PS-1 Questions

If the battery was truly dead, I'd be surprised if it ran.

If it has an old white battery, IMO it's mandatory to replace it!  Very few, if any, original white batteries will be any good by now.

I think all Protosounds engines had white batteries. If this battery was never changed it is 15 years old. Some early early Protosounds engines did not have batteries and some will run with no batteries.

I have to get instructions on taking it apart. Going from the bottom and taking the motor out is the wrong path.

Tried reprogramming it to default with a Z-4000 not sure if I did it right. I get confused after the clinks and clanks.

With just the transformer on I pressed Program. Horn button to feature 18. Press bell button a get 18 cycles. Is it now Default reset? Remember no sounds.

Tried another PS 1 engine and managed to get Bell with Bell button. Tried getting Whistle in neutral and that did not work. When moving the coupler fires below 12 volts and the Horn blows 12 v and above which I think is correct.

Just not sure what to do after the clinks and clanks.

Check the volume knob under the tender. It could be turned all the way down.

I am not sure am guessing this is a steam engine? 

if it is then the battery and boards are normally found in the tender.

$oo

Just another thought? Is the item number 10-1060-0 Or 10-1060-1. If it is 10-1060-0 then it should only have a whistle sound only no other sounds. This number can be found on the opening flap of the box.

A 400E is a steamer a big steamer there is no tether and all components are in the

engine.

The smoke switch and the sound pot is in the cab. I like the big hardware store knob for sound as it is easy to turn off and on without taking the engine off the track.

I found that locomotive type, and while it says Protosounds, the parts shows a mechanical whistle.  The manual also talks about a mechanical whistle and doesn't mention Protosounds.

http://www.mthtrains.com/content/10-1060

Are you sure you have ProtoSounds?  I worked on the same type engine a couple of months ago, the protoSounds board was in the engine and it was readily accessible and clearly visible.  I replaced the battery with no problem as well.

Good thought but this is different. 10-1060 is the protosounds version. 10-1061 is the conventional version. I looked it up. I was thinking engine is in the wrong box and this is a 1986 engine with a production run of 150.

It has all Lionel badging with a Lionel Corporation collector plate and MTH stamped on the frame. 10-1060 would have messed up badging and Proto-drive written on the collector plate. The motor is a can motor.

Can you see the Protosounds board with the shell off?

I think some of these although having proto-Sounds came with a air whistle in the tender.

I clicked on your link and the manual from that link shows conventional mine has a protosounds manual.

I do not know how to take the shell off.

I tried going from underneath by taking the motor out and i could see that is the wrong way to go. It has a can motor and i could see a board with 4 plugs underneath.

The board could be just a DCRU reverse unit I have suspicions this is a 1986 engine.

Jim, can you snap a pic of the bottom of the tender- this way we can guide you thru the steps to remove the shell.

It is possible you got the wrong box/manual too....funny thing is that the link John put up says it has proto but the exploded parts views shows hothing about board mounting- only the whistle location and the proto icon is not enhanced where you can download the manual or parts schematic....odd. 

Everything is in the engine. There is no tether. There is no pick up roller for a conventional whistle. 

Charging my battery for the camera. I will take a picture of the box. It says everything that is on the website.

I found that exploded diagram. It is the same one for 10-1060 and 10-1061.

Same engine traditional and contemporary version. 

Yeah, if you know the model number you can look that up on MTHs website and find the manual..usually. Odd that both # units are the same exploded view though...that's not vey helpful!

Ok, at a near guess, when looking at the exploded view of the tender, part 9 should have two small inward screws to match the base frame holes...those should remove the vanderbuilt body off...then look at part 7 and you can see the two opposed screw holes to remove the top and split the shells...you might be able to access those two from an angle without removing the base plate.....might.

The engine-  it looks like there's a screw for the boiler front ...might be in the smoke stack or right in front of it on the boiler top...that removed should allow removal of the boiler front and give you a view of inside the boiler to spy the board.

What does it mean when I say there is no tether. There is no pick up rollers on the tender.

That means all sounds would be in the engine. No conventional whistle.

If you looked through the smoke box there is a big headlight with a reflector. Behind that would be the board for the smoke unit and the smoke unit. There is a board that I can see 4 wire plugs. That could be just a DCRU reverse unit.

I will contact some friends who have a lot of Standard Gauge about removing the frame. The exploded diagram should help. I think they may even have this engine and the one I think it may be.

I pulled the motor out again and found a battery. This means the engine is PS-1.

I changed the battery with a known discharged one. It sits on the track charging.

Better than the 16 year old battery that was in there.

I still think even with a dead battery the engine would have sounds. Even in reset mode with a Z-4000 there were no audible clinks and clanks. It might have a bad speaker.

You may need a reset on the PS-1 boards if it's an early set and had a bad battery.  However, you should get some basic sounds, so checking the speaker is a good first step.

      I have a newer by a year 10-1063-1 (1998) and it has a tether and the battery is in the tender.

Joe, I never hear an engine run without sounds just because the battery wasn't installed.  The power to run the logic and sounds comes from the power supplies on the bottom of the board.  Only time that occurs is if one of the power Supplies on the bottom board is bad.  LM337.

This model is from 1997 according to the web, so the battery normally is needed to even run, but I have seen weird issues.

I am going from memory on this, but is there 2 screws on the vertical face of the rear cab.  I think they need to be removed, and there may be a screw on the top of the boiler.  If not on top, they are under that chassis but higher up near the shell.

Since you removed the motor, once you do get it apart you want to make sure it is aligned properly on reassembly.  If the gear lash is off, you will chew up the axle worm gear.   G

There are several screws that are not on the bottom to remove the boiler, I'm not remembering exactly where either, but I do remember I had to search for them as this was the first one of these I worked on.