Smoke works with Command only?

[Anonymous]

I have a LL 4-6-2 Pacific, 38602.

Has RailSounds and Command.

Yesterday, I used it with Cmmand and it was belching smoke. Today, I'm using it conventionally and theres no smoke. The smoke unit is on and theres plenty of smoke fluid in it.

Tomorrow I'm picking up a Cab 1 and a Command base, and I'll power the loop I'm using with a postwar ZW.

[Anonymous]

Hi,
The reason could be the volts in command you are running @ 16to18
and in conventional you are running @ 12to14 it takes longer for the
smoke unit to heat up. Hope this help?

[Anonymous]

I've got it on command now with a postwar ZW at full power...puffs quite nicely now!

Unfortunately, having the ZW at full power burned out my Aquarium car lights :(

[Anonymous]

Dear gkrangers,
To the best of my knowledge, the locomotive should put out smoke in traditional mode too. I have a Lionel 4-4-2 which could hardly be more low-teck and in traditional it puts out plenty of smoke. If you will forgive the condescension, it may just be that you ran out of smoke fluid (hey-it can happen).

Hope I have helped,
Daniel

[Anonymous]

My dad has the K-line switcher (2002 club car) and he bought it with Railsounds and TMCC. We experienced the same thing. No smoke in conventional. We thought the wick was dry, but we filled it up so much that smoke fluid was leaking out. Put it on a TMCC layout and it smoked just fine.

Talked to K-line and they say it should work, but have seen cases where smoke only works in command mode - they offered no additional advice.

[prewardude]

As TMCCTrains said above, I think the problem is the fact that the smoke units in command locomotives are designed to operate at higher voltages (18 volts) than conventional locomotives. Hence, when you run them in conventional mode with lower voltages, they just barely produce wisps of smoke (try shining a flashlight down into the smokestack when the train goes by - you'll probably see a few wisps here and there). I have the same problem with a Lionel Pennsy K-4 I bought a few years ago. If you crank the volts way up in conventional mode it will smoke just fine. Of course the train will be going about 190 MPH and end up going through a wall or something (I tested mine off the layout while holding the driving wheels with my fingers)! It seems all that would be needed is a lower voltage smoke unit with a resistor in-line before the smoke unit to limit the voltage in command mode. That way it would smoke properly in command AND conventional modes. But I'll leave that stuff to the electronics experts on the forum. One thing I am not is an electronics whiz!