Hi Mike, I have three bli steam loco's and I use Mega Steam smoke fluid. The smoke is white and does not look to bad. They come in many scents but the one's I use are coal and the pellet scent.
Dennis
I don't think I want prototypical smoke. After all there was a reason the engineer had a kerchief around his neck. The only thing that I saw produce anything like the prototype might be those old Lionel units with the pellets. (And then you left the room coughing).
Joe Staten Island West
I have one smoke equiped loco. Ran it for 20 minutes out of the box. Stunk up the basement and set off the smoke detector. Enough of that.
D
As long as the loco is actually equipped to produce smoke... It's generally not a good sign when they produce smoke on their own. ;)
JoeinPA All of which certainly aren't lung friendly even if the smoke is "beyond awesome".
All of which certainly aren't lung friendly even if the smoke is "beyond awesome".
Rich
Alton Junction
Smoke units are CRAP.....weather in a steamer or a diesel....just plain CRAP......they put out CRAP.....and then you breathe that CRAP.
I refused to help out with open houses this season because of the smoke CRAP.
Did I mention that smoke in any scale is CRAP?
Dennis Blank Jr.
CEO,COO,CFO,CMO,Bossman,Slavedriver,Engineer,Trackforeman,Grunt. Birdsboro & Reading Railroad
Sorry, not impressed, doesn't look relalistic at all.
Cheers
Roger T.
Home of the late Great Eastern Railway see: - http://www.greateasternrailway.com
For more photos of the late GER see: - http://s94.photobucket.com/albums/l99/rogertra/Great_Eastern/
big daydreamer The only times you really notice smoke coming from a diesel is when it is starting up, is under a heavy load (Alco or older GE units mainly), or is in desperate need of maintenance work (as mentined previously). For this reason, I don't consider smoke generators for diesel models to be worthwhile. PM Railfan The owner uses a small concealed box to hold two resisters (that have had the insulation removed leaving the fibers intact) that when charged with electricity, become hot enough to melt. Not totally, just melt enough to produce smoke. And obviously, lots of it! There is also a video on YouTube that the owner shows how its made. Lots of wiring. Best model smoke I have ever seen. I second your "beyond awesome" claim! How to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3_WdSFei2M Well, according to the video it actually burns fiberglass wicks (apparently these are made for oil lamps) and the resistors are the heating elements.
The only times you really notice smoke coming from a diesel is when it is starting up, is under a heavy load (Alco or older GE units mainly), or is in desperate need of maintenance work (as mentined previously). For this reason, I don't consider smoke generators for diesel models to be worthwhile.
PM Railfan The owner uses a small concealed box to hold two resisters (that have had the insulation removed leaving the fibers intact) that when charged with electricity, become hot enough to melt. Not totally, just melt enough to produce smoke. And obviously, lots of it! There is also a video on YouTube that the owner shows how its made. Lots of wiring. Best model smoke I have ever seen. I second your "beyond awesome" claim! How to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3_WdSFei2M
The owner uses a small concealed box to hold two resisters (that have had the insulation removed leaving the fibers intact) that when charged with electricity, become hot enough to melt. Not totally, just melt enough to produce smoke. And obviously, lots of it!
There is also a video on YouTube that the owner shows how its made. Lots of wiring. Best model smoke I have ever seen. I second your "beyond awesome" claim!
How to video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3_WdSFei2M
Well, according to the video it actually burns fiberglass wicks (apparently these are made for oil lamps) and the resistors are the heating elements.
Joe
GromittThis is a video of a Roco steam loco with dynamic smoke
Sounds like someone sawing plywood with a dull blade.
The entire hobby is filled with "not quite real" things. I love smoke, my better half loves it too. If you're going to get rid of anything that isn't prototypical, you need to make sure that you only run mile long trains around 60" radius curves, and if you're lucky maybe you can model 1/2 of small town before running out of space.
And sound, it's so unprototypically hollow, you may as well as just disable it all together.
Smoke is fun :) The only time I compromise and buy a non-smoking steam engine is if I'm buying a cheap Bachmann - good runners, but for $120 I can't complain about the lack of smoke.
Hey Rich.....
"Beyond awesome"? Definately!
"The divorce"? Well, unfortunately it isnt mine. But I would like to ask the same question you did of the owner . Id risk the divorce .
And just for you my friend... heres two more links of the same loco....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-4l4qIdNjc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn9qSvsW3bk
Enjoy!
Not your average 5 year old's smoking loco, huh! A little info about it if your interested:
It is a home made device that uses NO fluid. However, the method used while being creative, has to smell like burning electronics because thats exactly how it works.
Douglas
Sir Madog NP2626 - it´s not G scale, but scale 1. G scale is a mix of scales and gauges - from 1/20.3 up to 1/29. Scale 1 is is the correct 1/32 for standard gauge. Roco now offers similar steam features in HO scale - see this video. I still think it´s a little thin and the wrong color
NP2626 - it´s not G scale, but scale 1. G scale is a mix of scales and gauges - from 1/20.3 up to 1/29. Scale 1 is is the correct 1/32 for standard gauge.
Roco now offers similar steam features in HO scale - see this video.
I still think it´s a little thin and the wrong color
Ulrich, I meant PM Railfan's video which states it is G-scale. The video you presented is impressive, also whatever scale it is!
NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association: http://www.nprha.org/
And then there is this puny little smoker.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHI5VHBwIfI
Some great videos here. I enjoyed them all. Here is one from the BRVRR of a BLI Niagara with the smoke unit working. The relevant part is the introduction to the video from 1-30 seconds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esMZ_mVBhPI
As to the smell of the smoke, we use Mega-Steam smoke fluid which comes in a variety of scents including Coal-Fired Steam, Christmas Pine and Cranberry Woods among others.
Remember its your railroad
Allan
Track to the BRVRR Website: http://www.brvrr.com/
Rich - I have seen these locos performing in person and I have to admit it is quite impressive. There is even a small plume of smoke emitted from the whistle when you operate it! I wish I had the space and the funds to build a scale 1 layout! A loco is priced to the tune of $ 3.500 and the consumption of smoke fluid is also a drain on one´s budget. The flip side of it is - you need quite a large, well vented room. I find the fumes irritating.
Sir Madog Smoke? Smoke!
Smoke?
Smoke!
PM Railfan You want smoke? You got it!!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhH9HJiBRX4
You want smoke? You got it!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhH9HJiBRX4
That is beyond awesome.
Was that indoor video taken before or after your divorce?
Tell a 5 year old that model train smoke is not prototypical.
I just bought a Paragon 2 steam engine. My grandson only wants to run that sucker. LOL
I spoke to the technician at BLI, and he assured me that the smoke unit will not harm the locomotive, just don't run it dry. And BLI locos accept any brand of smoke fluid, not just the BLI brand.
I gotta go back and watch PM Railfan's video again. I love it !
The last two videos are much better. The last is in G scale and possibly the larger scales make better candidates for smoke. I don't know if HO scale works for smoke. This certainly is a question that should be left up to the individual. If you want it, fine. If you don’t, don’t buy smoke equipped locomotives or turn the smoke option off.
I appreciate all the replies on the smokin' locos topic. After reading all the feedback, I am inclined to turn the smokin' feature off if I do buy the Paragon 2 engines I'm considering. Thanks!
123mike
I used to think that the smoke feature was a must and didn't appreciate people having a negative view on it. But as time went by, I did come to appreciate what they were saying. I do wish they would make a unit that would look prototypical. With that said I own many smoke engines and it has never affected the performance of the engine
Joe C
No smoke unit has ever fooled me and made me think I was looking at a prototype loco. The "smoke" flows around the layout as a wispy something-or-other. Something like the ground-hugging fog in the graveyard in a low budget horror film. I've never seen a model produce the billowing plumes of steam that a real steam loco produces. The closest I ever saw was on one of these threads, showing a loco that had a "vape" system added. In that case, there was too much steam and it didn't always come from the right places at the right time, but the overall effect was far better.
I could imagine a non-nicotine vape system being developed, but we're certainly not there yet. And of course, there may be major problems that I haven't anticipated.
Tom
Interesting video, but it also shows why some people do not like the effect. Real steam is light and floats away. This "steam" is a bit heavier than air. Looking at time stamps 0:40 and 1:20, the steam, particularly from the cylinder drain cocks, flows down the hillside. Also, to be accurate, the cylinder cock steam should shut off after a short running time.
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
If we can suspend disbelief, whatever helps us to dig deeper into the scale experience is good. Unfortunately, while the tinny sound possible today in HO scale locos is reasonable to me, and does truly make my enjoyment better, the smoke is a definite "Meh." Doesn't have the correct volume, the correct smell, or even the right look. Sound is limited and doesn't scale well, but the purely white wisps of smoke, even with rhythmic puffs, just doesn't cut it for me. So, step one upon receipt of a new BLI Paragon 2 steamer is to invert the loco and slide the smoke switch to off.
One other complaint, but only related somewhat; I have purchased three Paragon 2 locos from a certain dealer, and in all three cases the smoke container was not present when I opened the box for the first time. Am I alone in this? Do some of you get smoke tubes?
That's pretty cool, Gromitt.
Really, there are a lot of things in our models and layouts that are not really to scale.... curved track, ground foam...locomotive sound.
Sometimes, you have to acknowledge the limitations and like something simply because its cool. And the smoke coming from the loco in that video is cool.
Having said that, I hope smoke coming from diesel models will somehow be black. I'm thinking Alcos and Uboats.
- Douglas
This is a video of a Roco steam loco with dynamic smoke
/stefan