I have an M.T.H. Railking Amtrak diesle and I cant figure out how to get it to move. I have a Railking Z-750 transformer and just a simple circle of track.
Please help!
Thank you.
Transformer plugged in? Wires hooked up to lock-on and track? Move the lever on the transformer and look for the lights to come on and the engine to make sound. Push the direction button once to go into forward.
Those are the basics. Need more info if none of those help.
It also when i press the button it hisses and it the bell dings two times.
Amtrak to the forum !! I had that happen to me years ago & come to find out it needed a lighted lock on between the track & transformer. I think I got a set that didn't come with one. Also check for switches under the engine, & check your owners manual, though you probably did that. Also, maybe the battery is dead & that's a problem if it is an old set. Is your set a newer PS-2 SET ? Hope this helps some.
Thanks, John
Thanks
And i lost the manual and its not old it is farly new and i took it out yesterday and started to play with it and it wont move. I am not very nolegable about model trains but I know enough to get one running.
csxt30 wrote: Amtrak to the forum !! I had that happen to me years ago & come to find out it needed a lighted lock on between the track & transformer. I think I got a set that didn't come with one. Also check for switches under the engine, & check your owners manual, though you probably did that. Also, maybe the battery is dead & that's a problem if it is an old set. Is your set a newer PS-2 SET ? Hope this helps some. Thanks, John
Hey john thank you but one thing what is a lighted lock? and what is PS-2 set? Thanks
Amtrak wrote: csxt30 wrote: Amtrak to the forum !! I had that happen to me years ago & come to find out it needed a lighted lock on between the track & transformer. I think I got a set that didn't come with one. Also check for switches under the engine, & check your owners manual, though you probably did that. Also, maybe the battery is dead & that's a problem if it is an old set. Is your set a newer PS-2 SET ? Hope this helps some. Thanks, John Hey john thank you but one thing what is a lighted lock? and what is PS-2 set? Thanks
That's a lighted lock-on. It clips right on to the track, & wires go between it & the transformer & has a little built in light mounted on it, can't remember now if it's green or red. Maybe they don't need that anymore, as you have a newer set. Now PS- 1 & Ps-2 are just for the sound & command controlled engines. Do you hav ethe box handy ? See if it says that anywhere on there or what ever else it says on the box.
Hmmm. The lighted lock-on has a green light. Your engine is in a reset mode I think. Not sure how to get you going. Some more info on the set would help.
John, Have a Happy New Year. Any clues as to getting this engine going?
A question for you guys who know MTH products.
Could the problems which Amtrak describes by chance be caused by a battery that has run down? I know that dead batteries don't cause catastrophic failure in PS-2 engines, but it seems like I have heard of ones that refuse to run until the battery has sufficient charge. Amtrak, if that is indeed the case, you'll need to set up a stretch of track big enough for the engine, and just turn the power on and leave it for several hours. This will recharge the battery and should restore normal operation.
Happy New Year to you too Paul !! Glad you're helping me here, & thanks !!
Ok, if the box says it has a lighted lock-on, I think you will have to try & find it or get one at the hobby shop, or you may just try to solder a bulb in between one of the wires. I think it has to be a 14 or 18 volt bulb. The train may not run without that, but maybe someone else will know what to do.
ben10ben wrote:A question for you guys who know MTH products.Could the problems which Amtrak describes by chance be caused by a battery that has run down? I know that dead batteries don't cause catastrophic failure in PS-2 engines, but it seems like I have heard of ones that refuse to run until the battery has sufficient charge. Amtrak, if that is indeed the case, you'll need to set up a stretch of track big enough for the engine, and just turn the power on and leave it for several hours. This will recharge the battery and should restore normal operation.
Thank you Ben i will try that and see if it works thanks!
Yes !! Are you letting it sit on the track to charge now ? !! I think that's where we are now, & it should charge for at least a half hour or more, before you try it ! I hope this works !!
What you could also try, if it is in fact a PS-1 loco, they will run with a standard alkaline 9volt battery in them, if you feel comfortable opening it up and swapping it out (the sound boards and the expensive electronics cover the battery, so it is somewhat challenging, but not too bad if you are careful). That way you will not have to wait for it to charge for 18 hours as per reccomendation, but the battery will not be chargable in that case. You would need to get a different battery for it, but the new rechargables they offer charge in just seconds or minutes as opposed to hours or days.
The same thing happened to me a few months ago. I bought a used Proto-1 engine and when I got it home it wouldn't move no matter what I did, and the sound kept going off when I tried to start it. The battery was in fact dead, and wouldn't work until i charged it for about 3 hours or more at 16 volts. The battery sounds like it might be no good anymore. Even after I charged mine, it could not hold a charge. Right now I am using the 9 volt until I can get myself out to the hobby shop again to buy the BCR.
By the way, welcome to the forum, Amtrak, and Happy New Year, everyone!
Thank you very much i let it charge now i will see is it works. Now tell me what i need to press too get it going?
The charge could take a few hours. If the battery itself is bad, it will not take the charge, and you might need to replace it before you get any results. If you are really concerned, you could try taking off the plastic shell and putting in the alkaline 9 volt, but again with that you need to be careful not to move any wires or break the boards. I am fairly new to the hobby myself, and I did this just last week to my engine. It works fine now with the 9 volt, but as I said earlier, this is only a temporary fix.
Also, if you can find a product number for that item, you can enter it into a product search on the MTH website, and you will usually be able to find the user manual available as a PDF that you can look through to get instructions and trouble shooting info specific to your model.
With the manual, there is also a way to restore the electronic settings to factory condition, and the manual says how to do this. There is a possibility that the engine was somehow locked into neutral, meaning that no matter what you do it will not go forward until you unlock it. Resetting it to factory condition will do this automatically, changing it back to the F-N-R-N setting.
If you cannot find the manual, please let us know, because I know the manual for my model is online, and I think the proto 1 software settings are the same for all engines, so I can give you the link to those instructions later if need be.
Demon09 wrote: What you could also try, if it is in fact a PS-1 loco, they will run with a standard alkaline 9volt battery in them, if you feel comfortable opening it up and swapping it out (the sound boards and the expensive electronics cover the battery, so it is somewhat challenging, but not too bad if you are careful). That way you will not have to wait for it to charge for 18 hours as per reccomendation, but the battery will not be chargable in that case. You would need to get a different battery for it, but the new rechargables they offer charge in just seconds or minutes as opposed to hours or days. The same thing happened to me a few months ago. I bought a used Proto-1 engine and when I got it home it wouldn't move no matter what I did, and the sound kept going off when I tried to start it. The battery was in fact dead, and wouldn't work until i charged it for about 3 hours or more at 16 volts. The battery sounds like it might be no good anymore. Even after I charged mine, it could not hold a charge. Right now I am using the 9 volt until I can get myself out to the hobby shop again to buy the BCR. By the way, welcome to the forum, Amtrak, and Happy New Year, everyone!
Ok, try charging the battery like Demon09 says above or try installing a new 9volt battery in the tender. But if this doesn't work, you' can also check MTH's web-site for help. Did you get this at a local hobby shop ? If not try finding one next week, is about all I know right now. Sorry to hear it still won't run, but there still may be some one come along with more help.
You can look at this manual for an Amtrak F-40PH engine. It might not be the one you have, but on page 23 (the first section at the top, carried over from page 22) they give instructions on how to remedy these kinds of problems with any proto 1 engine, so it should work for yours too. Look through it and get a feel for the normal operation tips too.
http://extranet.mth-railking.com/pdfapp/pdfs/instruction/20DL11807I.pdf
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