INSTALLING A SMOKE UNIT on the BROADWAY LIMITED MIKADO

[Anonymous]

Recently, a good friend selected a BROADWAY LIMITED Mikado Locomotive. The sound is amazing. Gee, the steam was like really riding the train down the layout. However, after operating the engine, he decided why doesn't this engine have smoke. MTH and LIONEL have sound and smoke units. Why not the Broadway Limit as a standard or easily two prong installed item.

So....not to mess with the electronic's, they called BROADWAY LIMITED for tech information. The engine is on a splil frame which allows to solder directly to the frame on each side. Although, now you have constant smoke since the unit needs 6V while the sound chip needs 8V before activating. In DCC the engine operates superb. However, in DC mode, the engine seems to never reach top speed as the electronis regulate the voltage allowed to the motoring. This superb can motor is only getting about 20% of it's protenial power at best in DC mode. wHILE any other locomotive would fly with a throttle Increased to 13V , this now seems to craw and any additional voltage trips the fuse safety on the engine.

What can we do and has any one else tried this yet.... QSI had some thoughts on this but since I do not own an OSCILASCOPE, I have no way of testing it beyond a multi-meter. What do our electronic friends here on model railroader think and what can we do to improve or correct this other than bypassing the DCC chip since they plan to operate in DC mode only..

I was asked, " why would anyone want to operate a unit with smoke?" : Well, BECAUSE it adds to realism. Yes it is dirty. That's the enjoyment of those big machine with lovely whistles. Thanks for any HELP

[NYCentral1]

I've tried to get some answers on installing a smoke unit in a BLI engine, and I haven't gotten a response from anyone.

I have some lionel engines, and I understand how you feel about smoke. It really is a fun effect. When I was first checking out BLI engines, I was completely taken by surprise when I found out they don't smoke. I'm just used to seeing steam engines that smoke.

I tried to check into adding a smoke unit, but I can't find any info about it, and I would also appreciate any help or insight into this idea.

[Anonymous]

If you have talked to bli I would make sure you talk with MR.Jim Hicks he is in charge of their product support.The class A is set up to take a suthe smoke Generator and the conversion manual is online at their web site this may be of some help in installing in the mike and the hudson.Also I would check out Yahoo news groups Broadway limited there are some guys over there doing some pretty techie stuff with their engines installing the speakers in the boiler ,and that is pretty much all they talk about is BLI. I agree that the next step in realism is smoke but realistic smoke units are still a little ways off in my opinion in ho scale.One other suggestion is posting your questions in the prototype forum you may find more answers there compared to here in the general area.Good Luck keep us posted on what you find out If I have not done so before[#welcome] to the forum.Terry

[cacole]

Several people have said that smoke fluid leaves an oily film on everything, which is not what you want around your track. HO scale smoke units I have seen are nowhere near what larger scales produce, either.

It might be possible to mill out the frame for a smoke unit, but even then the add-on smoke units that are available, such as Seuth, produce a very wimpy effect. And remember, the more you mill out the lighter the locomotive becomes, and the fewer cars it can then pull.

Since the electronics are all in the tender and the smoke unit would go in the locomotive, I don't think it would have any effect at all on DCC operation unless you wanted to add DCC control wiring between the decoder in the tender and the locomotive. Then it would be a matter of finding a function wire available on the decoder, and it may not have a spare.