New Polar Express Smoke Unit

[eness76]

most importantly as is mentioned in the other thread, keep them wet.  If you're going to run the smoke, and you see it start to tail off, throw more drops at it instead of waiting, or turn the smoke unit off.  I ran mine one night until the smoke was getting pretty thin, and the next day when I fired it up, I knew what I had done.  I don't want this to turn into an internet epidemic of sorts, it's a good unit, my ignorance is what caused my problem.  As Jim stated, it is an easy fix.

[Jumijo]

I'm about to pull my PE out of the box for the first time.

Are the PE smoke units problematic?

No. But they do seem to get tired after a while. The repacking procedure doesn't take long, is not hard to do, and gives the smoke unit a real boost.

Jim

[SotaPop]

I'm about to pull my PE out of the box for the first time.

Are the PE smoke units problematic?

[anjdevil2]

Ok---never mind---I found the other thread...

Thanks!

[anjdevil2]

I just got mine, and I seem to have the same problem.  It this easy to take apart?  I'm not afraid of it, just want to know what to expect...

Jim... on the next issue, can't wait to see it.

[Jumijo]

 

I don't think it matters. I just made the same repair and saw the same thing, wondered the same thing. But since that piston isn't held in place by anything. my thought was that it's likely to move (rotate). So I just put it in not worrying about anything lining up. I get a huge amount of smoke coming from the steam chest area on mine. If anyone can say for sure whether these things need to be lined up, I'd like to hear about it.

The Lionel assembly diagram shows it oriented perpendicular to the locomotive's orientation. See page 10 of link below:

Link to Diagram 

Jim 

[eness76]

Guys, I have a question regarding the PE smoke unit.  I searched and got some great info on here, but this is one question I couldn't find answered already.  I have a new PE.  The smoke production suddenly went way down, so I took it apart to repack the element figuring the packing was burnt....which it was.  I repacked it and fired it up and the smoke production is back to good.  One question though, the "bellows piston" for lack of a better term, has 2 check balls in it, I'm assuming these are to let some smoke escape the bottom of the smoke unit so smoke exits near the steam chest.  Should those 2 check balls line up with the 2 holes in the bottom of the smoke unit or is this irrelavent as the smoke will find it's way out anyway?  I lined them up and seem to be getting smoke out the funnel and out the bottom, but wonder if I rotate the piston 90degrees if I'll get even more puffing out of the funnel.  Thanks,
Eric