My father gave my boys his set and we have no idea how to set it up. It needs a battery - not sure if they even make those anymore. The operating instuctions show it needs a PJ996 for a Mainline Power Controller, Catalogue number 37287. The brochure say this set was designed for Palitoy by Peco and matches with British systems. Any help would be great!
If you do a search for PJ996 Battery you get what appears to be a standard 6 volt
lantern battery.
I would try to find a way to connect a 6 volt power supply,
as it would probably be cheaper in the long run.
Some information about Mainline Railways: