Mitch- There is one listing on Ebay right now for a tin of 196 smoke pellets for only $150.00! For that price I would take my chances on the current smoke pellets working for your engine. IMO I think the current pellets will work just fine as they just need a heat source to work and it should not matter if it is a smoke bulb or heating wire.
There is very little chance of an original package of 196 smoke pellets being viable. They were packaged in plastic containers with a tight lid because they would break down due to moisture in the air.
The pellets were corrosive, and toxic. Hard to imagine that anybody would try to make reproductions or that anybody would try to use them.
Last I knew, book value on an empty, clean 196 pellet container was around $40. I have no idea what price they bring these days.
