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New Smoke Units ?

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  • Member since
    November 2016
  • 89 posts
Posted by AirMojo on Saturday, May 13, 2017 9:43 AM

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

 

  • Member since
    August 2010
  • From: Henrico, VA
  • 8,955 posts
Posted by Firelock76 on Saturday, May 13, 2017 9:43 AM

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.

  • Member since
    November 2012
  • From: Kokomo, Indiana
  • 1,463 posts
Posted by emdmike on Saturday, May 13, 2017 6:32 AM

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

Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome

  • Member since
    November 2016
  • 89 posts
New Smoke Units ?
Posted by AirMojo on Saturday, May 13, 2017 6:17 AM

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 ?

 

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