Smoke unit

[jmkk]

 I would like to install some smoke units in a few of my MPC era diesels. Anybody install any aftermarket smoke units in there's? Does anybody even make any?  If so what brand and do you like them? I will probally add basic sound as well. I can never just let things be. I dont want to buy any new one's , I have enough ( for now ) .

[Roger Bielen]

Don't get impatient.  When the Chief sees your post he's sure to reply, I believe he's done a few.

[ChiefEagles]

I have "smoked" dummies.  Will show you some pictures.

 

I use Lionel fan driven smoke units.  I modify them by removing the sock type wick from the element and remove the wicking in the bottom of the unit.  I replace the wicking in the bottom with pink house insulation.  You have 3 wires.  I connect the two red wires to + from pickups through a bridge rectifier and the one black to frame.  To reduce the voltage as I run command and 18V, I build a bridge rectifier.  It takes 3 or 4 to reduce the voltage but still have enough to get good smoke.  TAS have a turbo smoke unit but runs twice as much $$$ wise as a Lionel.  MTH units are more complicated.  I use "L" brackets to make a mount.  I use closed foam insulation [one side sticky] to make a gasket between unit and shell.  If you do not have the "funnel" to go on top of unit, remove the exhaust grill.  Then you can put fluid straight into the unit.  Then snap it back in place.  I also put an off/on switch in line for killing the smoke when wanted.  Hope this helps.

[Buckeye Riveter]

Chief, did you know you can order the funnel, too from Lionel? Chief didn't mention the price, but my smoke unit replacement cost around $24.  Works better than the orginal.

[jmkk]

Cheif, thank you for all the info. Sorry I did not reply sooner been real busy latly. Couple of questions. By putting all the bridge rectifers together I assume its to lower the voltage? If you put 5 together are you lowering the incoming by about 7 volts? Does the Lionel smoke unit run about 12 volts? As Iam running conventional do you think I might be better off running a 12 volt voltage regulator after the bridge rectifer? That way if Iam only giving an engine about 10-12 volts I wont be reducing it by about 7 volts. Guy at Radio Shack told me once that a 12 volt voltage regulator will reduce the voltage to 12 if it was above that, if it was under 12 it would it just pass through without reducing it. Where do you put the smoke fluid in, where the smoke exits or is there a seprate fill hole?

 

Thank you for all the help!

Jason

[ChiefEagles]

Conventional, I'd try straight track voltage.  It was a test and see.  I ended up using three [not five as shown] and that is a little hot but OK.  A newer unit I have might have gone 4 but it is kept wet with fluid.  I think that is the secret.  Don't let it run dry.  Most folks under fill them.  I drown them.  Sometimes it take a few minutes of running to get them back to smoking but they really go after that.  Good luck.  

[vbkostur]

anyone replace lionel puffing smoke units with fan driven units? if so i would consider paying to have it done. i have a lionel c&o baby berk fvrom the 2003 vol 2 cat. that i have tried several things to tweak but am still not satisfied with smoke output.

 

[lionelsoni]

Jason, the bridge rectifiers are not being used as rectifiers.  They are just a convenient way of getting four diodes in one package, for AC voltage reduction.  The voltage reduction with each additional bridge-rectifier module is not constant; but it is somewhere around 1 volt.

You should verify whether the smoke-unit motor will tolerate DC voltage before rectifying and regulating.  Another consideration is that the regulator is probably intended to accept an unregulated DC input voltage, whereas the full-wave voltage that a bridge rectifier (used as a rectifier) would supply is pulsating.  A particular regulator may or may not have a problem with that.  So you might need to filter the DC before regulating.  Unfortunately, adding a filter capacitor will probably increase the DC voltage to about 40 percent above the RMS AC voltage in, giving the regulator that much more voltage to get rid of and increasing the power that it must get rid of as heat.