Have ordered parts for a postwar Lionel Locomotive 675 pill type smoker and need for someone to advise me what order the following parts are inserted;
Fiberglass piece
Wire wound heater
Plastic insulators
Many thanks in advance
chickenskinmusic,
See whether this helps:
http://pictures.olsenstoy.com/cd/locos/locsua4.pdf
From bottom to top:
Fiberglass mat, heater element, insulator, smoke unit cap, felt gasket.
If the cap is metal, as were the originals, you need the insulator where the wire goes through the cap. If the cap is plastic, you don’t really need the insulator, although it may help to seal up the top. The original “cement” that Lionel used to keep the cap on is no longer available. You may be able to get along without anything, especially if you get a plastic cap. If not, try an auto parts store and ask for a fairly high temperature sealant and/or come back to the forum. Perhaps someone else has an idea for a modern replacement.
The little “ground strap” on the heater element should be bent (gently!) up over the base and down again so that it is entrapped by the cap and makes good electrical contact. (It completes the electrical circuit, so ensure that the area where it touches the base is clean and free of oxidation and old smoke pellet residue.) Sometimes this is all you need to keep the cap on via friction-fit.
Is the title of this thread an interrogative, an imperative, or what? The PC patrol needs to know!
Just use pink insulation from your house. Works better.
And here I thought we were talking about medicinal purposes of…oh never mind[(-D]
Saints preserve us! Somebody FINALLY got one of my jokes. Congratulations, anjdevil2.
As Elvis wouold say…Thankyou,thankyouverymuch![swg]
Are the smoke pills placed directly on top of the wire heater itself? Or is a plastic insulator placed over the heater wire before the pill is put in[%-)]?
chickenskinmusic,
- If you have the correct replacement parts for the smoke unit in the 675 loco, the cap is goes above the heater unit but should not touch it. There is no “insulator” over the heater element as that would defeat the purpose. The caps come in two flavors: metal, generally used for pellet-based systems; and plastic, generally used in fluid-based systems.
You just drop one pellet down the smokestack directly on to the heater element. When the smoke output ceases, and only then, pop another pellet. If a pellet gets stuck in the stack, use a wooden popsicle stick or the like to push it gently until it drops onto the coils of the heating element where it will quickly melt. Do not use anything that can conduct electricity.
Despite what I said in the first paragraph above, many folks use smoke fluid rather than the pellets in the “pellet-type” smoke units. It generally works fine unless you use too much. Too much fluid is likely to overflow and run down inside the locomotive. Also, if you don’t burn it completely it will run out whenever you invert the locomotive. According to Lionel (see link below) too much (more than 1-2 drops) will “drown” the element and prevent it from getting hot enough to vaporize the fluid – leaving you with no smoke at all until you pour out the excess.
- If your supplier sold you a “liquid-type” conversion kit, the parts are a bit different, so the above instructions may not strictly apply.
If the parts in your kit look like those in the link to the diagram from the “library” at Olsen’s, it’s a pellet-type and you’re good to go.
As far as I know (unless you can locate some of the expensive originals at a train show) there is currently only one manufacturer of smoke pellets, although several parts suppliers now carry them.
There are many sources for smoke fluid. You might try J.T.
bfskinner,
Many thanks for your information[C):-)]