@Mannyrock posted:This has been very helpful and an eye opener for me, regarding smoke units.
I bought a Joshua Cowen Hudson a few months ago. It was in really great shape, but hadn't been run in a long long time. It took me a week of lubricating and tweaking, and now it runs absolutely great.
When I took the shell off, I could tell that the smoke unit had never been used. It looked absolutely mint.
I recently thought about getting the smoke unit fired up, but having heard about the issues with smoke units, I think I'll just pass. I like the engine now, and don't want another frustrating issue. And, if I ever sell the loco, it won't hurt to say that the smoke unit is mint.
Like John, I love smoke and have never turned off a smoke unit. However, IMO, the most likely thing to go wrong with a modern MTH or Lionel engine is the smoke.
For those who are goid train doctors, confident and are almost always successful at repairing modern trains, the risks are very low for running smokers. You will be able to fix a smoke unit that doesn't work. Many of you on this Forum are very good at train doctors.
If, however, you are like me and usually don't even attempt modern engine repairs, when you run engines with their smoke units on, you run the risk of having to pay an expert to repair the smoke unit when it stops working.
I run that risk because smoke is my favorite locomotive feature, and if I need to pay someone to fix a smoke unit, I usually feel I can afford it, and then I'm fine with helping a train doctor make a little more money.
Another thought just occurred to me. I have certain engines for a long time that are great smokers and I've never had even a hint of a problem with their smoke. One that comes to mind is my MTH Proto 1 Jersey Central FM Trainmaster. It is a marvelous locomotive in every way and the smoke unit has been flawless for 20+ years.
My plan now is to run my very reliable smokers frequently, and whenever I'm in the mood to run it. My other engines whose smoke units have either been problematic, or which are recent acquisitions that have not yet stood the test of time, will be run more sparingly. I will run them when I have an audience, or when I make videos of them to post on the Forum. This plan should significantly reduce the chances that I will need to pay someone to fix a smoke unit.
Arnold
