Problem with engine smoke and track?

[mikebonellisr]

With this new trend of running steam engines with smoke,I wonder if it's worth it?Years ago I ran a couple of 'toy' engines and the wisp of smoke was'nt worth the trouble of putting in the fluid.After awhile the smell got annoying,any unburned fluid turned to a gel and because,, I guess it is oil based,Ihad to clean the track more often.Has the system and smoke volume improved or would we be asking for more problems?At thier price,I don't think they are aiming at the 'toy' market....Does anyone have experience with this or a opinion?

[cacole]

There was a question posed over on the Garden Railways Magazine forum about smoke fluid, and there have been discussions in this forum about the damage that it can cause. When I was growing up in the 1940's and '50's, I had American Flyer trains with smoke, and remember how terrible it smelled and how it left an oily film on nearby objects. One Garden Railways reader provided first-hand information about the smoke fluid used by American Flyer, and stated that it was nothing more than mineral oil with scent added. A chemist who had analyzed smoke fluid confirmed that statement. Some people agreed that regular use of smoke fluid can leave an oily residue on everything.

Others pointed out that there are different types of smoke generators on the market today in larger scales that include fans to help them generate more smoke, and that special smoke fluids are required for these devices that may not be straight mineral oil. Still others reported good results using scented lamp oil as smoke fluid. Some even speculated that substituting mineral oil or lamp oil could be a fire hazard or could damage the smoke generator.

So, as you can see, the question of smoke fluid is indeed confusing. Personally, I have substituted mineral oil as the fluid used in a fan-driven smoke generator sold by MicroMark (Item 82602) for a club layout's IRS building fire with no noticeable difference in the amount of smoke produced. Mineral oil is certainly cheaper and does not have the sickening scent of most smoke fluids. A quart of mineral oil cost less than a 1 oz. vial of smoke fluid.