Do You Run Smoke with Steam & Diesel?

I will run steam smoke for a short time but it bothers my sinus'. Unless it's an old Alco or an engine that needs service, diesels only have exhaust smoke so once I know the smoke unit works, off it goes.

Jim

Yes, with steam all the time. That's a must. Diesels occasionally.

For sure when running steam!

Well at least until I can't see across the room anymore. 

Diesels not so much. Occasionally.

Rod

Same as Joe with steam. Diesels depend on what I am running but definitely yes with the two GE U33c's I have. Also it depends on if I feel like using smoke. 

Doug even with your Nickel Plate Road/NS ES44ac?

I turn off the smoke in all my diesels.  Real life diesels don't make white clouds out of their smoke stacks, they make black exhaust!

Doesn't it bother anyone here that we use the same mechanism and fluid for 1) steam engine steam 2)steam engine smoke from the firebox and 3) diesel exhaust.

Those are three completely different things!

I have zero interest in smoke and steam effects.

Rusty

Absolutely, smoke with both steam and diesel. I find this to be very appealing, and for visitors to the layout, they just love the smoke effect. Having a good exhaust system helps as well.

I run all of my engines, both steam and diesel, with as much smoke as they can generate. If I can see across my train room after 10 minutes of running, then I need to run some more engines.  Mega-Steam is my engines' best friend. 

Love it but in small doses as my train room is pretty small. Especially love the diesels with double stacks and the steamers that occasionally shoot the little smoke rings. Visitors love that!

All the steam engines on my roster need to smoke all day, everyday.

The diesels don't need to, I run them mostly with the smoke units off if they have one.

If the engine smokes, I use it.

I have diesels only, no steam and use smoke until my wife complains, or the basement gets too smoky, then I turn it off for a while.

steam only, diesels are turned off.

Art,

I do not use smoke for the following reasons:

1) The fluid messes up the weathering when it spits back out of the stack, whether steam or diesel.

2) The fall-out from the "smoke" vapor gets all over the track & scenery, i.e. what goes up, comes down on everything.

3) I hava asthma, and similar to cigarette smoke, some of the brands of smoke fluids give me breathing issues.  

Not a bit, they are just toys after all.

If it has a smoker, and it works, I run it when I can.

I like to.  Steam or diesel, it is fun.    I use JT's Nada - it has very little smell but it has a bit of odor, and my wife has a sensitive sense of smell, so I often do not . . .

No smoKe. See Hot Water's comment above.

Besides-Pictures I've seen and real trains I've experienced mostly put out black smoke, not the silly fru-fru white smoke we get in our models.

Which model locomotives are you referring to that have "steam engine smoke from the firebox"?  Rarely does "smoke" ever come out of the "firebox", unless it is an oil burning steam locomotive and the Engineer shuts the throttle off without notifying the Fireman, thus the fire & smoke "woofs" out of the air intakes.  I have not seen any models that exhibit smoke exiting the firebox, yet.

Personally, I run both! Thanks for asking! But I prefer steam.

Mike Maurice

Steam set to max, diesel set to light

Clem

Run steam and Diesel with smoke ON. I do like the effect, and I don't worry so much about being prototypical.

I even make sure to have them repaired should they malfunction. Like my LHS says: "You paid for the feature, why not make sure it works and use it?"

$0.02 of appropriate currency.

Bruce

Pumpkin pie, hot chocolate and vanilla!

Peter

About the only time I turn on the smoke units is for open houses or when we have a lot of visitors, and only briefly at that. 

Smoke and sound in either steam or diesel are for visitors to the layout only and only for them to see how "cool" it is.

Very interesting replies.  I have a friend that runs smoke all the time on his basement layout and it has developed a stale, unpleasant odor that reminds me of the stale smoke and beer smell of a neighborhood tavern.  He has admitted to smoking cigars in his garage but claims that he never does in the basement.  Does make me wonder? 

Hot Water - I particularly enjoyed your well thought out comments.  I never thought about whether it would have any effect on your weathering or track cleanliness.  Both my wife and I have become very sensitive to any air pollution issues and can very much relate to your comment about asthma. 

I really enjoy looking at smoke, but am not able to tolerate breathing it much any more.  It makes me feel like a party pooper when I have to leave a run session somewhere because the smoke is getting to me.

Great comments.

Art

Ditto X3 on all Hot Water. People need to read and re-read #2. That crud settles on just about everything. You have doubts? Just wait until you want to repaint your train room. You'll need at least two coats of, "Kilz" applied after you wash all the walls.

One more reason why I love my vintage prewar...NO SMOKE...Thank you!

I like smoke from both the diesels as well as steam engines.  (And actually, I have an electric - the Milw BiPolar from MTH, that also smokes.  Supposed to be from the steam generator.)  If I'm by myself and just running a train or two I might not bother to fill the smoke unit and then I'll shut it off, but if I have company, all the more smoke; the better.  Many visitors have never seen as much smoke as modern locomotives produce.  I even installed an exhaust fan in one side of the train room to keep some of the smoke from going upstairs and bothering my wife.

Paul Fischer

All smoke units turned to off, except for short demos.  Not a good idea to inhale vaporized hydrocarbons in large amounts.  Health risks uncertain but probable upon frequent and/or intense exposure.  Obviously some folks find what is essentially mineral oil vapor an acute irritant, at best, particularly if you already have hyperactive

airway problems.

No smoke!

Mickey SELLIGMANSELLIGMAN

When running steam I always use smoke.  I use smoke very rarely with my diesels.  Heavy smoke with diesels just doesn't seem to look right to me.

Yes, coal scented smoke for the steamers. A smoking Diesel is "broken". Always run with them "off". The only smoking diesel I might consider would be a N&W Alco blowing smoke out of the louvers on the side panels. Very prototypical! Haven't seen this done (yet).

Gilly

I don't know why people say diesels don't smoke.

Joe

Are you sure that D&H Alco isn't on fire?

I almost always use smoke with steam, far less often with diesels. It's more trouble to keep diesels filled up. Most of them require a funnel, and you've got two or three or four smoke units to keep track of instead of just one. A lot of them have double stacks, which form blockages and you have to blow in the stack to get them smoking again. When I'm operating at the museum, I'm multitasking, keeping an eye on the layout, fixing problems, talking to visitors, etc. Keeping up the smoke on a set of diesels is an extra item that I may or may not have time for. 

Only Diesels I have are Galloping Geese. No smoke in them.

All my Steamers smoke well but I don't run it a lot as it bothers my wife.

I will run it on the main layout and for Visitors.