# Do you run steam with smoke?



## Mister Bill (Jan 30, 2014)

Why or why not?

Bill


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## davidone (Apr 20, 2015)

Yes but usually when train friends or family are over. I like the smoke especially from MTH, the others are getting better. 

I only run steam engines so having them smoke is great.


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## tr1 (Mar 9, 2013)

*Some people think smoke special effects are not worth the trouble.*

Eventually I'll be running the steamer special effect, most likely minimally for show, for visitors and special occasions.From what I read, on the forum here in the past.
there seems to be an an agreement here. The smoke representations leaves some what of a film on the tracks. 
Thus causing additional cleaning chores/duties. So I'll have to see how it goes. And weigh the pros and cons. Regard's,tr1
I think smoke and sound with chuffs will be very cool/neat! Though.


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## SBRacing (Mar 11, 2015)

*Diesel?*

I know for O they have diesel locos that smoke. Are there any for Ho and if yes which ones.


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## Br 98.75 (Dec 26, 2013)

I hope to install it in my Br 80( It is a drop in) i also put sound and LED lighting in it


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Only for kids...it oils up the track, which is hard enough to keep clean.


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## morland (Sep 25, 2012)

SBRacing said:


> I know for O they have diesel locos that smoke. Are there any for Ho and if yes which ones.


Broadway Limited is coming out with a HO Diesel locomotive that smokes in August. It is the GE AC6000 model in a few different paint schemes. 

Here is the link:

http://www.broadway-limited.com/paragon2geac6000.aspx


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

morland said:


> Broadway Limited is coming out with a HO Diesel locomotive that smokes in August


What does it do the rest of the year?


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## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

My MTH PA-1 has smoke but I've not tried it out. (Not even in August.)
Would assume some of their others would have smoke. 

Magic


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## SBRacing (Mar 11, 2015)

I have made one of my F7 units smoke... with too much "juice". :hah:


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## dasB&M2-6-0 (Dec 13, 2014)

Old_Hobo said:


> What does it do the rest of the year?


Hmmmmm....
Guess I'll ask the man with the wooden leg named Pete......!!

May your freight ALWAYS roll smoothly...and ON TIME!!


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## fcwilt (Sep 27, 2013)

No. 
Requires attention to fluid level/on-off state to avoid burning up smoke generator and additional track cleaning. 
Set "master" switch to off on all new locos.


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## D&J Railroad (Oct 4, 2013)

I like to run smoke until clouds of it are lingering above the layout across the whole room.


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

Smoke is smoke...I don't breathe that stuff, even if I had locos with the capability.


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## tr1 (Mar 9, 2013)

I think the smoke is similar to electronic cigarettes. And vapors. Young adults and children should try to avoid the nicotine addiction that occurs from smoking cigarettes.
anyhow! What was stated earlier they leave a residue on the rails and increased cleaning
comes into the picture. More maintenance is involved.


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

dasB&M2-6-0 said:


> Hmmmmm....
> Guess I'll ask the man with the wooden leg named Pete......!!!


Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!


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## D&J Railroad (Oct 4, 2013)

tr1 said:


> I think the smoke is similar to electronic cigarettes. And vapors. Young adults and children should try to avoid the nicotine addiction that occurs from smoking cigarettes.
> anyhow! What was stated earlier they leave a residue on the rails and increased cleaning
> comes into the picture. More maintenance is involved.


Residue on the rails? I've been running smokin steamers since MTH came out with their J9000 and now with the several BLI models that smoke and I don't have residue on the rails that I could attribute to the smoke. I run a track cleaner car occasionally before an ops session and I don't see any more black on the cleaner than I did prior to my J9000.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

No. For 3 reasons:
1) Most of them don't look very realistic.
2) They don't last very long, especially if you run them dry.
3) The smoke leaves an oily residue all over the place, especially on the top of the loco and trackside structures.


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## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

SBRacing said:


> I know for O they have diesel locos that smoke. Are there any for Ho and if yes which ones.


Broadway Limited is coming out with a diesel that smokes


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## little fat buddy (Jan 14, 2011)

yes BLI is releasing my fave loco of all time the ac6000 with smoke i have one on preorder if i don't like the smoke F7 will turn it off or theres a swtich to turn it off inside the locomotive but it looks really nice from there promo video i saw of it but otherwise ive never had any locos that do it so can't really weight in though i think the effect looks cool in videos of the trains running.


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## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

little fat buddy said:


> yes BLI is releasing my fave loco of all time the ac6000 with smoke i have one on preorder if i don't like the smoke F7 will turn it off or theres a swtich to turn it off inside the locomotive but it looks really nice from there promo video i saw of it but otherwise ive never had any locos that do it so can't really weight in though i think the effect looks cool in videos of the trains running.


once again, HERE IS MY TWO CENTS,

If you have a steamer, and you like your steamer, it should smoke, period. 
When I was a kid in the 50's, they did not have smoke units yet, so I made my own by cutting off a piece of Punk and sticking it in the smokestack and I had smoke until the punk burned out. It may have looked funny, but I had smoke.

The two best manufacturers of smoke units are in Order, MTH and BLI and I wish they would make their smoke units available,

Tyco made a good smoke unit for their Chattanooga Choo Choo steamer, it had a reservoir for the smoke fluid that fed into the smoker, I had one and it worked pretty good and seemed to smoke for a very very long time, it just did not have the volume of smoke that MTH and BLI has. What I find amazing with my BLI Steamer is when it goes up an incline and starts to work harder, the chuffing gets heavier and louder and the smoke gets heavier too, and once it gets over the climb it levels back off, interesting how they make it do that, I wonder if the MTH does the same thing


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## tr1 (Mar 9, 2013)

*heavy volume of smoke? Which brand is recomebded?*

I would be interested in adding a smoking unit to my 3 existing steamers on my layout.
or maybe purchase another steamer.
1.) How is Bachman with their steamers?
2.) Is it possible to purchase a smoking device separately?
3.) If so.Are some units better than others?
4.)With a fan,for chuffing and a sound system. Are their directions to follow for 
installation? Thank you, a former heavy smoker down to a pack every 5 to 6:appl: days


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## Bkubiak (Oct 20, 2013)

tr1 said:


> I would be interested in adding a smoking unit to my 3 existing steamers on my layout.
> or maybe purchase another steamer.
> 1.) How is Bachman with their steamers?
> 2.) Is it possible to purchase a smoking device separately?
> ...


How does one install a smoke unit in a non smoking loco, any how to pictures out there...?


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Just my 2 cents. Just my opinion. I will not run anymore smoke units in a plastic
body. I have melted a few smokestacks. All bachmanns. I have a BLI Y6B with a
diecast body and I use the smoke unit. I would like smoke units in all my steamers
but like I said, not with plastic body. Remember smoke units get hot. Smoke units
do spit oil on track and on steamer body.


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## Water Stop (Apr 18, 2015)

A Prototype steam locomotive looks great with smoke from the stack and steam from the pop-offs and dynamo, but smoke and steam from a model locomotive just looks dumb.

If it's trying to look prototypical, it just ain't makin' it!

Water Stop


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