Do or do not? I have a 1950 Lionel 4-6-4 and half-full bottle of 1950-era smoke pills that I’d like to save for posterity. Has anyone tried (successfully or unsuccessfully) using oil instead of pills in these old locomotives? I know a conversion kit is available and I know someone is making the (pricey) pills. Just wanted to see what the party line was on this topic.
Thanks.
Question has come up before. Can be done. A few drops should do it. Don’t go overboard with the liquismoke stuff.
CJ Meyers
Yep, smoke fluid is fine, Like CJ said, just a few drops until you see how many drops work best for you engine. too much will not increase smoke output.
**Neo…**sounds like you have a 2046 Hudson. I’ve neen using the liquid smoke in mine for about 20 years, no problema. 4-5 drops and you are good to go. You also might want to do a search (Search Community on the right side of the page) in this forum on how folks get more output from their smoke units. There’s a lot of great stuff in the archives on prewar, postwar, “modern” smoke units, and the liquids that are on the market.
Jack
Jack
Neo Fender,
The 2046 Hudson’s smoke unit is pretty durable and as Jack said, you can actually use more than two drops, but I try to stay with three drops for fear of ruining the smoke unit’s element.
This is a great locomotive with a fairly powerful motor and the 1950 version with Magne-Traction helps, not only with ascending and descending elevated structures, but also with a consist of up to seven, or slightly more, of the older cars which were heavier and did not have fast angle wheels, as the newer cars.
I bought mine second hand in 1971 and it’s still going-smoke, e-unit and all, yes, including the light bulb.
Back when, Lionel made little machines that just kept on running, of course T.L.C. always helps.
The Hudson was a work of art, amogst the many master pieces, which Lionel created.
That’s why Lionel, aside from their martketing strategies, were popular and number one for years.
Enjoy,
Ralph
I haven’t had a problem with residue buildup in the 2046 smoke unit heating element, nor have I had any issues with the piston mechanism getting gummed up while using the liquid either. But I run the engine until the smoke output wanes and the stuff has (mostly) burned off.
As Ralph said, the 2046 is virtually bulletproof. Because of it’s motor and weight, it is a credible hauler with decent traction, provided the Magnetraction is still strong and the drive wheels and track are clean. The only “repair” I have done is replacement of the original wires. Cleaning, lubrication, and a new set of brushes and brush springs round out the maintenance. Not bad after a zillion operating hours and over 5 decades of operation.
Jack
I too have a 2046 and very much agree with the rest of the comments made here about that model. It is darned near bullet proof and after 58 years is still running good with only some maintainance and a new valve gear assembly on one side. The only difference is that I don’t have good luck using liquid smoke in mine either so I’m going back to the pills.
Mike
Check the wiring condition and the solder joints in your engine. I replaced mine a few years back. These lousy 59 year old wires just don’t seem to hold up. [;)] Then make sure the piston (that acts like a bellows, forget what it’s called) is seated properly and moving freely to force the smoke out the stack.
My 2046 requires about 10 volts from the ZW while pulling a half dozen empty cars…much more voltage and holding the curves becomes problematic. The engine was listed by Lionel as O27 and it is…barely. At this voltage level, the heating element isn’t really putting out enough heat to get the engine smoking really good. If I recall, I had the same issue back when I was running the smoke pills. I’ve had the engine since it was new.
So I add weight to the cars on the shorter consists. Or just add cars to increase the load. At 12 volts the smoke is fairly good for a postwar engine. I also let the engine stand in nuetral at 12 volts when I begin an operating session and let the heating element warm up for about 30 seconds before adding fluid. That helps.
Jack