User's Manual

17
Tracks or Trains?
The TR button
T
he “TR” button on your CAB-1L can control two very different things—“TRains,” or remotely
controlled “TRack” power accessories. You can run both from the same CAB-1L, as long as every
one has a unique ID#.
Let’s talk TRACK power for a moment. Lionel offers a variety of accessories which provide remote
control over track power. These enable you to remotely turn on and off power to all or some of your
layout. In addition, some of these accessories allow you to vary the AC voltage applied to the track so
you can run conventional (non-command controlled) locomotives on a command layout. You may
also use variable track voltage to fine-tune performance of your accessories and command-controlled
locomotives.
To operate these track power control devices (for example, a LEGACY PowerMaster), you’d
assign them a unique TR ID#. Then they’d be addressed in the same way you’ve learned to operate
a locomotive: by pressing TR and the ID# of the track power accessory you want to control. Refer to
your track power accessory manual for specific information on setting these IDs and other operating
instructions.
The second use for the “TR” button, as we’ve noted, is to create and operate “Trains,” a
combination of two or more locomotives and/or Command Control-equipped rolling stock, also
referred to as a “lash-up” in the world of Lionel. Once you’ve grouped several things into a train, they
operate together, as a single locomotive.
A couple of important notes. First, older TMCC1 era equipment only supports TR commands 1-9.
This is true for both track power accessories such as the original PowerMaster as well as older TMCC1
locomotives.
Lionel LEGACY locomotives and power accessories such as the LEGACY PowerMaster accept TR
commands addressed from 01-99! So if you’re having trouble getting a piece of equipment to respond
to TR commands, first try assigning it to TR 01-09 and see if that works. If that works, but higher
numbered TR commands (10 and up) are ignored, stick with ID’s 1-9.
A further note about combining locomotives into TRAINs. Older TMCC1 and newer LEGACY
locomotives cannot be combined into a single TRAIN. You can make TRAINs from two or more
LEGACY engines, or two or more TMCC1 engines, but you cannot assign a mix of old and new locos to
the same TRAIN ID#.
For more information on using remote track power accessories, refer to those product’s owner’s
manuals. Continue reading this manual to learn to combine multiple locomotives into a single
TRAIN.