Use mineral oil for smoke. It is harmless.
When I got my new train set I also ordered with it the Mega Steam fluid. Thankfully they put it in a bag because it had froze and was leaking out. Didn't lose much luckily.
I'm not really worried about the fumes from the smoke unit anyway since I'm inhaling the fumes off of used motor oil all day at work anyway. Not to mention the "dust" that I breath in from doing flat repairs on tires and being exposed to the lead in wheel weights. Which are slowly on their way out anyways.
But seeing that running the old smoke unit type dry won't bother them...if it aint broke then don't fix is what I live my life by. So thats how I'll deal with it. Keep her as original as possible.
Well, I use JT's Mega-Steam smoke fluid, and there must be a lot of water in it 'cause we've had several days of COLD weather and the stuff out in the Chugger Barn froze!
It works just fine in my post-war 2018 smoke unit, and if there's any deleterious effects I'm not aware of 'em. We'll just have to agree to disagree on this one.
Don't worry about the vapors from liquid smoke, they're harmless.
Not "talking" about MSDS sheets. Who wants those oil vapors depositing on everything in their house, and breathing them in needlessly? Not me.
A little dust is much easier to deal with.
traincrazy80Speaking of smoke units of that era does it hurt them to run them without any pellets or fluid in them?
No. Another advantage.
Rob
cwburfle Smoke tablets that work and smell just like the original Lionel pellets are available. I would not recommend using liquid smoke in your engine. I'd rather put a little dust into the air, as opposed to oil vapors.
Smoke tablets that work and smell just like the original Lionel pellets are available. I would not recommend using liquid smoke in your engine. I'd rather put a little dust into the air, as opposed to oil vapors.
Don't worry about the vapors from liquid smoke, they're harmless. The liquid smoke units on toy trains are just small scale versions of theatrical smoke units like you'd see in a stage production or around peoples homes on Halloween, although I grant you it can be an annoyance in a small space.
By the way, there's liquid smoke fluid made that simulates the smell of Lionel smoke pellets!
I might just go with the postwar smoke unit setup. I tried Mega Steam smoke fluid in it. A small wisp of smoke is all that came out. Who knows maybe all it needs is a cleaning with new batting in the bottom of the chamber.
Speaking of smoke units of that era does it hurt them to run them without any pellets or fluid in them? If so I was thinking about maybe putting a switch on it so I can turn it off if I don't want to run with it smoking.
My new Pennsy Flyer has a switch so I figured it might not be a bad idea to do that with the 2026.
That's another vote for keeping the original.
traincrazy80Plus a liquid smoke unit since the one on it seems to be bad.
No need to "convert". Replace the element with the original type - they last 50+ years and work with pellets & liquids.
Seeing that mentioned I'm betting this is where the problem is. The pickup shoes on it right now are pretty well worn. At least to my knowledge in regards to what is considered acceptable.
What's funny and I forgot to mention this is that the majority of the stalling happened as it went into the first section of the curve of the oval. My guess is that the worn state of the shoes is breaking the connection with the center rail.
So in addition to a good cleaning I'm definitely going to put some new shoes on it. Plus a liquid smoke unit since the one on it seems to be bad.
Thanks for the info guys.
I've got some Marx steam engines I'm going to resurrect at some point along with a Lionel 520 Boxcab that the original owner gave me and a 1130 Scout I got today that unfortunately had the E-Unit stripped out of it.
But for now I'm in preparations to build a small layout so it may be awhile before I get to actually tearing into the 2026. Not going to run it until those issues are fixed though.
Once again thanks for the info. I'll see you around.
cwburfleMost 2026 locomotives have sliding shoe pickups for the third rail. It sounds like the pickups are not making good contact with the center rail of your fast track. The original poster mentioned that the shoes are worn. They are replaceable. New shoes might solve the problem.
The original poster mentioned that the shoes are worn. They are replaceable. New shoes might solve the problem.
I forgot that FasTrack has three equal height rails - original tubular has a higher center rail. This is a big part of the problem for sure. The old shoes can be bent to contact the FasTrack rail better.
Did I get this correct:
the 2026 run OK on your tubular track using your postwar transformer, but it will not run on fastrack using that same postwar transformer?
Most 2026 locomotives have sliding shoe pickups for the third rail. It sounds like the pickups are not making good contact with the center rail of your fast track.
If I follow your correctly, your post-war engine and tender set run OK with a post-war transformer, but fail to operate well with the current generation transformer?
OK, wild guess time here. I've got a post war Lionel locomotive that works well with an old KW, but when I put it on the track with a modern transformer the whistle tender goes beserk and screams like a banshee. I suspect there's something about the new transformer the old unit doesn't like.
Have you tried running the post-war by itself, no tender attached?
traincrazy80...Now the 2026 as far as I know is all original. It does need taken apart and cleaned. I can see what looks like a greasy buildup on the axles above the pick up shoes. Its not bad. Everything turns freely. The pickup shoes do have a pretty good groove worn into them. The whistle tender works. Although some wires need replaced due to cracked insulation...
The PowerMax is only 1.8 amps and is "folding back" power when it reaches that output with the old 2026 in need of attention. See the PowerMax manual, page 7, and perform lube and maintenance.
The other half of the problem is the sliding shoes on the FasTrack. The track must be very clean, and the shoes must be cleaned/buffed and "run-in" on the FasTrack profile rail for best results. Lock the reversing unit in forward and let it run for a while.
Hello everyone. I'm fairly new to train collecting been doing it a little over a year now. Some time back I bought a Postwar 1948 2026 that runs perfectly fine on tubular track but repeatedly stalls or just will not go at all on the the fastrack that came with the new Pennsylvania Flyer set that I got a few weeks ago.
Now this might be hard to follow because apparently as far as my sleuthing online has got me I can't find anyone who has had the problem I am having.
Ok the set up that I am using were the train runs well is this. Regular tubular track with power coming from a 1033 transformer. No issues runs like a homesick angel. In fact I laid her over once while being throttle happy.
Set up the fastrack oval that came with the new set. The included engine runs fine. The 2026 fails to move without a little help. It stalls out and the green light on the Powermax transformer starts flashing. Which tells me there is something electrically wrong somewhere.
Hooking the 1033 up to the fastrack will run the Pennsy Flyer although at a slower speed than the Powermax can get it up to. The 2026 still does the same thing on the fastrack with the 1033.
Now the Powermax hooked up to the tubular oval of track will run the Pennsy Flyer just fine. The 2026 will run somewhat with it hooked up although the green light won't flash until I raise the speed up to about the halfway mark on the lever. There is still some stalling going on also.
If this sounds confusing I am sorry because I am at a loss in figuring this conundrum out.
Thats why I am on and here seeking help with this.
Now the 2026 as far as I know is all original. It does need taken apart and cleaned. I can see what looks like a greasy buildup on the axles above the pick up shoes. Its not bad. Everything turns freely. The pickup shoes do have a pretty good groove worn into them. The whistle tender works. Although some wires need replaced due to cracked insulation.
I hope someone can make sense of my issue and I would greatly appreciate any info in helping me figure this out. If clarification is needed just ask. This has got me stumped.
Thanks.
Steve
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