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CLASS 156

Operating and Maintenance Instructions

Hornby Hobbies Limited, Westwood, Margate, Kent CT9 4JX, United Kingdom

4/1254    1006

Printed in China

General

Please read right through these instructions, 

particularly the Safety Notes on page 4.

Hornby locomotives are precision built and, if treated 

with care, will give many years of good service. 

Care should be taken to avoid damage when handling 

the model.
This locomotive should not be operated on track 

curves of less than 438mm radius, which is Hornby 

2nd radius track.
The five-pole electric motor of the locomotive is 

designed to be operated from a variable 12 volts, 

DC power supply only. This should be obtained by using 

a suitable Power Controller operated from the normal 

domestic mains electricity supply. 
NEVER CONNECT A LOCOMOTIVE DIRECTLY 

TO THE MAINS ELECTRICITY SUPPLY.
The locomotive will normally draw a current of between 

·2 and ·4 amp depending upon the track configuration 

and whether or not gradients are included. There will 

be a current surge on starting the locomotive.

Running Hints

If a locomotive ceases to respond normally to the power 

controller, or runs badly, check that the following are in 

order:
•  All electrical connections are correctly made and the 

wall power socket is switched “ON”.

•  The power connecting clip is correctly inserted into a 

suitable section of track.

•  All track sections are correctly fitted together and 

all fishplates (rail-joiners) are fitting tightly onto 

adjoining metal rails.

•  All locomotive wheels are correctly positioned on the 

track rails.

•  The direction control switch on the train controller is 

set to operate in one direction or the other, and not 

in the central “OFF” position.

Routine Maintenance

 

Track Cleaning

 – In normal use, model railway layouts 

will eventually accumulate a blackish deposit on the 

running surfaces of the rails, and some of this will be 

transferred onto the locomotive’s pick-up wheels.
The 12 volt DC supply is collected from the track 

through the wheels on one side of the locomotive and 

returned through the wheels on the other side. If the 

deposit is allowed to build up, it will have the following 

adverse effects:
•  The driving wheels will not be able to achieve 

maximum traction

•  There will be a reduction in the power reaching the 

locomotive motor

It is therefore essential that the track, 

and wheels

, are 

kept clean. This can be done by wiping the surfaces with 

a clean, non-fluffy cloth. More stubborn deposits can be 

removed by using the Hornby Track Cleaning Rubber, 

reference R8087, which can be obtained from Hornby 

Service Dealers.  

Motor

 – The locomotive is fitted with a sealed, long-

life, 5-pole motor which requires no maintenance. 

After a considerable amount of use the motor may 

require replacement and this should be carried out by a 

Hornby Service Dealer.

Chassis

 – The locomotive chassis may, from time to 

time, pick up fluff, fabric fibres and pet hairs which can 

become entangled in the gears and around axles. For 

this reason, it is not advisable to run the locomotive on 

track which is laid on a carpet. It is important to check 

regularly and remove any such debris with the aid of 

small tweezers.

Lubrication

 – Although the locomotive was lubricated 

during manufacture, the lubricant can sometimes dry 

out in storage. Lubrication should be carried out at 

approximately 6-monthly intervals, or every 100 hours 

of running. Instructions for carrying out lubrication 

procedures are given in section 3 on page 3.

Locomotive Bodywork

 – The locomotive body is 

overall spray painted and the rest of the decoration is 

applied by a printed process, not transfers.

Safety Notes

1

4

www.hornby.com

Television Suppression

Your Hornby locomotive incorporates radio and television interference suppressors. Should interference be 

experienced despite these precautions, it may be due to close proximity of the model railway layout to receivers, 

aerials, or their “downlines”. In this case, move the layout further away from aerials and receivers.

It is most important that track and wheels be kept absolutely clean. 

  

Spare Parts and Service

Spare parts packs can be obtained from Hornby Service Dealers who are also able to offer a repair service.

12V

•  This locomotive is not suitable for children under 

3 years of age because of small parts which can 

present a choking hazard. Some components 

have functional sharp edges – handle with care.

•  This locomotive is intended for indoor use only.

•  The transformer is not a toy. It is a “Transformer 

for Toys”. Before use, check that the transformer 

is the correct voltage for your mains electricity 

supply. This locomotive is only to be used with 

the recommended transformer. The transformer 

should be examined regularly for damage to the 

casing, plug pins and cables. 

  In the event of such damage, the set should not 

be used until the transformer is replaced with a 

new Hornby recommended unit. Never attempt 

to open the transformer yourself.

•  This locomotive must not be connected to more 

than the recommended number of power supplies. 

The output terminals of the transformer must not be 

connected directly, or indirectly, to the output of any 

other AC circuit derived from a transformer or mains 

power supply.

•  Before cleaning any part, disconnect the transformer 

from the mains electricity supply. 

Do not use liquid for cleaning.

•  Please retain these details for future reference.

IMPORTANT

•  Only remove the locomotive from the EPS tray by carefully lifting out, using 

the finger holes provided.

•  Handle with care.
•  Before using the model, read through the Operating and Maintenance 

Instructions in this leaflet.

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