# Lionel 2055 Smoke conversion and refresher



## erkenbrand (Dec 6, 2010)

After finishing the work on the 1033 and then the 6026W tender, it was time to dig into the big project. I picked up this 2055 along with the tender at the RIT Train show a couple of weeks ago. 

It seemed to run OK, but it didn't smoke. I decided to go ahead and convert to liquid smoke, and while I had it apart to give it a good once over.


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## erkenbrand (Dec 6, 2010)

I started by removing the drivetrain from the shell. This was really easy - easier than the 2018 / 2026. In those you have to drift out a pin, with the 2055 you just unscrew at 4 points and remove the rear trucks.










Everything had to come apart to clean up corrosion and old dirt and grime. Using scotchbrites and Goo Gone I cleaned up all of the rods.


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## erkenbrand (Dec 6, 2010)

I did find some damage. A bent rod, and some bent frame . . .



















With a little manipulation from my pliers, I was able to straighten it up. Note: a great way to make sure you don't scratch the metal as you're manipulating it is to wrap each jaw of your pliers in tape.

The rod I straightened by very, very gently and slowly manipulating it by hand.

Fixed:


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## erkenbrand (Dec 6, 2010)

With that done I got to work cleaning all of the gears. I broke out the pipe cleaners and went to work cleaning out all of the old oil, grease and accumulated funk.

I didn't get a pre-clean photo, but here they are after being neatened up. I did pull the plate from the armature as well, and clean everything I could reach. Once done I gave everything a bit of oil.


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## erkenbrand (Dec 6, 2010)

When I moved to the other side I pulled the brushes and polished the armature. It was rough when I first opened it up:










After a bit of scotchbrite it shined up nicely.



















The brushes looked OK. I did clean them up as well, but I might replace them with my next parts order.


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## erkenbrand (Dec 6, 2010)

Now, it's time for the smoke conversion. This worked out pretty much like the others I've done. 

I first cut the line leading to the old element right at the element. It's the grimy white wire in this photo:










I then unscrewed the assembly and moved it away. It's still held in place by the wire to the bulb, but there isn't any reason to remove that wire.










Pulling the old metal cap takes a bit of prying with a screwdriver. I don't pry against the aluminum housing. That would risk marring or cracking it. If you stick your screwdriver in the center chimney hole and pry it will eventually break free. You'll find that it may take some coaxing.

When it does come free, you'll get to see all of that old pellet material caking the bottom. Also, note in the previous photo the pellet material on top of the plunger. In this engine it had actually glued / stuck the plunger in place so it didn't drop.










You'll have to chunk all of that crud out. I just use a couple of screwdrivers. I start with a small blade and work it in. Once you get a chunk out the rest comes out pretty quickly.










Then, I polished the plunger, and made sure the air hole in the pot was open.










Assembling the new components is straight forward. Feed the resistor legs through the appropriate holes in the plastic cap. (Big leg in the big hole, skinny leg in the small hole.)

When placing the resistor and cap be sure to not block the air hole.

I soldered the original power lead to the new resistor, and then wrapped the other leg around the smoker frame. With a bit of solder it's making great contact. 










A quick test, and we have smoke!


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## erkenbrand (Dec 6, 2010)

After a quick walk through with the oil bottle on all of the axles and wheels, it was time to reassemble. But first - the shell took its turn with the dishes and toothbrush. 










I've sent it around the track a few times now, and it's running much better than before. It sings right along, and is smoking well.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Nice work, looks like new!


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## erkenbrand (Dec 6, 2010)

Thanks! It moves right along now.


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## lionellines (May 18, 2011)

Nice tutorial. Polishing the plunger is a nice touch, and helps it move more smoothly. I don't think I've ever seen so much smoke pellet residue in a smoke chamber before. It's all reusable, you know! 

I have a 2055, and love it. It's one of the post war items I have that will most likely never be sold.


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## erkenbrand (Dec 6, 2010)

Thanks! I really like the 2055 too. I'm glad I found one that works this well. I think it has a lot of layout hours in its future.


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## Wabashbud (Jun 25, 2010)

Great tutorial I have that smoke kit on order and will be anxious to see it work. Nice photography also.

Bud


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

For anyone reading this thread, check out Erk's 2026 Smoke Conversion thread, too ...

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=5580

TJ


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## GeraldNuss (Dec 31, 2013)

I started on the 2026 conversion page when it was the 2055 I really wanted. Glad this one was linked from it. From the link on the 2026 page I landed on the part dealers site. What number kit did you order? I will need two, one for the 2055 and another for a 2056 I recently got. Great cleaning tutorial as well!


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## Robes (Jan 5, 2011)

Cleaning the brushes and armature was a bonus. I have a 675 that is still apart and I went down and looked,... and they were full of gunk n crud.


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## Patrick1544 (Apr 27, 2013)

Looks great. Nice step by step series.


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## thop (Nov 5, 2011)

tnx 4 the how to and taking the time to post all of the great pictures.much appreciated!

thop.......


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

8141-55k smoke kit

The train tender

kit


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## erkenbrand (Dec 6, 2010)

Glad it helped!


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## NYC 5344 (Dec 26, 2012)

Wow, that's good. I didn't know they had a conversion kit. I fixed up the smoker in my 2056, but I used all the old hardware. I just re-wrapped the plastic piece with wire for a hot foam cutter. It works fine now with smoke fluid.

But I'll have to get myself that smoke kit.


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## wsboyette (Jan 25, 2014)

Nuthin' like having a steam locomotive that SMOKES !


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Aren't steamers supposed to steam?


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## TomW2034 (Jun 2, 2015)

*Awesome tutorial*



lionellines said:


> Nice tutorial... I don't think I've ever seen so much smoke pellet residue in a smoke chamber before. It's all reusable, you know! ...


Once again, I am resurrecting an old thread to ask follow-up questions on a well-docmented post penned quite some time before I joined. Some forums I belong to frown on this & pfrefer I start a new thread. Someone let me know if I should do that here. But if not...

My new-to-me 2055 is just rolled out of my Shop sporting really-well cleaned & oiled innards. For now, I will say it runs, and I think it will run well. Details will be in a another post.

Since my only other locomotive, a 2034 did not smoke, the care & maintenance of chuffing Lionel is just plain new to me. But I am really stoked to learn.

With the hope that my 2055 would come out of the roundtable with the ability to smoke, I got Trainz.com to see me a bottle of Smoke Pellets.

Now for my three smokin' questions:

My 2055's chimney was fairly full with the residue shown in this image:









1) Economy - lionellines said it is reusable; can I just tear off small pieces & feed it to stack instead of pellets?

2) Smoke time - How long should I run the locomotive after adding a new smoke pellet to minimize buildup?

3) Chuff quality - The original Lionel documents someone else posted show a gasket between the stack and the locomotive shell which appears to be a good idea. Does the gasket's presence make a notable difference?

4) Fond odor - Finally, the pellets' marketing advised me the product's smell would remind me of my youth. Since never knew that smell, a few fragments were tossed onto the heater during checkout. To me, there was rosin smell similar to what I notice after soldering electronics with a low-power iron. What's in the pellets?

Thanks,
Tom


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

That's a wick from a liquid smoke unit, the pill unit doesn't have any fiber wick, it just has a nichrome wire bed for the pellets to sit on and toast their behinds.


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## TomW2034 (Jun 2, 2015)

*Live and learn*



gunrunnerjohn said:


> That's a wick from a liquid smoke unit, the pill unit doesn't have any fiber wick, it just has a nichrome wire bed for the pellets to sit on and toast their behinds.


Oops!

I wondered why it popped out so easily.

Tom


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

That will smoke "once" if it's dry, and it will produce the black smoke that folks are asking about. Then you'll probably get to rebuild the smoke unit.


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## TomW2034 (Jun 2, 2015)

*Really?*



gunrunnerjohn said:


> That will smoke "once" if it's dry, and it will produce the black smoke that folks are asking about. Then you'll probably get to rebuild the smoke unit.


So I should not re-install it if I do not plan to keep it wetted?

Tom


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## L0stS0ul (Feb 6, 2015)

I recommend upgrading the unit so it can use liquid instead. Much easier to find and much nicer smells available. You can use the liquid in the old types, I did for a while, but I found they smoke better once upgraded. The conversion is very easy. I did it on my dad's 1952 726RR a while ago.

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showpost.php?p=322314&postcount=82

This is the upgrade I used. 

http://store.justtrains.com/Lionel-Liquid-Smoke-Unit-Conversion-Kit_p_276.html

My dad said he's never seen that train smoke like it does now with the conversion. The smoke pills were never very good he said.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Correct Tom, if you're going to have the wick in them, they have to either be turned off or have fluid.

_*LOstSoul*_, he already has a liquid unit, look at the picture. The pill unit would have a nichrome winding at the bottom to heat the pills, not a resistor in the cap.


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## L0stS0ul (Feb 6, 2015)

I can't tell from the picture Tom posted. The batting thing looks a lot like what I pulled out of my dad's old engine when I changed it out. Not sure if it was old pellet residue or what but it was about as thick and looked very similar. Mine had scorch marks on it and you can see it in my conversion pictures. If it's already converted I'd not put the pellets in it that's for sure.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Here you go, check this image. If these were a pellet unit, it wouldn't be an empty chamber.


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## flyernut (Oct 31, 2010)

Another great job Ryan.. Thanks for posting. I might have some Lionel action buildings lying around you might/were,interested.PM me.


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## santafe158 (Jul 14, 2010)

Pellet units do indeed have wicks. That's actually what is shown above after having been removed from the unit. Obviously it's caked in melted pellet material, but it is a wick. As far as I'm aware, the pellet units melt the pellets into a liquid, which is then wicked up to the heating element to create the appearance of "smoke." As with drops, the usual procedure for pellets was to throw one in and when it quit giving off smoke, then you could throw another in. Units's that were caked over were mainly due to younger owners throwing a lot of pellets in thinking it would help make more smoke. Modern wicking material can be used to replace the wick if needed, otherwise I've also gone with the recommendation of using a wad of fiberglass house insulation in there and it seems to work the same. I do that especially if I intend to run fluid in my units, even though they aren't converted for fluid.

As for the gasket around the smoke unit, I would recommend putting something there, especially if you're using pellets rather than fluid. I've found that the couple of my locomotives that are missing gaskets, though they still smoke like normal, a crystal-like residue builds up inside the shell around the smokestack from the pellet smoke.

I will also add, I prefer to keep my postwar smoke units set up for pellet usage. You can use fluid in them just like any converted smoke unit, and they won't burn out as easily if you let them run dry like a modern resistor unit will.


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## TomW2034 (Jun 2, 2015)

*The plot heats up*

Here's another image taken during the 2055's servicing last week:









Although I have never seen a side by side comparison of fluid & pellet heaters, that looks like nichrome wire to support a pellet. 

Tom


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## santafe158 (Jul 14, 2010)

That's definitely a pellet smoke unit. If functioning, like I said, it will run on fluid just as well as pellets without conversion.


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## TomW2034 (Jun 2, 2015)

*Good recommendation*



santafe158 said:


> ...As for the gasket around the smoke unit, I would recommend putting something there, especially if you're using pellets rather than fluid...


Any guess as to what material the gaskets in your locomotives are cut from?

Tom


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## santafe158 (Jul 14, 2010)

TomW2034 said:


> Any guess as to what material the gaskets in your locomotives are cut from?
> 
> Tom



I believe it's a thick felt-like material that's basically cut into the shape of a washer with a hole big enough to fit around the opening of the smoke unit, and an outer diameter about the same size as the smoke unit bowl itself. All my postwar engines are packed away at the moment since I don't have much time to play with them during the year other than the few months I do a big display around Christmastime, otherwise I'd take a picture for you. I believe they include them in the liquid conversion kits, so there should be a source for new ones out there somewhere if you don't have them already. I haven't replaced the ones in mine that were missing, though even the ones that still have them are in rough shape and coated in pellet residue.

I'm sure any heatproof material cut into that shape will also work. It's purpose is just to create a seal to direct the smoke out the stack so it doesn't collect inside the shell as well.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Yep, seeing the nichrome wire that was missing before certainly confirms it's a pellet unit.  The bowel of the two are the same, it's the heater above that's different.


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## L0stS0ul (Feb 6, 2015)

I would recommend upgrading to fluid. It's $8 for the conversion and it will smoke much better.


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## santafe158 (Jul 14, 2010)

L0stS0ul said:


> I would recommend upgrading to fluid. It's $8 for the conversion and it will smoke much better.


FWIW, my postwar 736 with it's original smoke unit, untouched, smokes better than any modern liquid smoke unit equipped engine I have ever owned when I use fluid in it (of course that doesn't include fan driven units). Also, though I was careful to keep fluid in them when running, every one of the resistors in my modern locomotive's (with puffer units) smoke units have needed replacement because they burned up. I have yet to have that problem with any of my postwar locomotives.

That being said, I work in a museum environment, so I have a personal preference to keep all my locomotives as original as possible. To each his own.


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## L0stS0ul (Feb 6, 2015)

I ran my dad's 726 with smoke fluid for a while before I converted it and it smoked ok. It's possible the wicking thing inside wasn't wicking very well. Once upgrade to the resistor it is smoking a lot better. I've only got that one data point though. The local train shop kept telling me not to put smoke fluid in the original unit. I'm not concerned about keeping mine original though. I put in a new LED headlight


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## santafe158 (Jul 14, 2010)

L0stS0ul said:


> I ran my dad's 726 with smoke fluid for a while before I converted it and it smoked ok. It's possible the wicking thing inside wasn't wicking very well. Once upgrade to the resistor it is smoking a lot better. I've only got that one data point though. The local train shop kept telling me not to put smoke fluid in the original unit. I'm not concerned about keeping mine original though. I put in a new LED headlight


Like I said, that's just my thing. I can't tell others what to do with their trains :laugh:

I can't remember if I changed the wicking in my 736 or not, but it smokes like crazy when I use JT's Megasteam in it. It's one of my favorites to run on my public display around Christmastime since I can rely on it, and older visitors like seeing trains from when they were young running.


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