Blue or pink smoke ideas?

I read on here that black smoke isn't possible. I don't know if that's true but I recently read that our "smoke" is actually the condensing of vapor. On that note, I would venture to guess you can't color smoke. 

At any rate, grab yourself a CO2 cartridge or an air compressor and some plastic hose. I prefer an air compressor. You'll put either blue/pink powder or blue/pink liquid in that hose in front of your compressed air. Then secure said hose on the hidden side of your locomotive. When the moment comes, pull the trigger or turn the valve or whatever and POOF! you get a little cloud of color. You'll need to test it ahead of time to dial in the pressure but it works. We use it to spray the blood in the movie industry when someone gets shot. I have also used it to create the very real looking illusion of an immense sneeze using glycerin. Glycerin and food coloring might be your ticket here but I would go for the powder so you can just swab it off your locomotive. 

If you want the engine moving when this happens, you'll just hide the CO2 cartridge in a boxcar and run the hose along the hidden side of the locomotive. I'm not sure how you'll trip it. I also assume the locomotive will need to be moving given it's piston puffer. 

As far as that colored smoke....good question. I guess look up what makes smoke bombs colored? Maybe that's a good spot to start but the issue is that smoke bombs are combustion. I think we're vaporizing. 

Interesting thoughts! My idea was to have the train come out of a tunnel puffing smoke like normal, but have the smoke be blue or pink instead of white...

 I don’t know if a single puff of color would be what I was looking for, and getting it to trigger on a moving train would be interesting. Could be made to work, but the technical bits would be interesting...

Combustion is too risky, not really interested in setting an engine on fire accidentally, so I think that the colored smoke bomb idea is disqualified... side note, I think this is probably how they got the real 261 to put out pink smoke, it didn’t look like the engine was steamed up at the time...

I wonder if an LED in the smokestack could be used to light up the “smoke” with blue or pink (red) light. Would it block the flow? Would it be visible enough? I might try experimenting with this idea...

What about installing a hidden colored spot light shining on the engines smoke output.

The LED is a really good idea!! It wouldnt be too difficult I think. You could mount it in a number of place.

My Monday Monday Idle Idea: Wonder if Lionel didn't attempt to experiment with the possibility of producing blue and pink "SP" smoke pellets back in the 50s before they released their Boys and Girls train sets...LOL

N5CJonny: Sounds like you just might happen to be a Pennsylvania Railroad fan/modeler?  Love the Bible verse.  Amen Brother!

Anyone care to help me brainstorm how I can either make blue or pink smoke, or make the smoke appear blue or pink?

Might depend upon what you are smoking....

@BillYo414 posted:

The LED is a really good idea!! It wouldnt be too difficult I think. You could mount it in a number of place.

As near as I can see, the LED is the only practical idea, you ain't gonna' color the smoke without some really noxious chemicals!  You can probably get colored smoke, but you wouldn't want to be in the room with it. 

I know you can get green, but the chlorine kills everything in the room.   I've seen red smoke, but there were guys with Hasmat suits keeping everyone away, so I suspect that wasn't all that healthy either.   I can't imagine blue or pink would be any different.

How about waiting until delivery like we use to do?  This is the last surprise left - and you can't send them back.  Pass out cigars with a pink or blue band - then smoke 'em 'cause you got 'em.

Why not just get a pink or blue engine?  Then set it aside for the child?

Not a fan of mixing water and electricity but this and a little blue or pink food coloring dye might be made to work.

https://www.amazon.com/WHDTS-U...&sr=8-9&th=1

What about a flashlight with a blue or pink lens to shine on the smoke. You only need it for the reveal so it doesn't have to be a long process. Watch the smoke and you'll receive a sign....click. 

@Richie C. posted:

Not a fan of mixing water and electricity but this and a little blue or pink food coloring dye might be made to work.

https://www.amazon.com/WHDTS-U...&sr=8-9&th=1

Nope, you'll just get water vapor out the top.  The food coloring won't show up at all.

Anything that isn't almost only oxygen and nitrogen isn't good for your lungs .

Seemed like a good idea 

Come on guys. Don’t give Lionel a reason to come up with colored smoke and add another hundred dollars to the already expensive products.

@Steaming Jon posted:

 

...

I wonder if an LED in the smokestack could be used to light up the “smoke” with blue or pink (red) light. Would it block the flow? Would it be visible enough? I might try experimenting with this idea...

 

Photo hijacked from this OGR thread.

Well, so far it looks like the only remotely viable option is LED lighting in or near the smoke stack... I might try to salvage a random LED from the old electronics scrap pile for experimental purposes, and if it works I’ll buy the correct color...

@Trinity River Bottoms Boomer posted:

N5CJonny: Sounds like you just might happen to be a Pennsylvania Railroad fan/modeler?  Love the Bible verse.  Amen Brother!

 

 

   

Yes, PRR is one of my favorites, but I like others as well.

Amen!

@stan2004 posted:

Photo hijacked from this OGR thread.

There you go; Stan demonstrates proof of concept for the LED.