Reverse Unit Procedure - Lionel C&NW WINDY CITY GP-38 Owner's Manual

Running your train

Reverse unit procedure

T
he electronic reverse unit inside your Lionel locomotive acts like the transmission in a car. When
you apply power to the track, the locomotive moves in the direction specified by the reverse
unit—or it sits in neutral, awaiting another power interruption. Power interruptions are the signal
that tells the reverse unit to sequence to the next operational state.
To interrupt power and sequence the locomotive's reverse unit, press the direction control button
or briefly bring the throttle lever all the way back to the OFF position. The reverse unit alternates
between three states: forward, neutral, and reverse.
Also, the locomotive can be "locked" into a certain mode of operation by sliding the reverse unit
switch located on the underside of the frame (see Figure 2). To lock your locomotive into a specific
operational state, sequence the locomotive into the desired state and reduce track power without com-
pletely powering down the locomotive, then slide the switch to the OFF position. The DIRECTION but-
ton will then have no affect on the direction of the locomotive. If you would like to resume forward-
neutral-reverse operation, simply slide the reverse unit switch back to the ON position.
Additionally, this reverse unit has a "power-up reset" feature. If the locomotive sits without power
for a short period of time, the reverse unit will automatically reset and start in the forward direction
when the transformer is turned on or "powered up," regardless of the reverse unit switch position. If
the switch is in the OFF position, the locomotive will start in the forward direction and be "locked"
there.
Figure 2. Switch locations
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