Found on a for sale site. Is this smoke pellet residue? If so does it clean up easily or is the finish shot?
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Smoke pellets, after 1946, are wax. There was a label on the inside of the cab roof with instructions on how to clean it off. As I recall they said yo use Vaseline to clean it.
@Train Nut posted:Smoke pellet residue?
Just scrape it off and shovel it back in for another round.
I don't stick ANYTHING down the stack, not even the wooden tamper that used to come with the locos. My solution has always been to set the e-unit to neutral, and turn the power all the way up, and occasionally blow a little air down the stack. The heat eventually melts all the residue including what's on the stack.
@artyoung posted:I don't stick ANYTHING down the stack, not even the wooden tamper...
Same here. I still have 1947 smoke units in 2026 & 2025/675 steamers that I expect will keep going as long as nobody bungs up the nichrome wires.
@artyoung posted:I don't stick ANYTHING down the stack, not even the wooden tamper that used to come with the locos. My solution has always been to set the e-unit to neutral, and turn the power all the way up, and occasionally blow a little air down the stack. The heat eventually melts all the residue including what's on the stack.
Same here. I came into a 675 steamer about 10 years that was so gummed up with smoke tablet residue/wax that it would barely run. It took several hours in neutral over the course of multiple attempts to burn out out/melt out all the gunk. In fact, I ran this loco last night and every time I put it in neutral to fiddle with what's now a balky whistle in the tender, it was still burning residue and putting out little whiffs of smoke…
@David Johnston posted:Smoke pellets, after 1946, are wax. There was a label on the inside of the cab roof with instructions on how to clean it off. As I recall they said yo use Vaseline to clean it.
The sticker from my 1954 Lionel 2037. I've never tried this method myself however but the deposit definitely shouldn't be a deal breaker as far as ruining the finish. All of mine have cleaned up.