Hi everyone! I recently purchased a Lionel 2035 that doesn't smoke well. I have come to the conclusion that there is too much smoke pellet in the wicking for the heater to handle and the wicking needs to be replaced. I have some ceramic insulation that I have been thinking about using but I do not know if it will work. Can anyone tell me if I can use the ceramic insulation and if not, what should I use?
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I use the wicking (smoke unit liner) that the Lionel parts dealers sell.
The best I have found is the "pac man" white wicking pads that Jeff Kane sells. You ocassionally see it at train shows. Especially good for using smoke fluid as it retains it for a long time.
Rob
if you are using pellets then the wicking is not the problem. it is really insulation, not made to soak up anything. lack of smoke on a 2035 pill unit can be caused by several problems.
the voltage you run at may be too low (wrong resistor for that engine) to heat the resistor properly. if you had a resistor from a 736, it is designed to operate at higher voltage as a 736 needs more to run.
the resistor itself may be bad
the hole in the unit that the puff of air comes through may be partially clogged (probably is very clogged). if you take the top off the unit and run by hand a small drill bit (don't remember the size) through the hole, you will be amazed by the difference. this is usually a problem because the residue from the pills clogs this over the years. I have found most of these holes 90% clogged.
bottom line is open the unit up and clean out all the pill residue (save it, smokes well) but be careful with the original insulation as you remove it because it is probably asbestos.
Mytrains tip to clean out the smoke unit vent is a good one.
You can also clean out the vent by detaching the smoke unit from the locomotive, and slipping the piston out. Then the vent hole is accessible from below, without removing the smoke unit's cap. Remember, do this by hand, you do not want to enlarge the hole, or drill through the cap.
A smoke unit will not smoke well if there is excessive smoke material in there. One solution is to replace the smoke unit lining. Whatever the original material might be, it does absorb the liquefied pellets.
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