Over 30 years since last set up

[Ttrain]

I am having trouble trying to set up our family train that has been sitting in a box for over 30 years. Can someone help me with the wiring connections and how to make sure that it all works

[Yard Master]

Hi Ttrain,

A couple of questions to make sure you get the best advice. Do you know what scale the train set is, or can you describe how large it is? Do you have any boxes or instruction manuals that have a name or item number on them? Different scales and different brands of train sets may have different wiring setups.

[trainman203]

Don't expect it to run.  Cars don't run after sitting still that many years.  There's a high probability that the train won't either.  Electrical points of contact oxidize or corrode. Lubricants congeal. Track in particular oxidizes badly.  my best advice is to get all that stuff out and set it up as early as you can to do test runs to make sure it works. The worst thing you can do is wait till Christmas morning and then set up and find out that it doesn't run.