Do you care about smoke?

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

I have scene some people who seem to like O Guage diesels having alot of smoke, and set it to full smoke. Some are suprised when they see that “A Lionel engine blowing out a constant stream of smoke!!!??”(AlanH on OGR).

To me, I dont really care if a diesel engine has smoke or not, but, I dont understand why people like to have them at full smoke when running. To me, the smoke smells terrible, and its unprototypical. I have never scene a engine spewing white smoke (Unless its starting up).

So, if you like O Guage diesels to have alot of smoke and good smoke units, why do you like it? I’m curious to know.

2

I guess if I had a diesel with smoke, I would turn it down really low. A diesel looks like it’s burning oil though. I guess it’s just a matter of preference.

3

If I want air pollution that will probably screw up everyone’s lungs, I’ll just vacation in Beijing or Mexico City. I think all toy train smoke, except for brief periods, is a very bad idea.

4

Smoke: I love it! I do agree that from a “prototypical” standpoint (like I really care!), many O Gauge manufacturers’ diesels smoke too much.

But if I’m running my Lionel ALCo RS-11, then I’d expect a goodly amount of exhaust. If only I could get her to do that ALCo “burp” with the HUGE plume of white smoke that would belch forth from unburned fuel!

And if your smoke smells bad, then you’re not using JT’s MegaSteam. There’s a wide variety of scents available, it settles quickly, and produces lovely amounts of vapor!

Jon [8D]

5

I dont care for the fake smoke…its ok in limited use, but most people seem to WAY overdo it.

At a recent large indoor train show, in a HUGE indoor hall, I was with a group operating G-gauge live steam…which output real steam out the stacks…

a woman at the show complained to us about the large amount of smoke in the air…except we werent the problem…it was the 4 or 5 large O-scale layouts at the show that each had multiple operating locomotives, all spewing the thick oily grunge into the air all day…imagine 20 lionel engines, all smoking at once, all day…you could actually see a thin haze in the air all over the building.

On my G-gauge (electric) engines, I rip out the smoke units and throw them away whenever I kitbash an engine.

although I did recycle one smoke unit! a fellow club member, Mary, built an “explosives car”…and I installed a smoke unit, powered by a 9-volt battery…we only operated it one time, but it worked well! the “explosives car” traveled down the track trailing thin whisps of smoke! it made people look twice! :slight_smile:

Scot

6

“SMOKE EM IF YA GOT EM.”

laz57

7

Scott are the live steam engines G scale?

8

yep! :slight_smile:

If you are talking about G scale electric engines, they are called “Large Scale”…because they are larger than N scale, HO, S, O, etc…the largest of the common electric scales.

However, you take the same size models, also running on “G-scale” track, but instead of electric they are now live steam, and they become “Small Scale” live steam! :wink:

Because they are smaller than other live steam engines…smaller than the kind you can ride on for example…so the G-scale live steam world is both “small scale” (small scale steam) and “large scale” at the same time!

“G-scale” live steam is fairly common…quite a bit is available, and new engines come out all the time…here are a few of my pages on the topic:

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/scottychaos/steam.html

http://gold.mylargescale.com/scottychaos/Ruby/RubyAngel.html

http://gold.mylargescale.com/Scottychaos/upstatesteamers/

http://gold.mylargescale.com/scottychaos/steampage.html

Scot

9

I usually turn off the smoke on the few engines I have that do smoke. Just a personal preference because the air is still in our basement. I did just turn on the smoke for a while on my new Plymouth ‘diseasel’ - I liked the thin stream, rather than the great puffs of white stuff.

10

Are those the 2 scales that offer live steam or is there any other scales besides the ones you ride and g scale?

11

Live steam can be found in LOTS of scales:

N-scale (rare, but it exists)
HO-scale (rare, but it exists)
S-scale (rare, but it exists)

O-scale - quite common in Europe, less so in the USA, but its out there, runs on 32mm track.

Several scales that run on 45mm “G-gauge” track:

1/32 scale - standard gauge on 45mm track - quite common.
1/29 scale - standard gauge on 45mm track - less common, but growing.
1/24 scale
1/22.5 scale
1/20.3 scale - 3-foot gauge on 45mm track, probably the most popular scale in the USA.

1/13.7 scale, also called 7/8n2, also called SE45 and SE32.
2-foot gauge on 45mm track, or 18" gauge on 32mm track.
Maine 2-footers and industrial 2-footers are modeled in this scale.
largest models that run on 45mm track.

“Ride-on” scales:

“3/4 inch scale” - the smallest of the “ride-on” scales.
3.5" gauge track.

“1-inch scale” - larger ride-on scale. 4.75" gauge track

“1.5 inch scale” - 7.25" or 7.5" gauge…depending on where you live.
most common and generally the largest of the “ride-on” scales…

1/2 scale - literally half the size of the prototype. someone somewhere does it.

1/1 scale - Full size live steam models, the same size as the prototype.
Is it a model or is it “real”? the line is blurry…
the replica locomotives at the “Golden Spike” historic site in Utah fall under this catagory.

let see…thats 15 different scales…and im sure im missing quite a few!
someone probably does the more obscure scales in live steam, like On30 or HOn3…
but those would not be commercially available.

Scot

12

1" (to the scale foot) or 4-3/4" gauge is basically 1/12 scale

1.5" or 1.6" (to the scale foot) which is either 7-1/4" or 7-1/2" gauge is basically 1/8 scale. 1.5" scale trains can be gauged to run on either track but are prototypically 7-1/4" gauge. 1.6" scale is prototypically 7-1/2" gauge which technically makes them 1/7.5 scale.

Then we get into the “Grand Scales” which can be 15" or 16" gauge or roughly 1/4 scale from full sized.

All of this of course assumes “standard gauge” as the basis however you can find narrow gauge that rides on all gauge of tracks but the scales can be all messed up. For instance you can find a 7-1/2", 2.5" narrow gauge engine which means that they are narrow gauge trains designed for 7-1/2" track which makes them larger than the standard gauge trains designed to run on the same track. There are all sorts of combos.

Then you get into some other less common random sizes but those are the main ones. At our local track here (Houston Area Live Steamers), which I am a member of, we have both 4-3/4" and 7-1/2" gauge track but depending on equipment you may find different scale stock rolling around.

13

Next invention: “The Patch” for Lionel and other toy train engines.

Now if I could just smoke like the lady from the Adams Family.

14

Here’s a few of my candidates for better smelling smoke aromas:

–fried onions

–grilled steak

–french fries

–frying bacon

–fresh baked dinner rolls

–last, but not least, single malt scotch.

Please note that I do no recommend grilled fish or liver aroma.

Honorable mention - fuzzy navel.

After you have run your trains belching out the above, you could open a concession and probably get $20 for a berger and fries and $10 for a shot of scotch to wash it down with.

Bill

15

BILLBOBBY1, I’ll name you’re smoke fluid. The smoke fluid could be called JT’s Chef’smoke fluid!!![:D] Can ya smell what Lionel’s COOKEN’!!![(-D]AAhhh, sounds corny.

16

Yeah the smoke smells really bad, my cloths will absorb it and I smell like it all day. I really like the American flyer smoke, much more pleasing to the nose… as long as I can remember the AF smoke always smelt better… hmm to continue the list from Bill:

Pepperoni Pizza

The wife’s perfume

fresh “Cinnabons”

Chocolate cookies (my daughters favorite)

fresh roasted almonds

Mint

Fresh Pinetree (for the Holidays)

Motor oil (for the diehard gearheads)

Chili

Barbeque Chicken

Smoked Ribs

Corn on the Cob

Baileys and Coffee

How about Lobster?

Hmm now I am getting hungry…