New Smoke Units ?

[AirMojo]

The smoke unit in my Lionel 675 locomotive isn't working... it has the old pill-type unit in it.

Would I be better off buying a new pill-type unit, since you can also use smoke fluid in it, or buying a newer fluid unit ?

 

[emdmike]

I prefer to keep it a pill burner since you can get the pills again. A company reproduces the old Lionel SP smoke pellets, so you can enjoy the original smell they make.  And you can use smoke fluid as well if you want to try some of the scented smoke fluids.   Mike

https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/Trainz-O-Smoke-Pellets-p/trz-sp50.htm

[Firelock76]

If you're pill smoke unit isn't working, here's a few things to check...

If you've got an electrical meter check the continuity of the nichrome wire heater, if it's good you've got no worries there.

Give the outside of the smoke unit a good cleaning until it shines.  The tab end of the nichrome wire unit goes to ground through the smoke unit casing an if the casing's crudded up the current won't flow and the wire won't heat.  This happened on one of my post-wars, cleaning the casing worked wonders, brought the unit right back to life.

I don't know of anyone making new pill type units, to replace the one you've got would mean replacing it with another vintage one.  I don't see any advantage to convering to liquid either, my originals handle liquid smoke fluid with no problems.

[AirMojo]

Thanks Mike... I'm going to go with the pill-type unit so I can use both types... makes a lot of sense, and I was leaning that way, but wasn't real sure.

Ken

emdmike

I prefer to keep it a pill burner since you can get the pills again. A company reproduces the old Lionel SP smoke pellets, so you can enjoy the original smell they make.  And you can use smoke fluid as well if you want to try some of the scented smoke fluids.   Mike

https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/Trainz-O-Smoke-Pellets-p/trz-sp50.htm