How many of you would like N Scale Steam Locomotives to come equipped or available smoke unit ready in the future?
Personally, I’d rather not. I tried one in HO scale, and found it more trouble than it was worth.
I’ve tinkered with seuthe smoke, seen the synced smoke in HO, meh, I like the sounds better, and a good steamer running right releases little smoke.
Depends on your druthers, its a fun little thing after a while but then you don’t want to put up with its maintenance. But all the little things you can put into the animatronics of a model helps bring it to life more.
I recall someone put working reversing gear in an O scale model steamer.
In my (not so) humble opinion, the only realistic smoke unit for my particular prototype(s) has 550x660mm cylinders, 13<15 kg/cm2 boiler pressure and is hand fired with poor-quality coal.*
The closest model competitor I have ever seen was 1:8 scale, fired with real Welch steam coal.
No way the wispy white puffs of a small (O) or smaller (HO) smoke unit will even suggest the midnight cloud accompanying that first, long cutoff Chuff!!! as the signal clears and the engine crew start earnng their pay. Nor would I really want that grey haze hovering over my layout’s steepest grade for fifteen minutes after the markers disappeared.
Given the above, smokeless joins silent in my list of steam locomotive specifications. If I can’t have the genuine article, I don’t want a poor, anemic substitute.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with smokeless locomotives)
- Present tense deliberate. There are a number of JNR and private railway steam locos still operational in Japan, some in regular tourist service, others steamed up on special occasions.
Hi from Belgium,
Personaly I prefer not, because of many problems it occurs to track and scenery (grease)and second because it’s not very realistic.
The plume of smoke fly slowly like a cigaret smoke and his fly is irregular.
Third, it could cause the model to be more expensive for something which I beleive is more a gadget.
But I admit is always funny to see some smoke coming out the chimney of a small tiny engine.
Marc
Amen.
The only really good looking steam you can get is this one:
http://www.km-1.de/dynamicsmoke4_3.wmv
It is gauge 1 and involves a number of blowers synchronized to the turning of the wheels. The newer version also displays a cute little “stream of steam” when blowing the whistle.
If you plan to operate indoors, make sure the room is well ventilated.
Steam generators in HO or N scale - toy stuff!
I too vote with Mark and Chuck for silent smokeless models until such time as I can aford outdoor ones that run on coal and that I can ride in. - I don’t think a lottery prize that big has been awarded too often, so I guess it will be silent smoke free HO trains for me.
Sheldon
No way. It’s a lot easier to air brush it in…[:D]
Lee
Actually, I’ve been toying with the idea of trying to set a smoke unit up to simulate the cylinder bleeds on a DCC in HO. Doubt it will work, but I gotta try. My take on smoke is like my take on steam. Yeah, it isn’t totally correct. But it’s something a kin to what the real McCoy does, and coupled with the sound chuff, it’s enough for me to convince myself. On the other hand, I haven’t put a smoke unit in my Gen. Big Boy, so, it’s not as big a deal to me
Oh, and oil on the track is in real scale too. The Live Steam Guys were having fits at Trainfest on one hill, the diesels were slipping because of oil from the steam. Not entireely sure where it came from, I think there was an oil engine, maybe the lube n the cylinders, but I know they had problems.
There’s been a brouhaha going over on Atlas N Forum about N-Scale steam locomotives; I’m in considerable agreement with the devil’s advocate who appears to be generating most of the controversy: there are a lot of things I would like to see N-Scale steam locomotives come equipped with . . . . . . . . . . smoke ain’t one of’em!