD/NEW HAVEN
F3 GYRALITE F15 KINGSTON/PROVIDENCE
F4 THROTTLE F16 DORVAL
F5 DOPPLER HORN F17 CANADA/USA TOGGLE
F6 ALL ABOARD F18 SWITCHING MODE
F7 DIM THE HEADLIGHTS F19 TORONTO ARRIVAL
F8 STARTUP/MUTE/SHUTDOWN
F9 DOORS OPEN
F10 DOORS CLOSE
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PUTTING YOUR TRAIN ON THE TRACK
When putting your TurboTrain on the track for the first time, we advise having the power
off to avoid causing a short circuit which could fry your train’s guts. On the bottom of
each car is an arrow and a number. When assembling your train, the arrows MUST be
facing the same way. The numbers on American TurboTrains are simple – 1 to 3 or 1 to
5. Assemble your train in the order of the numbers. On the Canadian Turbo, the numbers
are for a 9-car train. If assembling a 5-car train, put the cars in numerical order and
don’t worry about the missing numbers.
The front of each car has a single connector and the rear of each car has a double
connector. Starting with car 1 (PDC-26 or PDC-28 – more info on nomenclature below),
clip the pole in the centre of the Single Axle Truck/Diaphragm assembly onto the
connector in the rear of the PDC. The truck can be installed either way – there is no front
or rear to the Single Axle Truck. The next car has a single connector on the front. Clip it
around the pole in the truck, making sure it is nested between the two arms of the double
connector from car 1. Continue doing this until you have assembled your complete train.
If you look down your train and one car seems higher than the others, you have installed
a truck incorrectly. If any of the Single Axle Trucks are slightly askew relative to the rails,
just straighten them with your fingers.
Your TurboTrain is ready for service. We advise that you read the rest of this manual to
ensure smooth and reliable operation. Important sections are: Break-In, Checking and
Adjusting Your Train, and Operation. If you have DCC, we highly recommend you read
about the “Awesome Slow Speed Thingy” towards the rear of this manual. It improves
operation by leaps and bounds.
VERY IMPORTANT: The Turbo is a long train. It is often stopped on switches –
sometimes several. You probably get where we’re going with this… Make sure you don’t
throw a switch that is under the train. You will cause a short circuit and melt your train.
The warranty does not cover damage due to short circuits. If disaster does occur, get in
touch and we’ll see if we can fix it, but you may be charged for time and replacement
parts, as well as shipping to return the model to you.
BREAK-IN
Every locomotive needs a break-in period, and your TurboTrain contains two locomotives!
Your TurboTrain 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, assemble your TurboTrain into at least
a three-car set and put it on a test loop. Just let it run in each direction for an hour or two.
Fast and slow. There already should be enough grease in the gearboxes so you don’t
need to add any. Just let the thing run.
Do not run the TurboTrain with just the two Power Dome Cars. It is designed to have at
least one Intermediate Car installed.
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PROTOTYPE INFORMATION
The TurboTrain was designed and marketed by United Aircraft Corporate Systems
Center (later Sikorsky Aircraft) as a gas turbine-powered, high-speed intercity train. Each
train was powered by four or five Pratt & Whitney ST-6 gas turbine engines, with an
additional gas turbine providing auxiliary power. The Turbo featured a unique pendular
suspension over articulated single-axle trucks, which allowed the train to tilt in curves.
That feature, combined with the short Intermediate Car length, meant that the Turbo
could travel much faster than regular trains on conventional track. It was a high-speed
train without the need to invest in high-speed train infrastructure.
The American Turbo operated mainly between New York and Boston between 1969
and 1976, first for Penn Central and then for Amtrak. It also had a short spell as the pork
barrel special – sorry, the Potomac Turbo – between Washington, DC and Parkersburg,
VA. In 1971, a Turbo was repainted into DOT colors of white, red and black. It toured
the United States from coast to coast that July as a means of introducing Amtrak to the
nation. The train was open for tours at stations and ran in revenue service. It was met by
large crowds and broadly positive reviews.
In Canada, the Turbo operated first for CN and later for VIA Rail Canada. It had a
rocky start in 1969 but re-entered service in 1973 as “new and improved” nine-car
train. It operated between Montreal and Toronto (and, for a time, between Montreal and
Ottawa). The Turbo became the most reliable trains in the country, achieving on-time
performance of 97% and availability of almost 99%. However, by 1982 there were just
two trains remaining and it became too expensive to maintain a fleet of two. Sadly, the
Turbo era came to an end in October 1982. Each and every TurboTrain was scrapped.
NOMENCLATURE
The first thing you need to remember is that this train is not, and has never been, a
Turboliner. Turboliners were built by ANF in France and later Rohr in the United States.
Apart from being gas turbine powered, the TurboTrain and Turboliner have nothing in
common. So if you remember riding the TurboTrain out of Chicago or Albany at any
time apart from July 1971, you are remembering the wrong train. And if you saved up
all your money to buy this model and your world has just come crashing down... Sorry.
Go sell this model on eBay and then head to the Pancake House to drown your sorrows
in some comfort food.
The train is referred to either as the Turbo or the TurboTrain. As you can see from the
packaging and from these instructions, the two names are equally valid and we flip flop
between them all the time. The American trains were referred to both as the Turbo and
the TurboTrain. The Canadian trains were only referred to as the Turbo. CN actually
tried to get its employees to drop the definite article and just call it Turbo (we have the
internal memo), but everyone calls it the Turbo. Turbo Train (two words) is just wrong.
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The engine thingies are called Power Dome Cars, or PDC for short. The intermediate
cars are appropriately called Intermediate Cars, or IC for short. Power is provided by a
Dual Axle Truck at either end, and the intermediate trucks are called Single Axle Trucks.
Each PDC and IC received a code according to its function and layout.
PDC-28 and PDC-29 – these are the American Turbo PDCs. They are identical except
that PDC-28 contained a beverage bar while PDC-29 had a valet (coat rack) in its place.
These had 2+2 seating in the lower level and in the dome.
PDC-26 – “TurboClub” first class Canadian PDC. This had 2+2 TurboClub seating in
the lower level featuring leather cushions and integrated reading lights. In the dome
were eight swivel parlour-style seats. Frequent travellers in first class used to run down
the platform at Toronto or Montreal to try and snag those dome seats.
PDC-27 – “TurboLuxe” coach Canadian PDC. This had TurboLuxe coach seating in the
lower level and bar seating with drinks tables in the dome.
IC-29 – The original IC built for the two American demonstration trains, containing
coach seating and a snack bar
IC-30 – “TurboLuxe” Canadian coach IC
IC-31 – “TurboLuxe Buffeteria” Canadian IC with coach seating and an extensive take-
out counter, referred to by CN as a buffeteria
IC-33 – “TurboClub” Canadian first class IC with TurboClub seating and a galley for
reheating meals
IC-34 – “TurboLuxe” Canadian coach IC with two seats removed to allow for a larger
luggage rack
IC-35 – “TurboLuxe” Canadian coach IC, identical to IC-30
IC-36 and IC-37 – Additional American coach ICs built in 1972 to increase the
American TurboTrains to five-car trains.
TRAIN LENGTH AND ARRANGEMENT
American Turbos originally had three cars: PDC-28 – IC-29 – PDC-29
In 1972, these were expanded to five cars: PDC-28 – IC-36 – IC-29 – IC-37 – PDC-29
In addition, Amtrak purchased one Turbo from CN. It was the only four-car Turbo ever
to operate. This contained Canadian PDCs and ICs modified to be more Amtrak-ish:
PDC-126 – IC-131 – IC-134 – PDC-127
continued ...
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Canadian Turbos operated briefly as seven-car trains:
PDC-26 – IC-33 – IC-35 – IC-34 – IC-31 – IC-30 – PDC-27
The trains were rebuilt between 1971 and 1973, re-entering service as nine-car trains:
PDC-26 – IC-33 – IC-33 – IC-35 – IC-31 – IC-34 – IC-30 – IC-31 – PDC-27
We did not tool IC-34 as it almost identical to IC-30 and IC-35. Tooling the one blank
window would have raised the price of the train considerably. So on your model, all
CN/VIA TurboLuxe coaches are referred to as IC-30/35.
More information can be found in Jason’s definitive book on the train, TurboTrain: A
Journey. You can occasionally find a used copy online that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.
CLEAN THE WHEELSETS (IF NEEDED)
Before operating your TurboTrain, check that the wheelsets are clean. The trains are
handled extensively in the assembly process, and it is possible that the wheelsets have
picked up some grunge. For Single Axle Trucks, put some 99% rubbing alcohol on a
paper towel and roll the wheelsets back and forth on the towel. For Dual Axle Trucks,
these are best cleaned when the train is on the track. Give a bit of power to the train
while holding it in one place. Hold a Q-Tip charged with rubbing alcohol against each
bare metal wheelset as it turns. There is no need to clean the traction tires…
It is a little tricky to remove the wheelsets from the train, and we don’t recommend it
unless it’s a wheelset emergency. To remove a wheelset from a Single Axle Truck, use
a small, flat screwdriver to pry it out from one end. The challenge is not to distort the
wheelset while prying it out. Good luck with that. As we said, we don’t recommend it.
To remove a wheelset from the Dual Axle Truck, use a sharp pair of tweezers. Insert both
tines of the tweezers into the forward end of the truck between the gearbox cover and
the truck, and carefully pry open the gearbox cover to access the wheelsets. If the entire
truck pops out, you need to disassemble the PDC to reinstall it. Oh what fun!
TRACTION TIRES
Yes, I know we all hate traction tires. But with only four axles pulling a train that is up to
nine cars in length, the traction tires are a necessary evil. If you’ve ordered a three-car
TurboTrain, traction tires are not installed. They are included in the polybag but you should
not need them unless you are running your Turbo on the Coney Island Cyclone. Five-car
Turbos have the traction tires installed. They do not negatively impact performance of
your train. Remember – every wheel on the whole train picks up power. Obviously, you
absolutely do need them for a full nine-car train. If they bug you, you can replace them
with the standard wheelsets included in the polybag, but we don’t recommend it. If you
break the gearbox trying to access the wheelsets, we may be out of replacements.
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REMOVING THE SHELLS
First off, you should know that removing the shell may void your warranty. If you scratch
or break an IC or PDC while trying to remove the shell, you are on your own. If you still
want to continue, read on…
• Your TurboTrain has a dematerialization circuit hidden in its electronics. If you
are removing a shell and anything goes flying off, the dematerialization circuit
automatically activates and whatever part flew off will be beamed into the time
vortex. Don’t bother looking for it. It’s gone.
• If you bite your fingernails, you cannot open the IC. Don’t even try. Find someone
with long, strong fingernails. Insert a fingernail between the car side and the
belly, and pry out the side from the locking tabs in the belly. With your other
hand, pull down on the belly so it doesn’t lock in again. That’s it – the belly pulls
right out. We use Dan’s fingers for this. You can order Dan’s fingers from our web
site, but we can’t deliver them to you until we cut up Dan. We currently have no
plans for that, but we can put you on a waiting list in case that changes.
• To open the PDC, pull the nose straight off (it is a friction fit) and then pry the sides
out of the belly from the nose end. Use the nose weight – the bit of zinc chassis
extending into the nose cavity – as a lever to pull down the belly. Note that the
lower level of the PDC cannot have passengers installed as we needed to fill the
space with the model’s internal working bits.
• To reassemble the cars, make sure the belly is oriented the right way. If you
mistakenly put the IC belly on backwards or you swap the PDC shells and get
them mixed up, you can cause a massive short circuit and destroy your train, your
layout room, your house, and probably your entire neighbourhood. The warranty
doesn’t cover that either. Sorry.
EXTRA PARTS
We include extra guidance arms in the polybag in case yours break off. If you lose
these or break off even more guidance arms, please contact us. We can sell you more
guidance arms if we still have them available. Just get in touch. We also include extra
PDC wheelsets with or without traction tires, and we include extra traction tires.
OPERATION – DC (SILENT)
If your TurboTrain is a silent DC version, it should function like most other N scale
locomotives. Follow the instructions in “Putting Your Train On The Track” and set up your
train. Do NOT just set up the two PDCs to run alone. They are designed to run with at
least one IC between them. Give the Turbo some juice. Watch the Turbo go.
If you are new to the hobby (or just like to occasionally “play trains”) and you have a
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DC-powered train set, please contact us before operating your TurboTrain as it may not
be safe (for your engine and/or your wallet) for you to use your controller.
Some train set throttles put out a very high maximum voltage that is not suitable for scale
model trains. The maximum recommended voltage is 15 volts DC. Similarly, controllers
designed for large scale trains put out a much higher voltage than your TurboTrain can
handle. If your train set transformer came with your Bachmann Bros. TurboTrain model in
1970, you really don’t want to use it on your Rapido TurboTrain model. It will probably
melt your train.
If you destroy your Turbo by using a cheap throttle, get in touch. In such situations, we’ll
try our best to fix it for you. But we may have to charge you for the replacement parts,
shipping and the labour involved. That’s because you didn’t read this bit of the manual.
In DC, you cannot turn on the forward Gyralite and the rear one does not flash.
INSTALLING SILENT DCC DECODERS
The front and rear PDCs have different motherboards. You can’t just drop in a pair of
decoders and get the train to run properly. You will need to remove the blind plug from
the motherboard in each PDC, install a DCC decoder, and test it independently.
The TurboTrain motherboards use Next18 sockets. The only way to install a DCC
decoder is to use one with a Next18 plug, such as the ESU LokPilot Micro (54689). But
once you start futzing around with silent decoders, your warranty is out the window. You
are truly on your own.
If you are really, really keen to operate the TurboTrain in DCC without sound, we highly
recommend that you buy a sound-equipped model and just don’t turn on the sound.
OPERATION – DC (SOUND)
To operate your sound-equipped TurboTrain on a DC layout, just give the throttle some
juice. Once sufficient voltage has been reached (around seven volts), you will hear the
gas turbines fire up. The train will not move until the gas turbines have settled into idle.
See the note above (in Operation – DC (Silent)) about using train-set or large-scale
throttles. With DC layouts, you have very little control over the sounds of your model. Do
not use “pulse” control or a controller with “feedback” as it will fry your engine. And we
mean completely fried, like onion rings.
WARNING: If you have purchased a sound-equipped TurboTrain and
you operate your trains with a Model Rectifier Corporation RailPower
1300-series DC controller, stop what you are doing immediately. Do not
pass Go. Do not collect $200. Don’t go landing on the Reading Railroad
either. 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
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TurboTrain destroyed by a 1300 or any other “train set” DC controller.
“Train set” DC controllers should not be used with sound-equipped
models.
MRC is really cheesed off that we include the above note in our manuals. Other MRC
DC power packs are no problem, and we use them at our office. But please keep the
1300-series controllers away from your TurboTrain, cheese or no cheese.
In DC, the headlights, front Gyralite and rear Gyralite all work as they should, but
obviously you can’t turn them off. Some throttle manufacturers produce special thing-amajigs which are meant to trigger the sounds in locomotives on DC layouts. As we have
no involvement in the development of those thing-a-majigs, we have absolutely no idea
how they will affect your TurboTrain, for good or for ill. As always, we’ll try to help you
fix your units if one of these thing-a-majigs scrambles your train’s circuitry, but we can’t
guarantee we’ll be able to, and we will need to charge you for the repair.
Some people have mastered the art of stopping a sound-equipped train in DC without
killing the sounds. You have to find the sweet spot and you have about a 0.1 Volt
window to find it. If you can find it, you are a better DC operator than we are.
OPERATION – DCC WITH SOUND
We go to extreme lengths for accuracy, in sounds as well as in looks. Our sound decoders
are LokSound Select decoders by ESU, programmed with sounds Jason painstakingly
restored and/or recreated from original BetaMax video recordings provided by Bill
Morrison, who worked for CN and later VIA in the Turbo Bay at Central Station. The
sounds are bang-on accurate for the Turbo, and we’re really proud of them. We had to
shorten some of the station announcements due to memory constraints, but they are still
pretty cool.
More detailed decoder instructions, including all sorts of weird CV settings we still don’t
understand after all these years, can be found in the ESU Loksound Select decoder
manual. This is available for download on the TurboTrain page in the Support section
of our web site.
Please bear in mind that the two decoders in your TurboTrain are different from each
other and are not interchangeable. The front decoder can only be used in PDC-26 and
PDC-28, and the rear decoder can only be used in PDC-27 and PDC-29.
LOCOMOTIVE ADDRESS
Your Rapido TurboTrain comes from the factory with a decoder address of 3. Both PDCs
have the address of 3. We suggest if you are using DCC control that you first test that the
Turbo responds on address 3. If it doesn’t respond for whatever reason but other models
do, we suggest you perform a factory reset. This solves most decoder issues. More info
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on that below. Once you have verified that the train is responding you should assign it
a unique address before going any further.
Both PDCs must have the same address. You need to program both PDCs
together, at the same time. 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 Turbo 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! Also be
aware that if you give your Turbo a four-digit address it will not work at all if you try to
run it on a friend’s DC layout.
Also please keep in mind that some DCC systems do not have sufficient power to
program sound-equipped locomotives on the mainline. If it doesn’t program properly, try
using the programming track. If your sounds do not operate correctly on a Digitrax DCC
system, this likely means that you need to clear the memory on your system, achieved by
“clearing slot #36.” A basic summary of how to do this can be found on the TurboTrain
page in the Support section of our web site. More detailed information can be found on
the Digitrax web site.
If you have a really old DCC system, you may find that the Turbo won’t work at all – nor
will many other new models. Go update your DCC system to a newer version. Your
computer is updated regularly – or at least we hope it is. Your DCC system should be
updated as well. If your DCC system was purchased when you were still buying VHS
tapes, chances are it needs updating.
TURN ON THE SOUND
Press F8 and you will hear the starter fire up the gas turbines. The Turbo won’t move until
the startup has finished and the train is in idle. When you advance the throttle, you will
hear the turbines increase in power and the train will pull out. You will notice a time lag
before it starts moving. This is intentional. If you wish to shut down the turbines, press F8
again while the train is stopped.
If you press F8 when the train 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 TurboTrain idling nicely and then you select another
engine with your throttle, your train still thinks F8 is pressed so it will keep idling along.
However, if someone else selects your Turbo’s address and F8 isn’t pressed on his or
her controller, the Turbo will promptly shut down. He or she will need to press F8 again.
Note our use of “he or she” despite the fact that 99.9% of our customers are men. But
we appreciate our three or four female customers. We are looking for a wife for Dan.
Please get in touch if you can help.
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CANADA/USA
The default sound set on the Turbo model is Canadian. That’s because we sold more
Canadian Turbos than American Turbos. To change to American sounds, press F17. If
you are in the USA and your DCC system only has eight function buttons, you will need
to learn French.
FUNCTIONS
F0 Headlights F10 Doors Close
F1 Bell F11 Toronto/New York
F2 Horn F12 Montreal/Boston
F3 Gyralite F14 Guildwood/New Haven
F4 Throttle F15 Kingston/Providence
F5 Doppler Horn F16 Dorval
F6 All Aboard F17 Canada/USA Toggle
F7 Dimmer F18 Switching Mode
F8 Startup/Mute/Shutdown F19 Toronto Arrival
F9 Doors Open
FUNCTIONS: MORE INFORMATION
Single Play Sounds
For any sound that plays once, such as the Doppler Horn or a station announcement, it
plays when the decoder is told that the function is turned on. After the sound plays, you
must press the function button again to turn off that function. Otherwise, the next time
you want to hear the Doppler horn or some other recording and you press the button,
you will be turning off the function rather than turning it on, and the recording will not
play.
F0 Headlights
The dual headlights at each end of the TurboTrain cannot be operated individually. If you
remember seeing just one operating on a real Turbo, the other had just burned out. You
should have mentioned something to the train rider. Turning on the headlight also turns
on the rear Gyralite. If tootling around the yard, you’ll need to press F18.
F1 Bell
Ding. Ding. Ding. It’s a steel bell. The model actually sounds nicer than the original,
which sounded like someone was sitting on it.
F2 Horn
The Turbo was almost silent as it cruised by at 100 MPH. How to let people know it was
coming? Simple! Use an ear-splitting, atonal horn that would wake the dead.
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F3 Gyralite
The Gyralite was always on unless the Turbo was meeting another train, pulling into a
station, or switching in the yard.
F4 Throttle
This is a modified version of ESU’s Full Throttle feature. If you want to give the Turbo
some extra roar without increasing the speed, press F4 and give it some juice. But we
should warn you that when you turn F4 off, the Turbo model will immediately change
speed to match the throttle setting.
F5 Doppler Horn
This is an original recording of the Turbo flying across the level crossing at Perth Street
in Brockville, Ontario. It was made by Jay Winn back in the day and we are eternally
grateful to him for letting us use it.
F6 All Aboard
Erm… This one is pretty obvious.
F7 Dimmer
When approaching a station or an oncoming train, press F7 to dim your lights and
switch off your Gyralite. Pressing F7 again will go back to normal.
F8 Startup/Mute/Shutdown
F9 Doors Open
F10 Doors Close
The Canadian sound set features the original announcement as specified in the CN
operating manual. Hearing a terrible French accent from an Anglophone conductor was
(and still is) normal on Canadian trains.
F11 Toronto/New York
F12 Montreal/Boston
F14 Guildwood/New Haven
F15 Kingston/Providence
F16 Dorval
Some people wonder why we include station announcements with the model, seeing as
they would not be audible from outside the train. Our view is that this model is the closest
any N scale railroader will get to experiencing the real TurboTrain. Remember, all of the
Turbos were scrapped. You can’t visit one at your local train museum. So we include the
station announcements to help recreate the Turbo experience.
F17 Canada/USA Toggle
Press this to change the announcements to USA if you are operating an American
TurboTrain. Unless, of course, you like when your model trains talks to you in French.
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F18 Switching Mode
When the Turbo was moved between Spadina and Union Station in Toronto, between
the Turbo Bay and platform 12 at Central Station in Montreal, or around the yards in
Providence, the front and rear headlights would be lit and on dim. Pressing F18 does
this.
F19 Toronto Arrival
This is included because Jason models the tracks approaching Toronto Union Station. He
also models Guildwood and Kingston, and those announcements are on the model too.
What an amazing coincidence!
SOUND VOLUME SETTINGS
We’ve done our best to make the sounds loud enough for enjoyment but not so loud
that we break your windows. This is an N scale model, after all. If you are looking for
window-shattering volume from a model train might we suggest that you switch from N
scale to 2:1 scale? Then you can really wake the neighbours with your sound-equipped
models!
ALWAYS PROGRAM YOUR TRAIN AS ONE UNIT. DO NOT PROGRAM THE
PDCs SEPARATELY.
You can adjust the relative volume levels of the different elements of the sound recordings.
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.
VERY IMPORTANT: Before you change any of the volume control CVs
(except for the master volume), please make sure that CV 32 is set to 1.
CV 32 is used as an index selection 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 locomotive against the wall in frustration.
For example, to set the horn volume, first set CV32=01, then CV275=0-128.
See the next page for a chart showing the sound volumes as programmed on your Turbo.
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TURBOTRAIN SOUND VOLUME SETTINGS
FUNCTION CV DEFAULT RANGE YOUR VALUE
MASTER VOLUME 63 192 0-192
TURBINE VOLUME 259 64 0-128
HORN VOLUME 275 128 0-128
BELL VOLUME 283 80 0-128
DOPPLER HORN VOLUME 379 128 0-128
ALL ABOARD VOLUME (PDC-26/28 ONLY) 291 128 0-128
TORONTO/NEW YORK VOLUME 299 90 0-128
MONTREAL/BOSTON VOLUME 307 90 0-128
GUILDWOOD/NEW HAVEN VOLUME 315 128 0-128
KINGSTON/PROVIDENCE VOLUME 323 128 0-128
DORVAL VOLUME 331 128 0-128
TORONTO ARRIVAL 339 128 0-128
BRAKE SQUEAL 459 45 0-128
FACTORY RESET
You can perform a factory reset on your TurboTrain by entering a value of “8” into CV 8.
Remember to reset both PDCs together. 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 TurboTrain decoders by doing
a factory reset. If you manage to lose all of the sounds on your Turbo then you have
probably set fire to your decoder with a voltage spike. Open up each PDC and pour
out the ashes.
AWESOME SLOW SPEED THINGY
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.
In order to use this automatic adjustment you need to use Ops mode programming,
i.e. programming on the main. Assemble a three-car Turbo with two PDCs and one IC
between them. Make sure your throttle is in “forward” and that you have lots of room in
front of it on your mainline.
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Set CV 54 to a value of 0. Then get out of 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 Turbo and
it is not headed for the layout edge and the basement floor!!!
Your Turbo will quickly take off at full speed and then stop rather suddenly while the
decoder reads the motor responses. You’ll have fabulous motor control after you do this.
If you ever have to do a factory reset, you can do the automatic adjustment thingy again
– it just takes a few seconds.
This makes a huge difference and is highly recommended.
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 the
ESU LokSound decoders installed in your TurboTrain. 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 TurboTrain 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
TurboTrain. If your model has any defects that originate from the factory, we will repair
it using new components or replace it outright should a repair not be possible. However,
we can only replace your Turbo while we have additional parts in stock. We normally
keep spares for up to six months after a model is released.
If you purchased this locomotive at age 25 and you’ve only first opened it while receiving
your pension, it is possible that we no longer have any replacements, we’re retired, or
we’re pushing up the daisies. 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 the eastern part of
North America is covered by one big glacier or under elevated sea levels, chances are
we’re extinct. Don’t bother calling. We won’t get your voicemail.
There are a number of things that this warranty cannot cover. If a guidance arm or PDC
grab iron falls off, don’t be afraid to glue it on yourself. We have at least a four-week
turnaround time for repairs and five minutes with a toothpick and some white glue will
get your Turbo back on the track with much less hassle.
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 train set controllers, nor does it cover damage caused
by throwing a switch UNDER YOUR TRAIN and melting your entire layout. If you fry up
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your DCC settings and can’t fix it, we will be pleased help you. But depending on the
nature of the problem we may have to charge for the repair.
Of course, damage caused by running your Turbo off an N scale cliff, operating your
Turbo on a British layout with low bridges, using your Turbo as a hair curler, attempting
to install a real gas turbine inside it, weathering it with latex house paint, 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 Turbo 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 train for you. If there is an extra charge it will be reasonable.
We want you to be happy. Don’t be shy!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many people have helped make both this Turbo and our HO scale Turbo a reality and
we mentioned most of them in the HO scale TurboTrain manual. Thanks again to all of
you who contributed time and information. Special thanks to Bill Morrison for providing
most of the information that allowed the model to get off the ground all those years
ago. Specifically for the N scale model, thank you to Bryan Bussey and everyone on
The Railwire forum for providing valuable guidance and feedback. Thank you to Matt
Herman and everyone at ESU for doing a cracking job remastering our old recordings
and programming the decoders to work so brilliantly. Thank you to Jay Winn for the
Doppler horn recording, and thank you to all of our N scale customers who have stuck
with us.
Finally thanks to Richard Longpre for translating all 6500 words of these instructions into
French. That is a huge job and we always need the translations done within three days.
But don’t feel bad for the guy. We give him lots of free stuff, like bread crusts and water.
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