Found on a for sale site. Is this smoke pellet residue? If so does it clean up easily or is the finish shot? 
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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.
