My MTH RailKing Empire State Express Hudson has always been the most prodigious smoker on my layout. But suddenly the other day something went wrong. While stationary, the engine still spins up the usual plume of smoke high into the air, but when in motion the smoke puffing is still synchronized to the chuffing sound, but it dribbles out and falls to the side rather than shooting up in the air as usual. Does that particular issue sound familiar to anyone? And if so, is it a relatively easy fix?
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Yep, the smoke impeller is slipping on the shaft. When it's in idle mode and the motor spins continuously, it's fine, but when it's starting and stopping, the impeller can't change speed that fast. Pull the impeller off and put a drop of CA adhesive into the hole and slide it back on. Make sure you don't glue the impeller to the motor body or it won't work at all. 
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Yep, the smoke impeller is slipping on the shaft. When it's in idle mode and the motor spins continuously, it's fine, but when it's starting and stopping, the impeller can't change speed that fast. Pull the impeller off and put a drop of CA adhesive into the hole and slide it back on. Make sure you don't glue the impeller to the motor body or it won't work at all.
Thanks John! Sounds easy, but I’ve never actually opened up a steamer before, so it should be interesting!!
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