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DC-powered train set, please contact us before operating your TurboTrain as it may not
be safe (for your engine and/or your wallet) for you to use your controller.
Some train set throttles put out a very high maximum voltage that is not suitable for scale
model trains. The maximum recommended voltage is 15 volts DC. Similarly, controllers
designed for large scale trains put out a much higher voltage than your TurboTrain can
handle. If your train set transformer came with your Bachmann Bros. TurboTrain model in
1970, you really don’t want to use it on your Rapido TurboTrain model. It will probably
melt your train.
If you destroy your Turbo by using a cheap throttle, get in touch. In such situations, we’ll
try our best to fix it for you. But we may have to charge you for the replacement parts,
shipping and the labour involved. That’s because you didn’t read this bit of the manual.
In DC, you cannot turn on the forward Gyralite and the rear one does not flash.
INSTALLING SILENT DCC DECODERS
The front and rear PDCs have different motherboards. You can’t just drop in a pair of
decoders and get the train to run properly. You will need to remove the blind plug from
the motherboard in each PDC, install a DCC decoder, and test it independently.
The TurboTrain motherboards use Next18 sockets. The only way to install a DCC
decoder is to use one with a Next18 plug, such as the ESU LokPilot Micro (54689). But
once you start futzing around with silent decoders, your warranty is out the window. You
are truly on your own.
If you are really, really keen to operate the TurboTrain in DCC without sound, we highly
recommend that you buy a sound-equipped model and just don’t turn on the sound.
OPERATION – DC (SOUND)
To operate your sound-equipped TurboTrain on a DC layout, just give the throttle some
juice. Once sufficient voltage has been reached (around seven volts), you will hear the
gas turbines fire up. The train will not move until the gas turbines have settled into idle.
See the note above (in Operation – DC (Silent)) about using train-set or large-scale
throttles. With DC layouts, you have very little control over the sounds of your model. Do
not use “pulse” control or a controller with “feedback” as it will fry your engine. And we
mean completely fried, like onion rings.
WARNING: If you have purchased a sound-equipped TurboTrain and
you operate your trains with a Model Rectifier Corporation RailPower
1300-series DC controller, stop what you are doing immediately. Do not
pass Go. Do not collect $200. Don’t go landing on the Reading Railroad
either. The RailPower 1300 is notorious for voltage spikes and it WILL
destroy your locomotive. There is no “if” about it. We will not repair any
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