I have a Lionel Hot Box Reefer car and have noticed how the smoke flow seemed to deteriorate over time. Opened it up, tested it, fan going wrong direction, switched wires and now the smoke is flowing out and filling the room.
I also ran the reefer behind an engine after I had turned off all the engine sounds using ALT 5, I could hear every word the crew uttered as it went down the track.
Another long term problem with the reefer is the foam pad under the hinged lid where you put the smoke. The smoke fluid seems to react with the glue and the foam pad falls off. Gorilla glue fixed that little problem. The pad needs to be in place so that the smoke blows out at the bearings.
After fixing several smoke units over time, it seems to me that every smoke equipped accessory should come with something that indicates the amount it takes to fill the unit. I am always overfilling and making a mess.
Celebrating 18 years on the CTT Forum.
Buckeye Riveter......... OTTS Charter Member, a Roseyville Raider and a member of the CTT Forum since 2004..
Jelloway Creek, OH - ELV 1,100 - Home of the Baltimore, Ohio & Wabash RR
TCA 09-64284
My wife got a HotBox Reefer for me about 18 months ago. I had all kinds of trouble with the smoke - it just was not consistent in operation. After numerous disassemblies without any luck I decided to switch the fan leads. I had read some on the forum about a lot of the fan driven units being wired incorrectly. It cured the problem.
I remember seeing a post a few weeks back, I think by Chief explaining the direction that the fan should run. He likened the fan to a tiller in that it should rotate as to not dig in (I think I have the right). Since reading that I have not checked the direction on the car's fan.
I recently bought the NYC set which had another HotBox car and this one seems to run better out of the box. I have not run it that much, but it seemed to be a pretty strong smoker without modification. Maybe they got the fan wired up correctly.
The cars also seem to have a pretty big fluid reservoir. On my first car it seemed like I had to add a lot of fluid to get the smoke started. One thing I found was that the smaller neck that leads up to the roof fill point would get air bubbles in it, block the fluid from getting to the wick and cause an overflow. I usually tap my finger over the fill hole to make sure there are no bubbles.
When I have some time I may disassemble both cars again and check the fan directions. I think these cars are great - some of my favorite cars.
I'm a big fan of this car too!! thanks for the tips if anything goes wrong. Mine seems to be putting out good smoke but sometimes not so much...It's hard to tell if its the fan or just running low on fluid. I'll check it again when my layout is up.
My Dad (63) was over and loved that car. He had a huge grin on his face.
"They didn't have anything like that when I was younger" he said.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.
Get the Classic Toy Trains newsletter delivered to your inbox twice a month