Colored or black smoke?

Simple answer, it doesn't exist, at least for model train smoke units.

 

The reason that the "smoke" is white is that it's really mineral oil vapor.  To get black smoke, you have to burn something, and I suspect you don't want that happening inside your smoke unit!

 

 

Yep, that amounts to having additional particulates suspended in the air, and that may not bode well for one's respiratory system, especially those that have or are prone to asthma (most people with such afflictions can barely, if at all, tolerate regular toy train smoke as it is).

 

Plus, as the old saying goes, what goes up, must come down.  Don't think I would be very keen on having black (or any other color) residue settling all over the trains & layout.

 

Truth is, if a steam engine is pumping out black smoke, that's from one or two reasons:  1) The fireman isn't keeping the locomotive fired properly, or 2) It's being done deliberately for run-bys for photo opportunities.

I've had some experience with colored smoke.  It STAINS everything it touches.  

That sums up the situation. Colored or black smoke contains cinders, oil droplets and other impurities. They are a nuisance in the real world. In 5 minutes or less they would gum up a layout and make a train room uninhabitable.

 

Colored or black smoke sounds good and generates the occasional thread. But even if it could be done in models (Super Chuffer Board II?), no one could put up with it.

 

SUPERSMOKE ®

 

Check out SUPERSMOKE, Smoke Fluid - Bart's Pneumatics Corp.

Lancaster, PA 17601

Where does it say anything about black smoke in any of the Supersmoke information?

 

Bart's Pneumatics Corp. Home Page

I use barts smoke fluid and it never had fluid that is black or any other color now or in the past.

It is my understanding that on a real steam engine, white smoke is the sign of a good fire. Why would you want black?

Rode behind a steam engine a few years back on a warm summer day in open windowed passenger cars.  Had bits of soot over all of our clothes after only a short ride!  I don't think you really want black smoke.  

When one sees "white smoke" from a real steam locomotive, that is actually steam vapor and NOT "smoke". When the weather is cool, then the "steam vapor" cloud can be easily  seen, however when the temperatures are hot & dry, there is then no visible vapor cloud, only the clear, grayish, or black exhaust smoke from the fire (oil or coal).

Thanks for your input, Hot Water.

I suspect we've conveyed the basic idea, no black smoke.

 

I realize you mean steamers but for diesel guys FMs and EMDs were known to blow blue smoke for a few minutes on startup or acceleration - burning off leaked oil and such.  This photo is from a similar topic a few years back. 

 

 

A tiny blue LED shown in the inset mounts in the stack.  This was just a proof-of-concept mock-up as this is obviously a steamer and the wires are exposed.  A simple timer could turn on the LED for a few minutes to simulate the prototype.

 

We were all new once and at one time or another each and every one of us didn't know and worse didn't know better. We learn by asking questions and there are no stupid questions only stupid answers.

The slightly more complex answer ("it ain't happenin'" being the simple one) is that unless you want to die sooner than need be, or at least get quite ill, filling the air inside your train room with black aerosolized particulates or droplets is a decidedly bad idea .  Unfortunately we have lungs and require oxygen.  Unless you're prepared to wear a HazMat suit with an independent supply of clean air, having colored or black toy train smoke is not advisable.