Here is an idea and a challenge......Athough I run mainly brass, I do have a few BLI and MTH steam locos with smoke.....all with unrealistic white smoke in addition to what I see on videos.....still not great. Why can't a brownish gray dye be added to smoke liquid? Then a simple conversion kit with built in bellows for non smokers. I do know about Seuthe....but I have no experience with this product. Or has someone already added some kind of coloring agent to existing smoke fluids....and are willing to share?
A few years ago, I saw a video of a German steam loco with incredible smoke....coming out of every orfice on the loco....and thick to boot, but still white.
HZ
Evening Howard
How's life treating you and that great layout of yours. I sure would like to come visit and see that someday
I wouldn't think changing the color of smoke would be hard at all. Fireworks smoke has been every color in the book for years. Of course it would have to be a room safe additive.
It does make me wonder why they haven't improved it over all these years. It can't be rocket science. I'll be interested to follow along and see if anyone has a trick up their sleeve.
TF
red, orange, yellow and green are relatively easy to make ... on the third hand, black and darker colors are not easy to do, and [in general] are not enclosed room safe ... sorry
I don't think that adding dye would work. But, how about a small amount of ground up roofing felt or rubber sheet?
Rich
Alton Junction
I have to agree that I'd prefer a gray or blackish smoke rather than white. I think there hasn't been much research done on the subject as even though Seuthe has been around about as long as I remember it hasn't been in demand in the US. I have worked several hobby shops over the past 45 years and if I remember right only have sold 2 units and they were for industrial smokestacks and not engines.
Maybe with all the newer interest in smoking engines someone may just work on this issue. If I remember right the Seuthe units would bubble until reaching the proper temp and that would sort of spray oil bubbles all over the place. Which was a mess sort of like over-filling an old American Flyer smoke unit. Nasty mess.
Personally I don't like the looks of the wispy smoke I've seen coming from BLI and others. I'll just stick with good quality sound for now.
oldline1
You know, ... I have some idea but I'm not completely sure how a smoke mechanism in a model locomotive works.
I know fireworks smoke obviously smoke from fire. Remember those black snakes? The little hockey pucks that burnt black smoke and the ashey snake thing would rise up, man did they stink!
My guess is the smoke mechanism in a model locomotive is a vapor and works under the same principle as an e-cigarette. Is that correct? I don't own one so I don't know for sure, it's just a guess.
Whispy white smoke just screams LIONEL when I see it.
Since the black in smoke is particulates - unburnt coal dust - perhaps we could add a lamp black supply inside the loco and it would blow into the smoke stream to darken it. Plus that would leave dark soot all around the layout in a very realisitic manner.
Dang, I just looked and it is now April 2...
Howard ZaneA few years ago, I saw a video of a German steam loco with incredible smoke....coming out of every orfice on the loco....and thick to boot, but still white.
That´s a smoke unit called Dynamic Smoke, made by the German gauge 1 manufacturer KM1.
Here is another video:
When the smoke from a steam engine is black, it is a sign that cinders, ash or unburnt coal particles are drawn through the flues and ejected through the smoke stack. This happens when either the fire door is opened, or the engine is working very hard at full throttle. A good fireman tries to avoid black smoke as much as possible, as it is also a sign of energy being wasted.
Coloring the smoke fluid won´t turn the smoke black. Paraffine, the base of smoke fluids, always burns "white".
Edit: OMG - stupid me! April 1st - thanks, Howard!
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
Black smoke can be caused by over-firing (too much fuel, not enough mass flow through the flu pipes). All combustion engines have this problem...diesels, gas, fireboxes... That was why engineers were rated along the right of way by inspectors who used cards held up close to the smoke of a passing engine to see if it was at standard...or better. Dark smoke meant the engine was not being fired properly at the time.
selectorDark smoke meant the engine was not being fired properly at the time.
Dark smoke also means there are suspended solids in the exhaust. Those solids fall to the ground ( or our layouts and floors). Looking around busy rights-of-way or industrial areas in cities throughout the early 20th century, no vegetation grew anywhere near the tracks or factories. All the acids in the cinders and soot killed off the trees.
White, black, blue or pink — no smoke for me, thank you.
gmpullman selector Dark smoke meant the engine was not being fired properly at the time. Dark smoke also means there are suspended solids in the exhaust. Those solids fall to the ground ( or our layouts and floors). Looking around busy rights-of-way or industrial areas in cities throughout the early 20th century, no vegetation grew anywhere near the tracks or factories. All the acids in the cinders and soot killed off the trees.
selector Dark smoke meant the engine was not being fired properly at the time.
All my steamers burn anthracite coal so I don't need black smoke.
selector Black smoke can be caused by over-firing (too much fuel, not enough mass flow through the flu pipes). All combustion engines have this problem...diesels, gas, fireboxes... That was why engineers were rated along the right of way by inspectors who used cards held up close to the smoke of a passing engine to see if it was at standard...or better. Dark smoke meant the engine was not being fired properly at the time.
A engineer ran the engine.. The fireman was in charge of firing the engine. Firemen was highly suspicious of anybody standing trackside with a camera since smoke inspectors could be anywhere watching for smoke voilations and with a photo of the smoke infraction the hapless fireman had no defense.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
The following educational film produced by the London, Midland & Scottish Rlwy. in the 1930 will give you an insight into the art of firing a steam engine.