You can use small flakes/chunks of SP type pellets on the bulb. Just be prepared for the inevitable mess - they always spilled off the bulb in turns and when removed from the track - hence the advice to use very little material at a time.
Rob
Hello Jeff-
I hope you enjoy your train. I had a '46 671 myself and it was a nice piece. I never did get the original smoke unit working, but I owned this engine years ago, and since mine had other running issues I sold it off before I addressed smoke. This loco had the '46 smoke chamber unit.(it would if it's all original) This unit used its own type of pills, and an elongated bulb; a GE 797 if I remember right. The pill fits in a dimple atop the bulb, and there is a flapper at the bottom of the chamber that is opened by a linkage to one of the axles. That's the 5c tour, here is the important stuff:
- If the unit was not rotted out by the '46 pill (the formula was a bit corrosive), and still works, an SP-type pill or liquid should work. The smoke stuff (pill or liquid) goes right down the stack. Look down the stack first to make sure the dimple is aligned correctly. As with any other unit, don't overfill.
- Even as early as '47 and the new unit's debut, people retrofit the '46 with a new unit. If you look down the stack and don't see a bulb, this may have been done already. Those of course can be straight pill, or converted to liquid...your choice.
Hope it helps,
Michael
Jeff,
The smoke bulb units used ammonium nitrate pellets. In theory, you could probably put a small amount of ammonium nitrate fertilizer in the stack, but I would advise you not to do this. Ammonium nitrate is unstable. When in the liquid state, it corrodes metal. However, biggest reason I would not try using it is that ammonium nitrate is explosive. In 1947, a tanker loaded with ammonium nitrate was docked in Galveston Bay (Texas City). A fire on the ship ignited the ammonium nitrate, resulting in a devastating explosion. This is why Lionel changed to the SP pellets in 1947. These pellets were made of meta-terphenyl, which is relativley harmless. Meta-terphenyl isn't corrosive or explosive. It can be used in the bulb generators, although it has a tendency to accumulate on the flapper and you will have to clean it out occasionally. Hope this helps.
A few years back, a container of original pills for the bulb type units sold on Ebay for over $100.
When they do turn up, they've generally turned into a solid lump of hardened material that's of no use in the smoke units.
The original pills were amonium nitrate, which would melt at a relatively low temperature and blow out of the smoke stack. The big problem was that a derailment or just normal operation would cause the liquid pill material to spill all over the inside of the smoke unit and cause some accelerated corrosion on the insides of the engine.
You're probably better off not trying to locate any of the original smoke pellets. Just live with what you're able to get.
ben10ben wrote:You're probably better off not trying to locate any of the original smoke pellets. Just live with what you're able to get.
Just use the SP type, original or repros, down the stack into the dimple, but again, use only a bit at a time to reduce spillage.
Original pellets run about $5 for an empty or nearly empty bottle. A half full bottle or nearly full bottle with a lot of powder will run about $15-20. An excellent condition full bottle with minimal powder will run $50+. The last time I bought smoke pellets, originals were the only option. I've been using my $15 bottle for a few years, occasionally dumping some powder down the stack in place of whole pills.
Now, for $15, you can get a whole bottle of reproduction SP smoke pellets from Toy Trains Unlimited. They sell on Ebay. I would definitely suggest going this route.
http://www.toytrainsunlimited.com/
Bob Nelson
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