I have a Lionel 736 steam engine that I changed the heater element in the steam generator because the old one stopped working. The new heater element melts the smoke pellets but no smoke! I am pretty sure I took everything apart and put it back correctly. The smoke unit piston seems to move up and down well and the hole that goes from the bottom part of the smoke unit to the smoke unit cover seems to be unrestricted. Any suggestions on what I might look for to correct this problem?
Thanks, Mike
The first thing that I noticed as I read your post was that you don't mention any padding in the smoke unit (also sometimes called a "wick."). Is the wick present? The 736 was one of postwar Lionel's better smokers.
Also, I find that Lionel smoke liquid works far better than pellets ever did. And you don't have to modify the smoke unit to use it.
Where did you get your replacement element?I ask because at one time there were a lot of replacement elements on the market that had too much resistance, and would not get hot enough to produce smoke.
I purchased my replacement element from George Tebolt. So you think it would be hot enough to melt the smoke pellet but not hot enough to produce smoke? Do you recommend purchasing another element from someone else and trying that? Who would you recommend?
Yes I did install new padding under the new element. Do you think the element could be bad because it just melts the smoke pellet but does not produce smoke?
Thanks,
Mike
Mickey D's Yes I did install new padding under the new element. Do you think the element could be bad because it just melts the smoke pellet but does not produce smoke?
Could be. There are a lot of possibilities. If it were me, I'd order a new wick and element and try them out. The new wicks are generally better in function than the originals. The new ones are shaped like a Pac-Man head; a disk with a wedge cut out of it. The open wedge goes above the air intake at the bottom.
I gather that you're committed to using pellets, but you might want to try your existing unit with Lionel smoke liquid. If it works, you'll know there's something wrong with your pellets.
I get most of my parts from The Train Tender: www.ttender.com
Padding? There is no padding used with smoke pellets. Is it possible you installed a liquid smoke resistor and wicking? If that's what you did pellets will no longer work.
If you want a lot of smoke a liquid conversion is best. These come with a new resistor element and wicking material to soak up the fluid. Once converted you'll get better smoke action than with the old pellets.
A 736 smoke unit, like most pellet type units does have material underneath the smoke element assembly that could be called padding. I assume you purchased replacement material from George Tebolt too. If you purchased the element from George, it is probably OK. To tell for certain, I suggest taking an ohmmeter and checking the resistance. IMHO, it should be between 12-16 ohms.
I have a bunch of early (small pot) smoke units that do not have any smoke unit liner (padding). Whether they were improperly assembled without the liners, or predate its inclusion, I don't know. I believe they came from either the Madison Hardware liquidation auctions. They do smoke just fine without the liner. These early smoke units predate the 736 Berkshire.
I agree, I have converted all my older locos to liquid including my 736 Berkshire. Works better and leaves less residue. If the element is heating up it should produce smoke. It seems like the piston is not working properly or the air hole is clogged. I would re check those without the body on to see if all is functioning. My 746 N & W had a jammed piston which surely stopped the smoke.
Thanks I will recheck everything I did and go from there. Thanks for your suggestions.
Thanks I will try liquid smoke.
Thanks for the information. I will try an ohmmeter.
Sounds like a good idea to check without the body and to recheck the air hole.
Before you try liquid smoke, please consider that one of the reasons a smoke unit may not produce any smoke is too much smoke material.In their instructions, Lionel warned their customers not to put too many pellets in the smoke unit. They advised people to wait until the pellet was fully consumed before adding another pellet. it is not necessary to add a pellet each time you use your trains. Whatever material is in the smoke unit will solidify when the engine is turned off. The material will melt and produce smoke the next time the engine is used.
Postwar liquid smoke units can be overfilled too. (I've done it)
I don't know enough about the current liquid smoke units, those with blower fans, to comment on them.
It is my understanding that the liquid smoke conversion will burn out if you do not keep fluid in there. The post war heater elements do not need to stay wet or have pellets in them. I would stay with that.
Rob
Dave632 I agree, I have converted all my older locos to liquid including my 736 Berkshire. Works better and leaves less residue. If the element is heating up it should produce smoke. It seems like the piston is not working properly or the air hole is clogged. I would re check those without the body on to see if all is functioning. My 746 N & W had a jammed piston which surely stopped the smoke.
I agree with Dave632, My 2026 was my present from Santa in 1951, and was my first restoration project when I started getting back into postwar Lionel years later. The wick -- or padding, or whatever it's officially called -- was caked solid from years of smoke pellets. It was more like a disk of solid wax than anything you'd recognize as fabric.
The solidified smoke-pellet crud had also clogged the air intake (I cleared it out with a toothpick and wire), and the overflow had jammed the piston as well. Not surprisigly, the heat element had long ago overheated and burned out.
I carefully cleaned out the residue (there seemed to be tons of the stuff), then replaced the pad and the heater element with new ones. I've tried the cylindrical resistor types, but found them unsatisfactory, so I used a wire-would unit, like the original postwar types. Smokes like a champ, now. That was when I swore off smoke pellets and changed exclusively to liquid. I use Lionel Premium Smoke Fluid these days, and I have nothing bad to say about it -- except possibly the smell.
Since then, I've cleaned out many more smoke units as my postwar collection grew. I never saw any as totally clogged as the one in my 2026, but they've mostly been pellet-saturated to one degree or another. I give them the same overhaul I gave the 2026, and they're all great smokers, now.
Talk about similarity. My first Lionel set and loco was a 2026 which I received in 1951. I still have it, it still runs good and it is a cherished piece. After all I put it through as a young boy it is amazing that it looks as good as it does. Nothing missing or broken and very few scratches or paint missing. I used to drag race it on the floor running it into pillows at the end of the track. It still holds the honor as the fastest and quickest of my locos and there are now quite a few.
My 2026 set came with a gondola, two Sunoco tank cars and a very low-end (no lights; no smokejack; no windows) SP caboose. And a 1033 transformer. All of them still operating today.
arkady My 2026 set came with a gondola, two Sunoco tank cars and a very low-end (no lights; no smokejack; no windows) SP caboose. And a 1033 transformer. All of them still operating today.
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