Of my 12 engines only 1 still has the smoke unit in it, a Railking Imperial 0-6-0, only because I haven't taken it apart lately.

Although I like the look of a steam engine steaming, I don't like cleaning up afterwards and with my sense of smell practically gone, what little I do smell of the smoke smells awful.

Besides, I never run my trains unattended so even if I did have a fire I'd be there to put it out.

Ummmm.  No.  Smoke 'em if ya got 'em.

Geez what next a warning telling you not to run your engines in the bath tub?

No, I'm smoke em too!!

I paid good money for smoke fluid. I will use it.

...keep the rails polished...

KC,

I think the hardest ones I took apart were the Legacy GP9 and 3rd Rail E7.  Easiest was a Railking 2-8-0, 4 screws and the boiler shell falls off the chassis.

One good thing about removing them, it gives you more space inside the engine to work with.

I've been running trains for almost 60 years. I have been a member of an O-Gauge club for over 25 years. I always run with smoke on steam engines and steam engines are my prefered type of engine. I have never seen a smoke unit fire. Just because there is a report of a instance or two on the forum, is no reason to stop using one of the standard features of steam engines. If you read that a man got hit by a car crossing the street, do you stop crossing the street? No. you may be careful when you cross but random s__t happens. Of course I won't stop running with smoke.

After reading the Thread  “Smoke Unit Fire”  I was shocked that a fire is possible every time I run my trains with the Smoke units on.

Really?  You got that from that thread?  Because I got that a guy running an engine in Conventional mode installed an element of the wrong kind and then cranked the voltage too high, which burned the wicking. 

But if you want to purchase "Vision Line" engines at a premium, and then not use the features you paid dearly for, knock yourself out.

Jon

BINGO!

Next thread:" Lionel is no longer supplying any spare parts"

Turn Them Smoke Units Off! ?? This is just a early April Fools joke? Right?

I have never turned a smoke unit on and domestic tranquility has prevailed. Any way I don't like the smoke myself but never conceded as much to her.

Just follow your O-gauge druthers and quit arguing.

c'mon what are the chances? in all the years you have been in this hobby, how many smoke units that you know of have caught fire. and of those, how many did any real property damage. I have heard about many more switch motors going up in smoke in the past year than smoke units in the past 10 years. better off removing those switch motors. I love the smoke features on my engines, they are a major draw to many and pretty safe as well.

LOL...hey I have seen warning labels on strollers that advise you to remove the child before collapsing the stroller....

I run em' with smoke...a bunch of smoke....  But I also have an exhaust fan running over the layout.

K.C.

My issue was not keeping a close eye on the fluid level of a smoke unit that was still new to me.  I think that you are safe to run your locomotives smoke units.

Paul

Jon,

I didn't have the voltage "cranked up", the unit itself was made for what I wanted, but my problem was that I did not keep a close enough eye on the fluid level. Thanks.

Paul

Kooljock hit the nail on the head, I believe. The statement in 3rd Rails instruction book was put there soley to warn that you would not be able to return an engine for a refund IF it had smoke residue on the paint finish; I do NOT believe it was put there as a warning of impending doom if you use the smoke unit.

I have had one instance of a smoke unit getting too hot in 64 years of smoke unit running; I think I'll take my chances and continue my hazardous life-style.....

I have 18 volts to my tracks all the time.  Not sure how this is relevant.  I think Jon pretty much sums it up.

It certainly is a choice but to advise folks NOT to use them? 

These guys found this thread rather amusing!...

I did, too!

KD

KD,

That's funny!!

Paul

Dewey,

I like the part that I posted above. My vintage prewar Std & O-Gauge have never smoked and I like them that way. I've heard many Pros & Cons regarding our toy train hobby and the possible risks surrounding the use of smoke products. As a retired health care practitioner I have my own doubts concerning this also. So if anyone you love and care for has COPD, COLD or CHF think about them.

If you are using the smoke on your engines, just make sure that you have an up to date fire department on your layout ready to go!

Sounds like someone is trying to run JT's Mega-Steam out of business.

Jack

If people want to be paranoid and not run their smoke because their afraid the engine is going to self ignite knock yourself out. I'll keep smoking my engines as I have for years with no problems  

"So what do you think…should we make this a Smoke Free Hobby."

No

......I just hope folks are picking up their trains with gloves on. Theres a far greater risk of lead poisoning from the paint.

There hasn't been a Lionel train made that doesn't have lead in the paint. The postwar stuff had lead in it cause "we" didn't know any better. The korean/chinese stuff has lead cause they just don't care, and probably at higher levels than the classic Lionel stuff.

....you just keep worrying about that smokestack fire though...

"Why is lead paint — or lead, for that matter — turning up in so many recalls involving Chinese-made goods?"

"The simplest answer, experts and toy companies in China say, is price. Paint with higher levels of lead often sells for a third of the cost of paint with low levels. So Chinese factory owners, trying to eke out profits in an intensely competitive and poorly regulated market, cut corners and use the cheaper leaded paint."

"The regulations are supposed to safeguard health, particularly in cases involving children, where ingesting excessive amounts of lead has been linked to disorders including mental retardation and behavioral problems."

My biggest concern, and I think I saw it mentioned once (here or elsewhere?) is smoking up the room and setting off the alarms.  If the REAL fire dept. shows up

that will be a bigger PIA.

Is this more PC malarkey, If so I will always run the smoke units at high output so I can chase those varmits out of my basement.

I would be VERY, VERY worried if you are using smoke fluid that would burn.  I'm fairly sure any reputable company produces smoke fluid with the primary ingredients of propylene glycol and glycerin.  aka E-cigarette liquid.  For all practical purposes, it doesn't burn, and is safe and non-toxic.  Both ingredients are in pretty much any preserved food.  

Not to disrespect anyone, but a Very entertaining thread...

Once upon a time, I worked in a boiler room that had a large hand-written sign hanging between the boilers that said,"Chief Engineer sez smoking is bad for your health!", but that was just to avoid the nasty black smoke that means you are wasting fuel.

The trains? I say smoke away until domestic objections are encountered, or said smoke unit dies.

It is prototypical however:

To add to my previous post...I'm more concerned about the 18VAC running around my upstairs layout than I am about the smoke.  A short could possibly start a fire IF (and that's a big if) the circuit breakers didn't trip.  And to add to that, I'm not that concerned

Until the NSTB (aren't/shouldn't they be involved in any/all accidents on our RRs?) puts out a memo saying we have to remove the smoke units from our engines, I think most of you guys are safe

You guys are kidding, right? No smoke, give me a break.

looks like paranoia is taking over some of you guys, run your trains, have them smoke up a storm, have fun. 

As John P. Said, PC running amok. 

Smoke 'em if you got them.  I love the look of a steamer with copious amounts of smoke.  I'm sorry I can't join this movement, I'll keep using my smoke units, thanks!

This strikes me as overly cautious.  Smoke units get hot, but they are intended to.  Over the past 64 years of running trains, I have had several burn out, but never burn up and start a fire.  I imagine my toaster oven could spontaneously catch fire too, but I use it every morning in spite of that.

It does seem prudent to watch the loco while the smoke unit is on,  but then that is the whole point of i,t right?  So no problem there.  When I cruise my locosfor long periods of time when I might not be paying rapt attention to them, I turn the units off, not out of safety concerns but because I don't want that much smoke.  

And the thread about 3rd Rail's policy and the manual warning about their smoke units and I saw nothing there that was a safety warning, etc.  The manual simply says that if you run it with the smoke on, the loco can't be returned for a full refund.  I understand that: I would not mind buying a loco from Scott Mann that he has told me is "as new" if the rollers weren't worn much (as if it had been run to test it) and the smoke unit was virgin, but otherwise, if I would be a bit more reulctant, and so I would not take it back either if the unit was smokey, etc. .