Smoking Steamers

Does anybody have a reccomendation for a good HO steamer that smokes? I know that's asking a lot to have in a small package, but I think it'd be a big improvement for realism. Any suggestions?

Mark

 

Are the Bachman stemaers any good? After my experiences with their diesels I have nausea whenever I hear the word "Bachman"...

Mark

 

For a smoky steamer, I would suggest IHC. I have a Mikado IHC that smoked (until I added a wrong brand of smoke fluid). IHC has two lines; the basic IHC can have the smoke generator, the IHC Premier line has extra weight and a flywheel in place of the smoke generator. Of course, the old Tyco Consolidation (tender powered) had smoke with a system to "puff" the smoke from the stack. I love my IHC engines for their value and good running characteristics. While no Proto 2000 or Genesis, with the right details, they can really shine.

 

Yeah I'm an old foggie and I been there and done that way back when Lionel started it, and I had fun with it till 1945!!

Smoking steam engines look OK for a few minutes, but the smoke is actually burning oil. Some like 3-in-one and several brands for the toy trains and boats is a toxic florohydrocarbon, so don't use it indoors! Vegetable oil will aggetate asthma and some allergies after a time when used indoors. The smoke is oiley and will collect on computer and TV monitor screens and any other charged surface, such as the rails any engine is running on. It is a profitable business for the manufacturer, dealers, and doctors, so both engines and smoke pellets and oils are still made. There are no engines on the market that puff smoke four times per revolution of its drivers. So don't expect it to look real. The ones that do puff, usually puff once per revolution.

So, at best, if you wish to play with fire, have a ball while you coat the inside of your lungs with oil. Do get prepared before age 40 to have a doctor perscribe either Aminophylline tablets, or an Alupent puffer, or both, to enable you to breathe with such lung surface as you may have left.

No kidding guys, I am serious, it is very similar to breathing the fumes of mixeing epoxy, polyurethane, and polystyrene. So far it is not against the law to sell toys that smoke, but you do it at a risk to your health, that some of us lost, we didn't win.

But we had fun dying.

 

When you do run a smoking engine, (just every now and then, and utilizing the latest HVAC technology to maintain fresh air flow) you want an engine that will actually run as well as smoke -- and that eliminates the Bachmann smokers. Bachmann does make several steam engines that work well, but that does not include any that smoke.
I have an American Flyer 0-6-0 that smokes great (one of those "once per revolution puffers"), but keeping it running well is challenging.
Mantua has several versions in their line of steamers that include a second motor in the tender pushing a piston in a smoke unit with tubing to the smokestack. Like most of the smoke units, it works best at high speed. Mantua engines run pretty well, too.
Of course, you could always add a Seuthe smoke generator to any engine with the space (or if you're willing to do a bit of adaptation). There are lots of variations - for plastic engines, brass engines, narrow smokestacks, even a house chimney. Seuthe generators are basically a tube within a tube, the thin inner tube heats and boils the smoke liquid (see Watash's description above). It's designed to cause the smoke to "burst" out in puffs, but they are random, not synchronized to speed although frequency is related to voltage. In fact, operating at all at lower operating voltages has been a problem. But now that I've committed to DCC, I may try a relay controlled smoke unit on direct DCC track power -- might be worth the effort !?

 

<font color="336633">I have had a smoking loco once.... but it was a RS11

needless to say it needed a new motor after that </font>

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Synchrochuff:
Bachmann does make several steam engines that work well, but that does not include any that smoke.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

atcually bachmann does make(or at least used too) steam engines that somke and run very well. I have a Bachmann Plus 4-8-4 NYC Niagara that rune VEY smooth and runs at slow mo. good too. it smokes pretty well and doesn't seem to use much energy to do that. It has about 18 hours run on it. (back when I was in HO ) I got it for a good price of 9.95 in a surplus sale folder. I also got 3 Bachmann SD45's and a dash 8 for 19.95 for the dash 8 and 9.95 for the SD45's each) Only the SD45s and the Niagara remain, super-detailed and on display (occasional operation). That's my 2 quarters (inflation0

 

Guys,
After all this talk about smoking steamers....... Guess what I done about a week ago and never did mention?! I made a Rivarossi Mallet smoke! One of the EL-5's
(2-8-8-0's) blow smoke and it was a hit in my local festival at the model railroader club i'm in!!! It was a hit. When the first puff came from the stack everything was at a stand still!!! It was the center of attension for like 3 hours with everyone that seen it and knew that it was a Rivarossi loco!!!!! Sure did make my day! All the little kids seemed to enjoy the smoking steamer! Thats what its all about!


Now to figure out how to get 2 smoke generators in my EM-1's!!!!

But for you guys that seem to get slower loco's from smoke units, that eats power try to do this: Radio Shack has chips to insure steady amount of electric for light bulbs right???? If say you have a 1.5 volt bulb in your loco and 12 volts going into your loco most times that bulb will blow. Well if you get one of these chips and connect it to the power supply to the bulb from the motor contacks its said to only let out 1.5 volts to the bulb as consistant lighting. These chips can be bought for different voltages, so figure out what voltage is needed to run the smoke unit and buy one and install it so that the input is from the motor connections and output is to the smoke unit and if say you got the right voltage for the smoke unit no matter what goes into the chip its insured to come out of the chip what ever its said to be! Inother words like the light bulb chip if 12 volts go into it or even one volt goes into it, the chip will power the light bulb at a constint 1.5 volts, no matter what goes into it! I'm going to try this therory and see what happens. I'll post my results. I've tried this for lighting on a passenger car and it worked. I have one passenger car with 2 lights in it and I soldiered up a chip to each bulb and those 2 lights never flicker! I noticed when I bought those 2 chips for in that car that their were other chips there at different voltages. Now to figure out what the voltage is on a smoke unit, and give it a try!

 

I will personally vouch for John's Smokin' Rivarossi EL-5! It is something to see, especially when passing through his model of Western Maryland Railway's Keystone Viaduct. The smoke from it going through the archwork is something to see when up to full steam!!

 

Hey Mike,
Wait till I get more smoke units and the Challenger!!!! ALL my steamers are bound to blow smoke after watching the El-5 chuff along the track!!!!!!!!

The Challenger is going to end up an Ex. Union Pacific, Customized into a Western Maryland, M-2 class, #1201 4-6-6-4!!!!!!!! That should be a sight to see in the Western Maryland "Fireball" paint scheme!!!!!!!! And thinking about it the Challengers had 2 stacks to blow smoke from so....... It will blow to streams of smoke!!!!! I'll put 2 smoke units in it, just for the cause!!!! And the fun of it to watch

 

The HO Manatua 2001 catalog list puffing steamers. The engine and smoke generator has
a lifetime warranty and made in america. Smoke Generator uses Suethe Steam Fluid Capsules at a buck a 1oz tube, suggested
retail price. Tel # in Woodbury Heights NJ,
1-800-362-6882.Trainworld in MR carries them.

 

<font color="336633">Welcome to Trainboard locomotive2 </font>

 

7600EM_1, could you go into a little more detail on the Radio Shack item about constant voltage.

<UL TYPE=SQUARE>1.What is it called
2. how big is it
3. any idea of the price[/list]

Thanks for the help.

 

Chris - they are very small and cheap too. I put some links in the 'Loco Lights' thread in The Inspection Pit showing some circuits that use them.

The LM317 chip has an adjstable voltage so you can try different resistors to get the exact volgate you need, regardless of track voltage (assuming track voltage exceeds output voltage.)

 

To supplement my 4/08/01 Smoking Steamer reply covering Mantua'warranty,a member from
another board just reported that he received
replacement Zamac Castings parts free of charge on a Mantua general kit manufactured
in 1951, some 50 years ago.