I did a search but didn’t find anything quite like this so, please excuse me if already discussed.
I have a 2037 that does not produce smoke. I am using the new production smoke pellets sold through trainz.com.
It seems that the heater element is working as the pellet melts but no smoke is visible. The air hole through the smoke unit is clear and the piston moves up and down easily.
I’m not sure what the can still be except for the pellets not actually producing smoke.
If the piston is moving and the small air hole in the side is open, and the pellets melt, there should be smoke. If its melting but NOTHING comes out the stack I would guess that the element is not heating up properly anymore. What happens when you turn the voltage to max(with train in neutral)?
Make sure the felt gasket between the smoke unit and the inside of the boiler shell is still present and in good shape. Otherwise your smoke could be going somewhere other than up the stack.
A common problem with the smoke units is that the track voltage that the smoke unit needs to put out a reasonable volume of “smoke” is less than the locomotive needs to pull its train at the speed you want. The straightforward cure for this is to run the train faster than you wanted to. Another workaround is to give the locomotive a train heavy enough that you will need to turn the track voltage up high enough to get your “smoke”. Some people advise removing some of the resistance wire from the smoke-unit heater, to boost its current. I like the idea of instead putting a voltage-dropping element in series with the motor.
Here is a tip: Too much smoke material will actually reduce the amount of smoke generated. Make certain that what is in the smoke unit is consumed before adding another pellet.
Glad its working for you, another thing you can do is hold the engine just above the rails and power up. That will clear the chamber. You can also use smoke fluid but just 2/3 drops at a time.
Why do you ask, did you have a differing experience with the pellets being made by Trainz?
What does “on the sauce” mean?
Can’t speak for anybody else. When I post, I either specify the source, or have direct, personal experience.
For the record, I’ve tried the Tranz pellets. I couldn’t recommend them without doing so.
I’ve also tried the smoke pellets made by Kline some time back.
They work too, but I found their odor to be rather unpleasant.
