Considering swearing off smoke. Any others out there?

I like pellet type smoke. I guess I am accustomed to the dust it generates.

I've never cared for liquid smoke. I don't like the idea of breathing the vapors or having them deposited on everything throughout the house.

Plus, as far as I know, there are no issues with partially used SP pellets. They just re-solidify, and will be consumed next time.  They never go bad. The smoke units aren't damaged by being run dry.

The main issues with pellet smoke units are overfilling, and foreign objects being put in the stack, breaking the element.

On rare occasion, they do burn out.

I think this will be an interesting survey for the manufacturers....  Looks like most folks don't care if the diesel units have smoke and on steamers, they either don't use the feature or use it on occasion.  

I have used the smoke on my steamers more often recently BUT have found that the smell lingers sometimes for days and I have found that it deposits on the track...

Alan

No to giving up the smoke feature. I like the effect to much and so do the visitors to the layout.

I remember similar opinions regarding crewtalk, Lionel cutback and went generic, and then folks were outraged that there wasn't enough. Come to think of it,there were plenty of folks upset at the lack of whistle steam offerings in the latest catalog....same type of smoke.

No need to "swear", just" turn it off."

You give up too easily.   ERR is coming out with a new companion product for the Cruise Commander called the Smoke Fan Puffer,you wire it to power, the chuff switch, and the fan.  It gives you synchronized smoke.

Here's what it looks like.

Love the smoke! Run it in all of 'em.

Had flyer as a kid and loved it back then too. That Gilbert fluid had a wonderful smell that I still can't find today despite the several company's claims to having the original formula...

We only smoke the steam engines now, had to many issues with the diesels.  the manufactures should have a removable section over the smoke units in diesels would make things much better.

I run MTH trains and always use the smoke on diesel and steam. no hassle to maintain and never had to repair or repack. Easy to adjust volume or turn off. Usually diesels on light and steam on medium, for starting or grades (more smoke) just press the labor button. 

I can't find any rolling papers large enough to smoke my trains.

I did forget to mention the pellets in PW steamers are still okay by me. That chuffer really is hassle-free for the most part.

I agree on the paint issues with diesels. Seems smoke coming out of a painted plastic cut-out as opposed to a die-cast smokestack really can mess with paint. I purchased Lionel's Santa Fe U28CG Standard O freight set from Trainz for a song because the engine had some "minor cosmetic wear". Upon inspection, this was how they code-worded the paint around the exhaust stack being slightly bubbled. The rest of the engine was fine.

I rarely use it in a running session by myself.  I never smoke my diesels.  For a video, or for visitors I will smoke my steamers for show, then turn it off.

.....

Dennis

Smoke is King   I teach them at a young age how to douse the fluid in there while the train passes

I'm with those that like the engine smoke features at start-up and the beginning and then end of the run.  Once the engine is up to speed the smoke feature is turned off.

Same practice for the engine sounds: on from start up until at speed, then enjoy the clickety-clack sound of the wheels, engine sounds come back on when slowing to the end of the run.

IMO, too much of either, overwhelms the room.

I rarely use smoke and when I do it's only for a few minutes.  My wife has asthma and it bothers her.   I don't really miss it.

--Greg

That a boy Blueline.Its all in the fun.I set my 3 year old son loose on my train around the tree and he runs it fine with the Zw.Thinks he is the boss of the railroad now.He even stops and loads a pellet in the 2020 steamer when the smokes stops.

If it is ruining paint, WHAT is it doing to your lungs?

Simon

The more smoke the better!

Bring it on; I love it, and it's a big part of the model railroading experience in my view.

Visitors also like it a lot.

I have a big exhaust fan in the train room window, just so I don't have to pass out respirator masks.

Rod

I know the HO guys dont care for it because it oils up the track and engines.I dont care,smoke and sound makes the train looks so real...Thats what all of us ever wanted in this hobby,, Thanks to Mike wolf/MTH ..Without his ideas we proubley still have the post war and generic sound systems area....I still be long to acouple of HO sites.

I've reached the point where the only time I run the smoke units is at open houses. Visitors like to see that. And even there, I turn them off between visitor waves.

Pellet smoke, it's part of the nostalgia.  Postwar Steamers never really put out that much anyway.  "Give me pellet smoke or give me .....", well, not yet I hope.

I think the modern fan driven units are overkill, and the reason that most commenters turn it off.

I'll run smoke on all of them, steam or diesel (yes real diesels smoke too, just ask all the people in CA protesting the pollution), UNLESS they are weathered. The smoke will ruin hours of weathering work. Learned that the hard way too!

if you'd wouldve put a semi to flat clear coat on it the smoke fluid wouldnt of ruin it..Dont under stand why you guys dont  do that to protect your weathering?

I could care less. I don't live my life focussed on the health impacts of little things like toy train smoke (or even bigger issues I don't spend much time dwelling upon). I'm sure there are worse things in the world to breath, but either way, I still don't care to much. If I die because my toy trains had their smoke units turned on, I'll go down happy.

I don't like the odor,and smoke from a few locos can quickly fill the celing of my trainroom with a haze, so I almost never run smoke. It'sjust not part of "trains" to me - to the point I do not think about it often enough. I unwrapped a new steamers yesterday (Lionel D&RG 0-4-0 shifter) for our Christmas tree loop and forgot to turn the smoke off before running it.  It was chuffing around the tree nicely when my commented something smelled weird.  There it was, puffing away nicely.  She really hates the odor so I was in the doghouse for a while.

Just my two cents here...

I personally like the smoke from my steam locos, but don't care much for crew talk and all the other stuff. When watching a prototype train pass all I ever hear and see are the sounds of the locomotive and any smoke/exhaust which it emits. To me, the extra sounds are just an added expense and potential high cost repair liability down the road. Why not offer two versions? Why would I pay for what I don't want? Offer the deluxe sounds as an upgrade. And ALL smoke units should have an on/off switch. Just my opinion.

Cobrabob.

BTW, I hope my new PW Classic 726 Berkshire loco (which should be arriving shortly) smokes like a forest fire! LOL

Cobrabob.

I don't use it as there are too many other items in the train room that I do not want smoke residue on.

The smoke is always "ON" when I run trains. Your smoke fluid gels???? I haven't seen any gel. What are you putting down the stack? Burnt wicks are your fault, not the locomotives.

Hi I am rather new to 3 rail O and I haven't had to change batting and I'm not even sure how or when I should but I have to admit I love the smoke on my diesels and steamers. I use the coal, diesel, and wood scents depending on which units I am running. The diesel scented ones remind me of when I was a kid hanging around the rail yards with the smell of diesel all over. I usually only run the smoke for a little while then shut it off. Its a great effect. On another note I don't mind loud track systems either. I remember standing next to the trains flying by along the mainline and the sound being almost deafening. 

Rick

Great Topic by the way Nick

I don't always use the smoke, but any locomotive I have that's smoke equipped is fully capable of generating smoke.  It's one of the cool effects that makes the operation more realistic.  Who ever say a steam engine coming down the tracks with no steam or smoke coming out?

I need to see smoke puffing from the stack on highest setting to add realism to the engine. We want all the sounds of the locomotive to replicate the real ones, why not see the smoke pouring out of the stack? Same with locomotives with smoking whistle, why not enjoy seeing the smoke from the whistle? As for me, I have the smoke turned on including diesel and caboose. Definitely a user preference issue.    

If ya got it, Smoke it. I really like them with double smoke. (Stack smoke and Whistle Smoke). Love em.

I love my steam n diesel engines to smoke especially my MTH G engines.

When is the ERR fan smoker available?

Alan

Contact ERR, they're the ones that can tell you when it'll be available.  They've made some, as I have one of the first ones.

I have a certified Crappy Basement Layout very old house with no know ventilation to basement so smoke is not happening there. But I found out recently when I visited the local club that my eyes can't handle the smoke anymore. I guess a side effect of scleritis.

I'm a social smoker...like to run it for visitors. For steamers I use the smoke on start up since I enjoy it most when watching it work in synch with the chuffing. Diesels are fun to run it every now and then, but mostly on start up.

Except for trubo lag, especially in an ALCO, a smoking diesel means you have a problem with the prime mover! 

None of my smoking locos have switches to turn off the smoke, not that I would want to turn them off anyway. I just wish my Lionels smoked as much as my Marx engines!   LOL