Watching the latest video featuring a tiny steamer with sound (January 2012 MR), it makes me wonder why we aren’t also getting more steamers with smoke. I know some MTH and Broadway Limited steamers and diesels feature smoke, but shouldn’t this be more common? To me, it’s the missing piece of realism. I still get a pang any time I smell that old American Flyer smoke. Anyone else feel the same way?
Lefty
No one makes realistic smoke in HO scale, or even in G scale. Besides, smoke fluid leaves a sticky, oily film on your track, scenery, locomotives, and rolling stock.
It always looked to me as if someone had stuck a lighted cigarette down the stack. In no way does that wispy smoke drifting away resemble locomotive smoke.
Joe
I was at a layout open house last weekend. It was a beautiful scenic layout, with more craftsman kits than I’ve ever seen in one place other than the Franklin and South Manchester itself. It was set in 1929 and featured numerous steam engines with smoke.
I loved the layout, but after a half-hour or so I was happy to step outside and breathe the fresh air. I find model locomotive smoke to be kind of irritating, personally, and I’d never use it in my own home. Even in the cavernous halls of the Springfiled train show, you can tell when you’re in the same building as the MTH booth. No thanks.
Looks real to me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL9397C02FD94B79EF&feature=player_detailpage&v=gxy1TrXLMtY
If you’re deadset on using smoke, may I suggest some scented oils? Instead of that smell usually associated with smoke oil, you’d have whatever scent you prefer. Personally, for the reasons listed above, I’d recommend not doing it.
Absolutely, that is why I have a small American Flyer set up next to my larger HO scale layout.
What was that phrase uttered in Apocalypse Now, I love the smell of burning smoke fluid in the morning.
Rich
Ulrich:
How long does it take to clean up after you run that thing? It looks real but that is a lot of oil smoke.
Joe
The clean up is not that much of an issue. This is scale 1, big enough to bear a beating. I saw it some years back on a train show and I was impressed. I have to admit, that after watching it for maybe 5 minutes, I had to leave, as my eyes started to burn and respiratory problems showed up.
If you want “steam”, get a “G” scale live steamer, install a bark box, and run it on crystal clear winter days - outside!
The prototypes for my models were hand-fired with poor-quality coal. They didn’t leave little white wisps behind, they left a huge black cloud that lingered for minutes.
Like sound and moving water, if it doesn’t match my memories of the prototype, I prefer nothing to a poor caricature. That’s disregarding my and my wife’s respiratory problems.
A long-ago cartoon in MR summed it up. Every loco and factory chimney was belching black smoke - and the owner and guest were wearing gas masks…
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with virtual smoke, sound and moving water)
Hi,
Well, I still recall fondly the smell of Lionel smoke - something one can always recognize!
My opinion is that we don’t see smoke on today’s HO locos (there are exceptions of course) is the difficulty of putting together a reliable system, and of course the added cost. Smoke units on Lionel were typically the one of the first things to mess up, just due to the nature of the system.
I’ve seen signs posted at a train show in Tucson, Arizona, warning that smoke is in use and anyone with respiratory or allergy problems will not be admitted. I have none of those problems, but left early because it irritated my eyes and the smell was horrible.
Posting these signs may be the result of a threatened lawsuit or complaints filed with the state Department of Environmental Quality.
Sounds very prototypical to me. [(-D]
Rich