Premier TRAXX Electric Engine OPERATOR’S MANUAL Compatibility This engine will operate on any traditional O-Gauge track system, including M.T.H.’s RealTrax® or ScaleTrax™ or traditional tubular track. The Hi-rail wheel version operates on O72 curves and the Scale wheel version operates on 31” radius curves. It is also compatible with most standard AC transformers and DC power packs. (See page 49 and 50 for a complete list of compatible transformers, power packs, and wiring instructions.
Table of Contents Set Up Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Pantographs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Automatic Operating Pantographs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
BEFORE YOU BEGIN: By visiting the M.T.H. website, www.mthtrains.com, you will also be able to view any additional manual updates that affect your engine . Enter the MTH Item number of the engine you want to check and select the manual icon to download or view it. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the manual. You can obtain replacement parts and replacement instructions from the M.T.H. Parts Department (Order online: www.mthtrains.com, e-mail: parts@mth-railking.
Automatic Operating Pantographs Your MTH electric type engine is equipped with Automatic Operating Pantographs. The Automatic Operating Pantographs must be unlatched before power is applied to the engine. To unlatch the pantographs, hold the base of the pantograph and gently pull up on the contact slider. The rear pantograph should open to its full height. The front pantograph should rise slightly to unlatch, but remain collapsed.
Command Mode- Automatic Operation The pantographs can be operated automatically or manually when using the M.T.H. DCS Digital Command System or DCC. The START UP function must be initiated for the pantographs to operate in command mode. After the startup function has completed, the pantographs will go through an orientation check. This will make sure that the rear pantograph is raised and the front pantograph is lowered.
IMPORTANT – Ensure your pantographs are NOT locked down like they would be for shipment prior to pantograph operation. Manual operation using DCS requires DCS Software Version 3.1 which can be downloaded for FREE from www.mthtrains.com. DCS systems using software versions 3.0 or earlier will only have automatic pantograph operation when running under DCS command mode.
Coupler Systems Your engine comes equipped with the Lenz coupler (See Below). Also included is the Fine Scale European coupler. Pin Figure 5: Lenz Coupler To adjust the Lenz Coupler for more efficient operating of your locomotive while on the track, you may have to change the length of the coupler. To do this, remove the pin then slide the coupler forward or backward, then reinsert the pin into whichever slot allows for better operation.
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 MTH PS3.0-equipped locomotive no longer has batteries. It uses Super Capacitors to hold the engine board alive for a short time when you shut off or interrupt track power.
Loading Engine Firmware Your new MTH PS3.0-equipped O-Gauge engine affords you the ability to load Engine firmware. Loader version 2.30 or later will allow you to do this. Please refer to the Loader program’s instructions for more details. So, as MTH releases new features or updates you will be able to take full advantage without having to ship your favorite engine anywhere. All new updates are available on our website. MTH will make announcements as they are available.
When power is first applied to the track, the locomotive will be silent for 1-20 seconds and the headlight will be on, indicating the super capacitors are charging (The super capacitors provide power to the sound system during direction changes or intermittent drops in track power due to dirty track or on switches, when operating in conventional mode). When the super capacitors are charged, all the lights will come on and the engine sounds will start up.
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 counterclockwise will decrease voltage and speed. The engine will maintain the speed you set after you release the throttle until you turn it again to change the voltage and speed.
Proto-Sound® 3.0 Volume Adjustment Knob Manual Volume Control To adjust the volume of all sounds made by this engine, turn the master volume control clockwise to increase the volume and counterclockwise to reduce the volume. Turning the master volume control completely counterclockwise will turn of all of the engine sounds and announcements. The master volume control is located on the underside of the chassis as shown in figure 8. Figure 8: Manually Adjusting the Volume Proto-Sound® 3.
Your engine's lights will now look like this (for Swiss Operation): Switzerland (Engine with Train) Forward (Front) Forward (Rear) Reverse (Front) Reverse (Rear) Passenger Freight Announcements (PFA) 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.
Tips on Using PFA •You can terminate PFA at any time by turning off power to the track for 15 seconds. •You do not have to be in Forward to use PFA. At the conclusion of the full sequence, the train will pull away from the station or yard in whatever direction you were going when you activated the feature. •You can use PFA even if you are double-heading with another engine. If the second engine is not equipped with Proto-Sound® 3.
Speed Control 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 the engine is programmed to start with the speed control feature activated, you can opt to turn it off.
Switzerland (Engine with Train) Germany (Engine with Train) Forward (Front) Forward (Rear) Reverse (Front) Reverse (Rear) Switzerland & Germany (Engine without Train) red Rear Front Place Engine in Neutral Horn Bell Bell Bell Bell = Alternate Country Lighting (Repeat to Return to Previous Country Lighting) Reset to Factory Default To override the settings you currently have assigned to the engine and reset it to its factory defaults, while in Neutral tap the Horn button quickly once, follow
Operation of your MTH Proto-Sound 3.0 engine in conventional DC is very similar to operating a conventional AC engine. As you increase track voltage, engine speed increases. As the track voltage is decreased, engine speed is decreased. When track voltage polarity is reversed using the polarity or direction switch on the power pack, the engine will run in the opposite direction. The electronics in your MTH Proto-Sound 3.
Your new Traxx Electric Engine has two new lighting features not found on any other models. You are now able to, by selecting two different softkeys on the DCS Remote, change how the engine's lights respond. Please refer to your DCS Manual for definitions and further explanation on how softkeys are utilized in your PS3.0-equipped engine. Below is a lighting diagram.
Switzerland (Engine with Train) Germany (Engine with Train) Forward (Front) Forward (Rear) Reverse (Front) Reverse (Rear) Switzerland & Germany (Engine without Train) red Front Rear DCC - Digital Command Control DCC is a popular digital command scheme wherein the track power is also a digital control signal. That is, using a DCC controller, you can communicate with multiple engines and have all of them moving at different speeds and in varying directions on the same track at the same time.
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 engine type may have a slightly different F Function list. This depends upon whether it's steam, diesel, or electric and whether it has smoke or not.
PFA F4 – PFA PFA in MTH lingo stands for Passenger/Freight Announcements. Your engine is preprogrammed for the appropriate type of sounds based upon the type of service the real-life engine used in daily operation. There are five sound sequences or segments in the PFA feature. Each segment is advanced by you, the operator. You hit the F4 button twice on the DCC controller to let the engine know you want it to advance (this toggles the PFA function on then off to clear the remote for the next sequence).
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 The code used to operate the Lenz-style electrical couplers is different than the code used for the MTH Proto-Coupler. If your model came equipped with the Lenz-style coupler DO NOT install an MTH Proto-Coupler without updating the code.
Auto/Manual Pantograph Operation F12 – Auto/Manual Pantograph Operating Mode Toggling F12 ON will enable Manual Pantograph Mode. Disabling F12 will return the engine to Auto Pantograph Operating Mode. If you enable F12 you can then use F13 and F14 to drive the Front/Rear Pantographs Up/Down. F13 – Front Pantograph Up/Down Toggling F13 ON will raise the front pantograph if you have F12 enabled. Toggling F13 OFF will lower the front pantograph.
To change your engine's Short Address using PoM: 1. Call up the engine's current address on your DCC handheld 2. Enter Programming on the Main on your DCC handheld 3. Enter the new address you want – Remember you can only use address 1-127 for Short Addressing 4. Once you hit Enter the engine will give you a two whistle/horn blast response 5.
There are a couple of ways to reset your MTH PS3.0-equipped engine: Factory Resets – Clears everything – takes engine to just like it was when you got it brand new l Send a decimal 08 to CV 8 to reset everything entirely back to factory default l Send a decimal 192 to reset everything except user speed tables Feature Resets – There are a couple of Feature Resets that you can use l Press F28 twice (toggling on then off).
l Call up address 3 on your DCC handheld and hit F3. The engine should now start-up l If you have performed the 55-55-55 reset and the engine still doesn't respond then place the engine on the programming track output of your DCC system and program a value of 3 to CV1. This will set the engine's short address to 3. However, as long as the engine is NOT programmed as address 55 then the 55-5555 reset will always set the engine's long and short addresses back to their factory defaults.
F19–Train Marker This function will enable or disable the engine showing whether it is pulling a train or not. Please refer to page 12 for a visual description of how the train lights will behave by toggling F19 on/off. Enabling F19 will indicate there is no train being pulled by the locomotive and disabling F19 will indicate there is a train being pulled by the locomotive. F20–German/Swiss Operation This function will set the train's operating lighting to be one of two different ways.
Configuration Variables (CV) Configuration Variables used on MTH PS3.0-equppied engines. CV1 CV2 CV3 CV4 CV5 CV8 CV17 CV18 CV19 CV21 CV22 CV23 Cv24 CV25 CV29 CV52 CV53 CV54 CV55 Short Address: 1-127 are the valid addresses Start Voltage (CV52, bit0 must = 1. This will enable PWM Mode) Acceleration Rate (CV52, bit0 must = 1. This will enable PWM Mode) Deceleration Rate (CV52, bit0 must = 1. This will enable PWM Mode) Max Voltage (CV52, bit0 must = 1. This will enable PWM Mode) MFG ID. MTH =27.
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.
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 below instructions explain how you can do this. Note – When you set a particular F-Function to a numeric location you are overwriting that existing number's function.
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 F functions, 1-28, for the Smoke On/Off and the Smoke Volume. So, using the example above of moving F4 to F28 here are the steps: 1.
Custom Speed tables Below is a table that shows the value to write to CV25 to achieve the desired speed curve. For example, if you would like to use speed curve 18 then: 1. Write a value of 1 to CV52 to enable PWM Mode 2. Write a value of 1 to bit 4 of CV29 3. Write a value of 18 to CV25. Your engine will now use the speed curve #18 below 4. If you want to create your own speed table using CV's 67-94 then write a value of 0 or 1 to CV25 Advanced Consisting Advanced Consisting follows the NMRA standards.
F R Engine 1 - Front F R F Engine 2 - Middle R Engine 3 - Rear Normal Forward Direction of Travel 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 OFF when the consist is in Reverse The Middle engine has no lights in either direction Perform the following: 1.
7. Set CV22 to a value of 2 to the Rear engine's address to tell the Rear engine that you want to control its FL control with the F0 button at the consist address. The engine will give you two horn blasts to announce that it received the CV change 8. Ensure F0 is deactivated at the Rear engine's address. Most systems have a light bulb icon to indicate whether F0 is active or not. Ensure that it is OFF 9. Call up the Middle engine on your DCC handheld; address 2 in this example 10.
Setting Up CV21 for a Consist CV21 allows you to set which F Functions you want the consist address to control. For example, you will likely want all of your MTH consist engines to respond to StartUp/Shut Down (F3). Also, you'll likely want at your Front engine to respond to the Bell and Horn commands (F1 and F2, respectively) and the Front Coupler (F7 on most MTH models). Likewise, you'll want your Rear engine to respond to the Rear Coupler command (F8 on most MTH models).
Programming Track Your MTH PS3.0-equipped engine can function on Programming Track outputs from DCC systems. Because each DCC system manufacturer's output capabilities on the Programming Track differ it is recommended that you use a DCC Programming Track Booster to perform functions on the programming track. Simply put – try to program or read back the address of an MTH engine on a programming track. If you can read/write the address then you won't need a Programming Track Booster.
Maintenance Lubricating and Greasing Instructions The engine should be well oiled and greased in order to run properly. Regularly lubricate all axles and pickup rollers to prevent squeaking. Use light household oil, such as that found in M.T.H.'s maintenance kit. Do not over oil. Use only a drop on each pivot point.
5. After repeating the procedure for the other motor, reassemble the chassis and body, being careful that the wire harnesses are not caught between the chassis and body, and reinstall the body mount screws. Lubricate the outside truck block idler and drive gears with grease. Use the diagram shown in Figure 10 below as a guide and add grease to the points marked.
Traction Tire Replacement Instructions Your locomotive is equipped with two neoprene rubber traction tires on each powered truck block. While these tires are extremely durable, they may occasionally need replacement. First, remove the truck sides from the truck block by unscrewing the mounting screws as noted in Figure 11. Once the truck sides have been removed: 1.
Troubleshooting Proto-Sound® 3.0 Problems Although Proto-Sound® 3.0 has been designed and engineered for ease of use, you may have some questions during initial operation. The following table should answer most questions. If your problem cannot be resolved with this table, contact M.T.H. for assistance (telephone: 410-381-2580; fax: 410-423-0009; service@mth-railking.com, 7020 Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia MD 21046-1532). Conventional AC Starting Up Solution Only my headlight comes on, nothing else.
Lock-out Solution I can't get the engine to run after I power up the transformer. It sits still with the diesel and compressor sounds running. The engine won't lock into forward, neutral, or reverse. The engine maybe locked into the neutral position. Follow the procedure in the "Lock into a Direction" section to unlock the engine's direction. Engine speed must be below 10 scale mph (approx. 10 volts or less in conventional mode).
Conventional DC Start-up Solution When I apply power to the track my engine doesn't do anything. No lights, no sound, no nothing. Check to see if that section of track has power. Use a voltmeter or a lit passenger car.
Lights Solution One of my lights is out. 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 reason as “One of my lights is out” None of my lights are on. Is the engine getting power? Check to see if there if voltage on the track or move the engine a few feet in either direction.
DCC Start-up Solution When I apply power to the track my Did you press F3 yet? F3 on your DCC engine doesn’t do anything. No lights, no handheld will start your engine up. sound. 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 in either direction, you may have a bad track section.
Lights Solution Check your F keys. F0 is the headlight (also controls the Back-up light) and F5 will toggle the Cab light and firebox light. F19 and F 20 will also toggle Train/No Train & Train Operation. Could be the same reason as “One of my lights is out” One of my lights is out. None of my lights are on.
DCS (Remember, it's NOT DCC) Start-up Solution This is normal. You have to hit the Start-Up When I apply power to the track my engine doesn't do anything. No lights, no button. sound, nothing. Check to see if that section of track has power. Use a voltmeter or a lit passenger car, not your tongue. I get an error when I hit Start-Up DCS is polarity sensitive when powered by a DC power supply.
Lights Solution One of my lights is out. Check that you haven't turned it off with the DCS controller. You have independent control over lights on your engine None of my lights are on. 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 engine a few feet in either direction. The Country or Train/No Train Lighting is To set F19/F20 back to default, enable F28 (Feature Reset). See page 27 for more incorrect.
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 not have its own bell button, you should consider adding one to get the full benefit of the system. In addition, the chart details how the terminals on these transformers should be attached to your layout.
DC Power Supply Chart RECOMMENDED DC TRANSFORMERS Transformer Model Min/Max. Voltage Power Rating Notes On Use Transformer Type Not Recommended For #70-3001-1 J3a Electronic MRC 6200 0-18.
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 allows the user to access a world of command functions never before accessible to O Gauge railroaders.
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 troubleshooting techniques that may correct the problem. Additional information may be found on the M.T.H. Website. Should you still require service, follow the instructions below to obtain warranty service. First, e-mail, write, call or fax a M.T.H.
