Your Favorite Smoke & Why

None here, trolleys do not smoke! Well, usually they do not! Actually, I do not like smoke as what comes out the stack floats around in the air and I value my lungs too much. Of course, then it has to settle somewhere and make a mess.

I like "Coal Fired Steamer" by JT's Mega Steam--it's the only brand I use.  If they ever come out with "Deep Fried Turkey" or "2-Stroke Outboard Motor," I might just have to try those.

Re: Postwar steamers. They can be, generally, a little anemic with smoke. I just had one of my favorites, the 681 Turbine, given a good overhaul and rehab and it looks and runs great.

As you can see in this short video, it's smoking up the room!

Not wanting to hijack this thread, but the OP did mention the smell. When I restarted my train stuff in November last year, all my smoke pellets had disintegrated after a 20 year hiatus. Based on my wife’s strong complaints about the smell of liquid smoke, and no success in finding an odorless smoke liquid (I have tried them all, trust me), to my dismay I’ve stopped using smoke.

My question is, am I wrong in thinking that the original Lionel smoke pellets from the 50s had no odor, or at least a non-chemical odor?

MTH hands down. When the Lionel employees built their showroom layout in Michigan years ago they installed exhaust fans to keep the smoke from lingering in the area. I have toyed with the idea of installing a low noise bathroom exhaust fan over my layout but have not found the time to do so.

My original 671 is a great smoker, even with a newly replaced smoke unit. I recently bought an excellent 681, but had to replace its smoke unit as well. It smoked great as well until my wife shut it down (see my post above).

For output of smoke: MTH hands down. However, the new Lionel Legacy engines certainly have improved their smoke output, my Legacy CNJ Camelback smokes like an MTH loco (and she has whistle steam to boot!)

For scents: JT's Maple Sugar (Smells like pancakes with syrup), JT's Clove Sensation (Smells like scented pinecones), MTH Christmas Pine (Smells like Christmas!).

And for the sake of staying on topic, I will refrain from talking about MacBaren Vanilla Crème pipe tobacco

Bryce

I run pretty much all MTH on a regular basis and need to have all the smoke outputs set at minunm due to several issues with smoke alarms going off and the haze that liggersin the room when running. That being said if I only ran one or two at a time it may not best bad but I like running four as much as possible Lovell the action. Coal Fired is my favorite as I love coal fired steam  locomotives.

I have been using JT Mega-Steam (unscented) which seems to work well in both new and old engines, but after reading this I just ordered 2 bottles of MTH Coal Smoke fluid.  Sounds like a winner.

Thanks,

John

EDIT:  Arnold, you create the best posts.  I really enjoy them.

@texgeekboy posted:

My question is, am I wrong in thinking that the original Lionel smoke pellets from the 50s had no odor, or at least a non-chemical odor?

I am pretty sure I remember my mother complaining about it.

John

@johnstrains posted:

Re: Postwar steamers. They can be, generally, a little anemic with smoke. I just had one of my favorites, the 681 Turbine, given a good overhaul and rehab and it looks and runs great.

As you can see in this short video, it's smoking up the room!

Not to bring up a fine point, but the turbine didn't chuff.

As for smoke flavor, I use JT's NADA for customer repairs as I don't want to impart a scent into them.  For my running, I use JT's Clove Sensation, that being because my wife likes the smell, and I just want to see the smoke effects, so we're both happy.

I'm torn on the subject as I really appreciate the smoke out put coupled with the sound on MTH models and the ability to control the level of smoke. But when it comes to postwar, there is something it that draws people in both young and old. My dad's first locomotive is a 2026 and the smoke works pretty good on it.  I can't put my finger on exactly why, but there is something really cool about seeing that little 70 year old engine roar around the track while smoking up the room.

As for fluid, we run MTH Christmas scent in most everything.  It smells good, it's cheap and it comes in large bottles.

Another great post Arnold!!

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Not to bring up a fine point, but the turbine didn't chuff.

As for smoke flavor, I use JT's NADA for customer repairs as I don't want to impart a scent into them.  For my running, I use JT's Clove Sensation, that being because my wife likes the smell, and I just want to see the smoke effects, so we're both happy.

Mine does!

When I had it serviced, went ahead and decided to have them put in a modern smoke unit.

My railroad and all that...

Do they make bacon smoke?

Terry

@johnstrains posted:

Re: Postwar steamers. They can be, generally, a little anemic with smoke. I just had one of my favorites, the 681 Turbine, given a good overhaul and rehab and it looks and runs great.

As you can see in this short video, it's smoking up the room!

Very nice, John.

What I do to improve Postwar steamer smoke output is to break up into little bits about one third of a smoke pill, put those bits in the smoke stack, and then put the engine in neutral at 18 volts for 30 seconds, and then run the engine.

Word of warning: don't stick anything metallic like the tip of a screw driver in the smoke stack. I did that once and shorted out the smoke unit. Arnold

Mth pipe smoke is my favorite smell mth vanilla would be next.

As for postwar the 1946 smoke bulb 726 Berkshire is favorite especially at night as the smoke coming out is illumiated from 14v smoke bulb and mesmerizing .

Another is the early lionel 675 engine as i rewound the porcelain piece in smoke unit but accidentally was a wind or two short wow does it smoke the most but goes thru the pellets quickly.

@Arnold D. Cribari,

If I may ask, where do you buy your smoke pills?

Original Gilbert American Flyer smoke fluid. It was always my favorite.

@texgeekboy posted:

Not wanting to hijack this thread, but the OP did mention the smell. When I restarted my train stuff in November last year, all my smoke pellets had disintegrated after a 20 year hiatus. Based on my wife’s strong complaints about the smell of liquid smoke, and no success in finding an odorless smoke liquid (I have tried them all, trust me), to my dismay I’ve stopped using smoke.

My question is, am I wrong in thinking that the original Lionel smoke pellets from the 50s had no odor, or at least a non-chemical odor?

I think smoke pellet smoke smells great.

@Terry McCullough posted:

Do they make bacon smoke?

Terry

Mega-Steam does.

http://megasteam.com/page2.html

@texgeekboy posted:

@Arnold D. Cribari,

If I may ask, where do you buy your smoke pills?

A year or two ago from Tom's Trains in Ardsley, NY, but I don't know if he has any more.

Smoke fluid smells great - until you "flavor" it. (OK - coal/oil/etc make some sense - but most anything else is not only silly, it typically smells bad. "Floral" made my train building smell like the Red Light District for a month; wasn't my loco.)

Never heard anyone complain about PW smoke pellets. To me, that smoke has no odor at all. Never did.

Actually, my favorite smoke was one of my freshly-lit Tareytons back in the day, when the world was more, well, you know. Enjoyable.

Acapulco Gold because there are no stems or seeds. 

Oh wait!  JT Mega Smoke (Nada). 

George

@G3750 posted:

Acapulco Gold because there are no stems or seeds. 

Oh wait!  JT Mega Smoke (Nada). 

George

https://youtu.be/dVYPO0N8KF4

My favorite smoke is Lionel Pine Scented Premium Smoke Fluid. I know that the consensus is that MTH steamers produce more smoke than Lionel steamers. But I have only Lionel locomotives and never cared for too much smoke in the train room anyway. 😉

Perfect smoke rings! Lionel really got their puffers tuned but it took them a while. Nice layout too.

I like JT Coal Fired scent. But honestly, having post war Lionel SP Pellets really can't be beat.  Many  Memories with that scent.

Mega Steam Pipe Tobacco.................smells like grandpa's den

Lionel sugar cookie smells like mom’s kitchen

MTH is my best chuff and smoke.  I can let all my steam chuff and chug up all the smoke I want for my train room is separate from our house…

No one to complain about how late I blow the whistle or the smoke smells…

Mega smoke.

@jim sutter posted:

Original Gilbert American Flyer smoke fluid. It was always my favorite.

Me too Jim. That smell takes right back to my childhood memories.

Rod Miller Amen.

It may be a chemical impossibility, but I'd like a smoke fluid that produces thick black smoke that is completely innocuous, dissipates in two seconds, and leaves no residue.

I used mega steam’s nada scent, but since they came out with mega steam eliminator, I’ve just been using that. It’s good for smoke units and has a nice clean scent that doesn’t bother my sinuses.

I have no sense of smell or taste.  I use whatever my wife wants.  I'm running MEGA STEAM, "Coal Fired Steamer" right now. 

Bill

Best smoke smells?

PW:

I like the "smoke pellet" smell. Either original pellets or JT's version.

1:1 Steam:

I think coal. but I sure have great memories of the wood smoke back when I was running this little sweetheart:

1:1 Diesel:

EMD 1st gen with the old sulfur diesel fuel.

Andre

No 'bacon' smoke!!...Millie and Sophie (Goldens) would 'redesign' the layout if I dared use it!  Bad enough working through 8 additional legs attached to 130 total pounds of beserk when bacon is part of the morning breakfast!

"Favorite Smoke", though?...  Any smoke that DOESN'T come from an electronic board within the confines of the operating layout!  However...

Wife's choice?...  No smoke.  Ergo...

Been smoke-free for a good while now!  (Knock on wood!)

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Re "American Flyer" smoke scent...  Isn't that like JT's "Cedar"?  That's what my aging memory sez when hearkening back to my boyhood friend's attic layout...whence came the local ubiquitous 'My train's better 'n your train!' wars.  I must say, I really did like his train's smoke-smell better than mine!

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Arnold:  Do you lie awake at night dreaming up Forum topics for the next day??  Talk about a bottomless pit of petty pleasure!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

@Odenville Bill posted:

I have no sense of smell or taste.  I use whatever my wife wants...

I've found that doing whatever your wife wants is usually safe. Any other way can be fraught with danger.

@dkdkrd posted:

Arnold:  Do you lie awake at night dreaming up Forum topics for the next day??  Talk about a bottomless pit of petty pleasure!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Don, I never try to dream up topics, they simply pop into my head. When I think the topic will be entertaining or helpful in some way, I post it.

This popping into my head is not limited to model trainsand the Forum, but happens for all my various interests. I suspect this is true for many of us.