Help with Lionel smoke unit

I finally gave up trying with mine.  It smokes, but you really can't see it from most viewing angles.  If you open one of the end doors and blow through it, a bunch of smoke comes out the stack.  I think it somehow needs airflow, but can't get enough to push the smoke out the stack.

I don't think they are designed to put out lots of smoke. While moving in a train you can't really see the smoke. When sitting idle the smoke will wisp out.

romiller

try watching this video, even though it is for an engine some tips might work for your caboose.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkDlQ5Cwwlk&feature=related

The smoke unit in the caboose looks nothing like the fan driven smoke unit they're talking about there.  I don't see anything about that video that addresses this issue.  I have a couple of smoking caboose models, and I don't see much smoke either.  I've actually considered trying to pipe a small jet of air into it to see if I could get more smoke...

Add enough fiberglass insulation so that the resistor sits right in it, but not so much that it blocks air flow. 

Thanks for the replies.  Based on the replies it sounds like these caboose smoke units don't smoke very well.  This is the only one I have so I didn't know if there was something wrong.  I did change out the wicking and packed it as advised.  I now do get a little bit of smoke coming out which is a 100% improvement from what I was getting.

Thanks,

Ed

Ed,

In Mike Reagan's "Smoke Units 101" video (see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZlvekT67ws), which is not the one referred to above, he talks about the units used in cabooses and notes that they are subject to airflow resistance when the car is moving. In other words, these non-fan driven things aren't designed to push out smoke in volume but a wispy amount and I have had the same puzzle as you with trying to make one produce a noticeable amount of smoke. Long and short of it is that they don't and I generally switch them off rather than having to worry about whether they need fluid.

"Long and short of it is that they don't and I generally switch them off"

I think your soluton is the best.  Just shut it off and worry about keeping fluid in it.

At least I know there is nothing much that can be done about it.  I thought I had a defective unit.