Holy Smoke! It’s Smokin’ Diesel Day!

I’m basically a Postwar Lionel guy, but when I saw one of these babies in action, I had to have one:

briansilvermustang posted:

 

How do your engines generate so much smoke, Brian?

                                                and full track power...

                                                     --- !!

My only smokin' diesels are my two Plymouth switchers.

And I think Brian has smoke bombs that he sets off before taking photos

c.sam posted:

Stunning, especially the bottom photo.

briansilvermustang posted:

I’m coughing because of all the smoke! LOL

RSJB18 posted:

My only smokin' diesels are my two Plymouth switchers.

And I think Brian has smoke bombs that he sets off before taking photos

Hilarious!

Got to get me one of those smokin’ Plymouths!

briansilvermustang posted:

                                                and full track power...

                                                     --- !!

Magic potion! 

Anyone try to drink it? Will smoke come out of my ears if I do? LOL

Just kidding, don’t drink it, might be poison.

                                                       YEP,   GREAT STUFF...

Smoke-em if you got-em!

ATSF PAs,,, custom detailed lowered with detailed trucks and fixed brass fabricated pilots and antennas.

Ron H posted:

Smoke-em if you got-em!

ATSF PAs,,, custom detailed lowered with detailed trucks and fixed brass fabricated pilots and antennas.

Spectacular, Ron!

briansilvermustang posted:

Brian, your dog must love all the smoke. Dogs are such amazing smelling machines. They can smell a squirrel taking a **** from a mile away!

Ron H  Santa Fe PA's     WINS!

Its Godzilla versus the centipede  A new movie idea

bluelinec4 posted:

Its Godzilla versus the centipede  A new movie idea

Could be Dante’s Inferno or 0 Gauge Smokin’ Diesel Heaven!

bluelinec4 posted:

Its Godzilla versus the centipede  A new movie idea

Do centipedes turn into this?

Rio Grande FT ABA Lionchief 

RSJB18 posted:

Do centipedes turn into this?

We did name our Centipede Mothra  

bluelinec4 posted:

Its Godzilla versus the centipede  A new movie idea

The problem with this is that the EPA keeps showing up to shut us down!

Chris Lord posted:

bluelinec4 posted:

Its Godzilla versus the centipede  A new movie idea

The problem with this is that the EPA keeps showing up to shut us down!

Maybe before, but not under the Trump administration.

My MTH DIESELS  smoke alot ! They just turned on !  My Christmas AC44 engines smoke so much !  I have to open a window ! 

Smokin’ MTH Jersey Central FM Trainmaster:

I have found that MTH diesels with smoke produce a fair amount of smoke in neutral with maximum power applied. However, when running at 10 to 12 volts, the smoke is either nil or barely noticeable. 

I would love to know a smoking diesel that produces obviously noticeable smoke when running at 10 to 12 volts. Sometimes my Lionel Legacy D&H RS-11 dies that and sometimes it does not. 

My guess is that it is important to put in just the right amount of smoke fluid in order for the smoke to be good at normal running speed.

In other words, please let me know which smoking diesel of yours smokes the best.

all of them! they have to warm up sometimes....

This Lionel Legacy is by far my most productive smokin’ diesel:

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

I have found that MTH diesels with smoke produce a fair amount of smoke in neutral with maximum power applied. However, when running at 10 to 12 volts, the smoke is either nil or barely noticeable. 

I would love to know a smoking diesel that produces obviously noticeable smoke when running at 10 to 12 volts. Sometimes my Lionel Legacy D&H RS-11 dies that and sometimes it does not. 

My guess is that it is important to put in just the right amount of smoke fluid in order for the smoke to be good at normal running speed.

Except as noted below I can't speak to MTH smoke units running under conventional control. I do know that a lot depends on a good supply of power to the track, which is largely a function of good wiring as well as the transformer used.

There was a thread on the subject of voltage supply to various Lionel smoke units, which you can see here: https://ogrforum.com/...h-lionel-smoke-units. The main comments are towards the end, including some from our resident Guru, GRJ.

As I understand it basically with most Legacy units there's a voltage regulator that is supposed to ensure sufficient voltage to the smoke unit over most of the range of voltage used in conventional operation. This matters at least as much as having a smoke unit that is not overfilled or running dry. I agree that with late model Legacy smoke units there's a "sweet spot" in terms of how well saturated the smoke batting is and certain settings like EFX and smoke volume. That's in addition to there being a good power supply to the track. 

 

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

In other words, please let me know which smoking diesel of yours smokes the best.

OK, this first example is not a diesel except at the front of the combined unit but this engine is not called "Ol' Smoky" in my household for nothing. This was a PS1 MTH UP80 coal turbine that years ago Train America Studios converted to PS2 for me. With three smoke units it has always generated vast could of smoke, as I imagine the prototype did at least from the middle turbine stack. This photo doesn't do it real justice because the background is light:

For a true diesel I offer the below, another MTH PS2 model this time of the UP DDA40X shown here just a few seconds into its startup sequence:

Lastly,both of these models were made before the point a couple of years ago when MTH made its diesels more "realistic" by linking smoke output to rpm levels; as a result, if you're used to older MTH smoke output you might be fooled into thinking there's something wrong with a model that is not belching smoke at startup, idle or slow speed. I assume that this feature also applies to conventional operation but in any case I prefer the old school versions. 

Hancock52 posted:

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

I have found that MTH diesels with smoke produce a fair amount of smoke in neutral with maximum power applied. However, when running at 10 to 12 volts, the smoke is either nil or barely noticeable. 

I would love to know a smoking diesel that produces obviously noticeable smoke when running at 10 to 12 volts. Sometimes my Lionel Legacy D&H RS-11 dies that and sometimes it does not. 

My guess is that it is important to put in just the right amount of smoke fluid in order for the smoke to be good at normal running speed.

Except as noted below I can't speak to MTH smoke units running under conventional control. I do know that a lot depends on a good supply of power to the track, which is largely a function of good wiring as well as the transformer used.

There was a thread on the subject of voltage supply to various Lionel smoke units, which you can see here: https://ogrforum.com/...h-lionel-smoke-units. The main comments are towards the end, including some from our resident Guru, GRJ.

As I understand it basically with most Legacy units there's a voltage regulator that is supposed to ensure sufficient voltage to the smoke unit over most of the range of voltage used in conventional operation. This matters at least as much as having a smoke unit that is not overfilled or running dry. I agree that with late model Legacy smoke units there's a "sweet spot" in terms of how well saturated the smoke batting is and certain settings like EFX and smoke volume. That's in addition to there being a good power supply to the track. 

 

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

In other words, please let me know which smoking diesel of yours smokes the best.

OK, this first example is not a diesel except at the front of the combined unit but this engine is not called "Ol' Smoky" in my household for nothing. This was a PS1 MTH UP80 coal turbine that years ago Train America Studios converted to PS2 for me. With three smoke units it has always generated vast could of smoke, as I imagine the prototype did at least from the middle turbine stack. This photo doesn't do it real justice because the background is light:

For a true diesel I offer the below, another MTH PS2 model this time of the UP DDA40X shown here just a few seconds into its startup sequence:

Lastly,both of these models were made before the point a couple of years ago when MTH made its diesels more "realistic" by linking smoke output to rpm levels; as a result, if you're used to older MTH smoke output you might be fooled into thinking there's something wrong with a model that is not belching smoke at startup, idle or slow speed. I assume that this feature also applies to conventional operation but in any case I prefer the old school versions. 

 

Thank you so much for your very complete and helpful reply. At the moment I’m in love with smoking diesels, especially for northeastern fallen flags.