I got my recent MR magazine today and was astonished at the article showing the future of model trains. Soon, manufactures are going to release locomotives that smell like the real thing! They said that by pushing a button, the smell would be released as a diesel or steam smell.
Discuss!
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
My immediate reaction to that comment in Terry's editorial was, "Say WHAT???"
Once again falling back on the reality of my chosen prototype, the predominant aroma around the station I renamed Tomikawa was (in 1964) freshly cut cedar. Burning coal and burning diesel fuel had almost no effect at any distance over 25 meters from the source.
Given that, I can live a long, happy life without "smell effects," thank you.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
If this becomes common, you'll find very few people modelling stockyards.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
jeffrey-wimberly wrote:Great, I don't much like the smell of diesel.
No, Jeffrey, severly asthmatic, I about choke goining into/near a yard. Ghastly on a cloudy/rainy day, even burns my eyes.
But may I remind ya'll that some steam locos (I have a O from childhood and a recently aquired HO 0-6-0 that both smoke, if you put the mineral oil in). I don't often get a whiff on the rare occasions I even run it with the puffs coming out, but if I do, I don't really care for it, but it's not bad. I have a feeling that they will do the same with the diesels. The smoke oil (some used pellets) doesn't smell like a real coal burner or wood burner.
I assume that they will do something like that for the diesels- put in a smoke generator- and claim it looks like, smells the real thing! Whoo Hoo!!!
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
Having stood trackside in Galesburg as the EPIC garbage trains went by the depot this last weekend, and remembering the old wood boxcars that would deliver raw animal hides to the local tannery when I was a kid, I hope this trend is not taken to extremes ....
Actually some years ago an outfit tried to do this, and for a while they were a major advertiser in Model Railroader. i think the name was Olfactory Airs and they offered dozens of odors.
Sometimes when you stand trackside you can smell that a given freight car or locomotive is fresh from the paint shop. Neither a pleasant nor an unpleasant odor -- but instantly identifiable.
Dave Nelson
This thread has the potential to get very ripe. That said I prefer my trains au naturel for smell. That makes it easier to detect anything frying. I would be cautious of any manufacturer who would try to do this for that reason.
I still remember seeing a club member's pride and joy custom painted Athearn have a melt down at Malfunction Junction. Melted shell has a peculiar odor and any manufacturer who creates additional smells will have to compete with that IMHO.
I do remember a conversation I had with a Santa Fe brakeman years ago who told me of locating where they were at night in Los Angeles by smell. A sort of railroad smellavision for the time. So the idea may have some merit for those modelers who are spacially challenged or have night vision issues during nightime operations of their pikes.
Jeffrey,I notice a difference in diesel fumes..I enjoy the hot oil and diesel fumes from a locomotive but,diesel fumes from trucks smells to high heaven..I always hated when 5 or 6 trucks was backed up to the docks with the motors running.. I can't think of anything that smells worst other then a pig farm or stock yard.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
BRAKIE wrote: jeffrey-wimberly wrote:Great, I don't much like the smell of diesel.Jeffrey,I notice a difference in diesel fumes..I enjoy the hot oil and diesel fumes from a locomotive but,diesel fumes from trucks smells to high heaven..I always hated when 5 or 6 trucks was backed up to the docks with the motors running.. I can't think of anything that smells worst other then a pig farm or stock yard.
Our club had one of the small out houses with the half moon on it, and none of us wanted any of the reall smell from that building.
Cheers
GREAT! Then we'll have the EPA step in and dictate how we run our trains. Clubs will have to buy "carbon credits" for extended OP's sessions.
Weren't we supposed to have Smell o Vision 20 years ago? THAT still hasn't happened. (thank GOD)
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dknelson wrote: Actually some years ago an outfit tried to do this, and for a while they were a major advertiser in Model Railroader. i think the name was Olfactory Airs and they offered dozens of odors. Dave Nelson
I remember them, I believe Olfactory Airs is correct. There was a like a little heater that warmed up the scented liquid. They offered everything from pine trees to cow manure (for stockyards/stockcars). IIRC the company went out of business because the owner was convicted of something involving mail fraud or something relating to the company??
loathar wrote: Weren't we supposed to have Smell o Vision 20 years ago? THAT still hasn't happened. (thank GOD)
Actually, it already has happened. Pretty much everything on TV stinks these days.
Really? Maybe it's just me, but I LOVE the smell of diesel exhaust. I'm not sure why, though. Is that weird?
When all of my railfanning buddies and I go to an old wooden bridge that passes over a 1% graded stretch of track, we always stand right over the tracks. When a northbound comes, It's always in at least Run 6 battling that hill. We always say: "Hold on to your hats and take a wiff!"
Note: We aren't feeling so good when a GE with a blown turbo goes under...
(Photo taken at the old wooden bridge described above. Yep, it's a northbound. Photo by Chuck Hinrichs)
-Brandon
Harking back to ancient history, when The Silver Plate Road was a regular feature in Model Railroader, Mister Van and Gwyl visited a fellow, and noticed that they could smell frying bacon every time his dining car ran by. Then the chap whipped off the roof to reveal a smoke unit loaded with bacon drippings...
Sure beats the tar out of a Texas feed lot.
As for the worst possible smell - aged Crispy Critter (very unlikely to be found on a model railroad, thank God.) Elephant droppings aren't exactly perfume, either.
The 3-rail crowd uses scented oil to produce smoke in their engines. I tried the one scented for coal smoke but there is a fine line between coal smoke and burning tires! This was more like the tires!
I think the situation has a lot to do with it. If I'm on a steam train excursion trip, I pay good money for the occasional faceful of smoke and love it. If the same smells came from my neighbor's yard, I'd probably be really annoyed. It's all in the situation!
Jim