# Lionel 2037 Smoke Unit



## ilikedis (Jun 25, 2012)

I have a Lionel 2037 with the original pellet style smoke unit. Was barely smoking so I checked it. The wires on the element look burnt. On the bottom of it was a glob of caked on, completely charred fiberglass.
As I see it, I have two options:
1. Buy another pill style unit and replace
2. Convert to the liquid type

OR...If someone can suggest an alternative to make this thing smoke; PLEASE put it out there.

Basically, I bought the train for my father-in-law (75 yr), as he told me he had always wanted a train, but never got one. So.....I set him with track, cars, a rebuilt KW transformer. The train, cars, transformer all work well except the smoke. Of course it's the one thing a 75 year old little boy wants there to be alot of.

Help!


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Either replacing the pill unit or converting it should be pretty cheap, in the $10 range. If you replace it with a liquid unit, you should add a switch to turn it off if you're not going to always have smoke, they don't react well running dry.


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## ilikedis (Jun 25, 2012)

Could I converted it to liquid, could I gang two heat elements together inside the smoke unit?

Also..the kits come with a sleeve on the heating element. Would you suggest leaving it on or taking it off?


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## Kwikster (Feb 22, 2012)

Ditto GRJ's advice if converting.

My old 2026 (built 1952) still has the original smoker. They never were noted for big smoke output. As to the wires "looking burnt" that's basically normal, as the do get hot. One very important thing is to be sure the air hole isn't blocked. You can verify that by removing the smoke piston and pushing a toothpick (or a thin wire) thru the hole. That's the single biggest cause of low smoke volume. If the packing is indeed gone, you will have to repack it. In that case, you may be further ahead to have the replacement parts on hand just to be safe. 



Carl


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## ilikedis (Jun 25, 2012)

I'm not going for original. I want to make this thing really smoke. Could a different kind of smoke unit be installed in it?


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Carl, if he had the pill unit, there is no packing, so that's not an issue. 

I converted my 2026 to liquid smoke, it cranked out significantly more smoke after the conversion. I don't think there is room for a fan-driven smoke unit, so I suspect the liquid conversion is about as good as it gets.

I bought the entire conversion kit for the 2026 from The Train Tender for $12.50 last year. I suspect the kit for your 2037 is similar.


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## ilikedis (Jun 25, 2012)

Could I add a second heat element?

Just gang the two together (wiring).


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I don't advise extra resistors. One classic move is to substitute a 20 ohm resistor for the 27 ohm stock one. It'll get hotter and produce more smoke. Of course, it'll also require more frequent filling of the smoke fluid.


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## ilikedis (Jun 25, 2012)

Gottcha...thanks a bunch!


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## BigAl56 (Dec 14, 2011)

Converting the old pill smoker to liquid is not very difficult and when converted it will smoke more, Here are a few tips:

Clean out all the old pill residue. Pay special attention to the air hole.
Insert a small spring into the piston to prevent the puff piston from sticking.
Be sure to replace the smoke stack fiber gasket. Use a small amount of glue to hold it in place so it does not shift and block the smokestack.


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## ilikedis (Jun 25, 2012)

You mentioned adding an on/off switch. Is there a kit for that, diagram and or a video showing how to do it?


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

The amount of smoke the smoke generator produces depends on the voltage on the track. If you run the loco by itself, you are not going to get much smoke. As you add cars, particularly post war cars, the track voltage will increase and the smoke will increase. If you lube everything, the voltage will decrease and the smoke will decrease.

The element is a piece of nichrome wire, and looking burned is normal. Ditto the insulator under the wire. The insulator is probably mica. If the smoker is making any smoke at all, it is probably OK. 

There is a possibility that the smoker is not working because there is an accumulation of solid residue of the smoke pellets. There is a piston in the bottom of the smoker that is driven by a crank. The crank is driven by one of the connecting rods. The piston pushes air through a hole in the bottom of the smoker to make the smoker puff.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Ilikedis,

Member erkenbrand create a GREAT thread showing how he converted the smoke unit on his 2026. See here ... very helpful, in my opinion ...

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

TJ


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

ilikedis said:


> You mentioned adding an on/off switch. Is there a kit for that, diagram and or a video showing how to do it?


I don't have a kit or diagram, but it's dirt simple. You just break the single wire going to the smoke unit and add a switch. As far as where to put the switch, find a place underneath and either drill holes or simply bond the switch to the frame with something like Loctite 380 Black Max, great stuff!


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## ilikedis (Jun 25, 2012)

So, lets say I choose to convert it to liquid. Does the risistore require a sleave?


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I take the sleeve off any smoke unit, puffer or fan driven. IMO, that was a very poor idea by Lionel, and even they have recommended removing them from fan driven smoke units.


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## ilikedis (Jun 25, 2012)

You mentioned using a 22 ohm resistor in place of the 27 ohm. Where do you get them from and is there a make model# I should look for?

I'll give the 27 a chance first though to see how it shakes out, but would be helpful to know what to look for with the 22's.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Contact Modern Toy Train Parts, Bill has 6, 8, 16, 18 and 27 ohm wire wound resistors. For his assortment, I'd try the 18 if the 27 doesn't smoke enough. I know that 22 ohm ones exist as well, but he doesn't seem to stock them.


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## ilikedis (Jun 25, 2012)

Gunrunnerjohn...you da man. I have a couple 18 ohms on order. The plan is to rebuild the existing smoke unit (all metal) with an 18 ohm. If it works like I hope, will try to get a picture posted of the outcome.

Thanks again


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Great, we look forward to the super-smoker.


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## ilikedis (Jun 25, 2012)

Sorry to be a pest...you mentioned installing an on/off switch for the smoke unit. Where do you get them from and any model information would be helpful


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Any old switch will do as long as it can handle around an amp of current. I have a large supply of the small slide switches that Lionel uses in many of their locomotives and other rolling stock, so that's what I use. It doesn't have to be a large switch. I got a bunch of the slide switches when I bought the flickering electronic candles at the local dollar store, they had the exact size switches that Lionel uses.


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## ilikedis (Jun 25, 2012)

I have searched the net and have not found one picture of a switch added for the smoke unit. I look at the engine and cannot figure out where to mount one.
Suggestions?

Do you have any pictures of ones you have installed?


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## ftauss (Sep 18, 2012)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Contact Modern Toy Train Parts, Bill has 6, 8, 16, 18 and 27 ohm wire wound resistors. For his assortment, I'd try the 18 if the 27 doesn't smoke enough. I know that 22 ohm ones exist as well, but he doesn't seem to stock them.


Radio Shack

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12466751


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

ftauss said:


> Radio Shack
> 
> http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12466751


Uhh, you have apparently never looked at a smoke unit! That resistor is far too large for any smoke unit I'm familiar with.

As far as adding the switch, I don't have a picture handy, but how about you post a picture from the bottom and we'll offer some suggestions.  You can either hide it underneath or in the cab.


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## ftauss (Sep 18, 2012)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Uhh, you have apparently never looked at a smoke unit! That resistor is far too large for any smoke unit I'm familiar with.
> 
> As far as adding the switch, I don't have a picture handy, but how about you post a picture from the bottom and we'll offer some suggestions.  You can either hide it underneath or in the cab.


Wasn't really sure. There is no scale for the provided image or sizes given.

And I have 2 (bowl types) disassembled on the bench right now and still trying to figure out the Seuthe units.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Those resistors are about 3/8" square and probably about 1 1/4" long.


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## ilikedis (Jun 25, 2012)

Nah...I got the resistors (18 ohm) from the source you provided. Problem finding a switch with at least a 1 amp capacity. Went to RS..Best they had was a slide switch with 3 amp capacity. The problem is it's bigger than I had hoped. 

As for mounting...yeah...I was thinking inside the cab.

I guess at this point (since I'm not concerned with keeping the loco original), maybe I should think about refinishing it too. We'll see.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Well, the parts vendors have the small slide switches, I'm talking about the ones that are 3/4" wide, including the mounting ears, and less than 1/4" square. I actually scored some last year from the local Dollar store, they were in the flickering votive candles, $1/3, a great deal! I got three switches, three 3032 batteries, and what I was really after, the flickering LED's!


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## rrbill (Mar 11, 2012)

John, is it possible that you're going to use the flickering LED to simulate the glow from the firebox underneath a steamer? Or do you have some other use in mind?


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I used some of them for that, and I'm also going to put one in a fireplace in a house on my modular club layout. Also, I gave one to one of our club members for his campfire on his module.


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## ilikedis (Jun 25, 2012)

As part of the project, I'd like to replace the bulb right away. I can't find any documentation on parts for the 2037, but the bulb says GE 1445.

When searching that kind of bulb..I find two. One that is 14.4v 2.7w, another is 18v 2.7w and another is 14.4v 1.9w

I think it needs the 14.4v 1.9w, but am looking for confirmation.


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

Unless the bulb is bad, I wouldn't bother replacing it. The bulbs seem to last forever. I have a lot of post war locos, and I don't recall replacing any of the bulbs.

The bulbs usually operate below their rated voltage which greatly extends their life. Cutting the voltage in half will extend the life by about 19,000 times.


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## BigAl56 (Dec 14, 2011)

The Lionel service manual rates the 1445 lamp at 18v. That makes séance as that would be top voltage to the track and you would not want to prematurely burn out a 14v bulb. How about using an 18v LED bulb instead?


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## ftauss (Sep 18, 2012)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Those resistors are about 3/8" square and probably about 1 1/4" long.


Ouch! Mea culpa.


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## ilikedis (Jun 25, 2012)

Finished eveything and gave her a quick test run. My Father-in-law wanted a little flash and a lot of smoke and that's what he got.

I took it apart, cleaned and lubed everything. Rebuilt the smoke unit with the 18ohm resistor (and installed an on/off rocker switch for the smoke unit). Painted it, detailed it, added rails. She runs fantastic and looks pretty cool. Like cross between a 2037, 736 and a 260e.

We ran it slow and she still put out a lot of smoke. I included a few shot from start to finish.

Thanks to all your help, I got an ear-to-ear grin from my Father-in-law. I learned a great deal along the way and credit you all all, especially gunrunner for all the knowledge transfer.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I'm glad it all worked out, looks great! Now you're the resident smoke unit expert.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Smokin'!!!

Looks great! Nice rehab work. Atta'-boy to John, too!

TJ


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## ilikedis (Jun 25, 2012)

Video of it setup at my Father-in-law's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWw0X9Ngtjs


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Looks great, is one of those presents under the tree for me?


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## erkenbrand (Dec 6, 2010)

That's looking great. It's smoking like crazy!


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## Kwikster (Feb 22, 2012)

areizman said:


> The Lionel service manual rates the 1445 lamp at 18v. That makes séance as that would be top voltage to the track and you would not want to prematurely burn out a 14v bulb. How about using an 18v LED bulb instead?


Rarely are you going to power a conventional to near 18v, so the 14v will do fine IMHO. I had to replace the bulb in my 2026, a 1445. Funny thing is the original bulb was stamped 8v. It only popped when I bumped the throttle lever reaching for my coffee  I purchased a standard automotive bulb, after several months nary a flicker.


Carl


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