How do you feel about Diesel Smoke?

Startup would be OK. But to me it looks like a breakdown condition, specifically a blown turbocharger. MY diesels are well maintained.

ALCos smoked a lot...

I don't care for smoking diesels.

Lehigh Valley Railroad posted:

ALCos smoked a lot...

But wasn't that incomplete combustion black smoke?

Smoke, smoke and more smoke, please! The little kids don't care about realism.

If you ever stood on an overpass above mainline tracks you'd see plenty of diesel exhaust. But it's not thick like a steam locomotive. 

On my MTH models I set the smoke volume to 'low'. So you can barely see it but you can still smell it. 

Breathe it in, maaaaan. 

Actually Lionel did it right with the Evo Diesel!!

Now if they only seen the light to do it on the rest of them!!

First thing I do when I unpack a new diesel is turn the smoke unit off.  I smoke the heck out of my steamers though...

I like it during a start up sequence but that's it otherwise it just doesn't look right. 

I wish legacy ALCo have the turbo lag smoke! The rest I couldn't care.

In our quest for realism we probably encouraged manufacturers to add the smoking feature to diesels.  But we can't be blamed for smoke pouring out of exhaust stacks entirely.  Toy train makers themselves must have seen the value in smoking diesels.  Let's face it, the more bells and whistles, ha, ha, the more money there is to be made.  

Personally I'm on the fence about smoking diesels and steamers as well.  I've had a garden railway for over twenty five years. During that time, I have had many smoke units quit.  So over the past few years I have adopted a no-smoking policy, hmm.  Only one of my diesels and one steamer have  smoke generators.  

Now for the bottom line.  As for indoor O gauge layouts,  I agree with others who pointed out that a smoking diesel should not be a chain smoker.  Steam locos are exempt from that rule, but should have the ability to kick the habit when they choose.  Back in the day our Lionel diesels held their breath and it was fine with us.  We probably used something called an imagination.  Those of you who have read my posts about imaginary catenaries may say that I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth.  Well we all have our faults.  For me to imagine smoke is alot easier than imagining and entire infrastructure of wires, masts, etc.  

Traindiesel posted:

If you ever stood on an overpass above mainline tracks you'd see plenty of diesel exhaust. But it's not thick like a steam locomotive. 

On my MTH models I set the smoke volume to 'low'. So you can barely see it but you can still smell it. 

Breathe it in, maaaaan. 

I do the same. Lowest setting

If it is a GE it has to smoke. Some flames at times are good, too.

I verify the smoke unit works, then turn it off.  Same for steam.  Model smoke holds no attraction for me.

Rusty

jim pastorius posted:

If it is a GE it has to smoke. Some flames at times are good, too.

You made my night. Good laughs. Thanks

If my Lionel smoke units did not sound like hair dryers I would be happy.

One of my best smoking locos is my LC+ NW-2 Switcher.  Need to try and get a good pic.

The only smoking locomotive that had "smoke" that I liked was my Roundhouse Sandy River & Rangely Lakes #24. Though the butane burned too clean for any black smoke, the steam out of the stack was nice and "chuffs" were perfectly timed.

I've noticed on MTH diesels, the smoke volume will increase and decrease along with the engines RPM's sound, when you use the rev up and rev down rocker button on the remote. I set the smoke volume to low and before moving a long heavy train forward, I'll rev up, creep the train forward, then rev down once the load gets moving. The smoke response to the hard work is pretty cool.

I don't mind the smoking diesels, sometimes I run the smoke and sometimes I don't. The don't times are more when my wife is home and smells the smoke. I try to get it turned off before the rolling pin or skillet hits me in the back of the head.

Lehigh Valley Railroad posted:

ALCos smoked a lot...

Only until the turbo caught up.

In the real world, a smoking diesel needs to spend some time in the shop.

I do set the smoke on my modern MTH diesels lower now. It's cool that you can adjust the output. I leave it turned up on older models, and Alco's .

You could just turn it on for guests like something blew up on a modern diesel for fun! ( I maybe the wrong guy to ask? )

I turn it off. Not interested in it.

Least attractive feature...usually, I turn it off.  Blowing lots of smoke and sitting on the horn...seem to occupy a lot of many operator's time...

I use the smoke on my diesels about 30% of the time.  I see inaccuracies in both steam and diesel smoke, but I enjoy both.  Particularly when my R2 blows perfect little smoke rings just crawling around the layout.  So I just change my perspective and imagine it's really, really cold outside.  When it's really cold out, most real diesels (trucks, tractors, bulldozers, etc.) will pour out the smoke that looks very close to our models, if you can get them started.  Ok, it may not be smoke, but it still looks like it. 

I shut off the smoke on my diesels.

scale rail posted:

Personally I think lots of smoke coming out of a diesel looks silly. I think it would be cool if smoke came out at start up or big rev ups but smoke pouring out a running train looks like something is wrong with the motors. What are your thoughts? Don

No more silly, or maybe I should say a lot less silly, than a center third rail or a GG1 with no catenary system electrifying it - and yet there is a 100+ year old hobby built on 3 rails, and a ton of GG1 models, including the latest Vision GG1 version that was purchased by a ton of "hard core" hobbyists that are run on "realistic" layouts without cat systems.  Go figure ...

By the way, a smoking diesel may be an engine with a problem, but I sat a stone's throw from the Providence and Worcester line for over 3 years and looked at every train that came through - because I grew up in NYC and the only trains I knew were subway. Every single engine that ran on the WP, from CSX to UP to NS to you name it had some smoke emanating from it. Especially visible in the winter. 

Those are not statement of opinion.  My opinion - I love smoke!  I run mine approx 25% of the time with smoke on.  

Peter

I have the smoke shut off on every model I own. It messes up the locomotive weathering, and gets all over the track & scenery.

Hot Water posted:

I have the smoke shut off on every model I own. It messes up the locomotive weathering, and gets all over the track & scenery.

Hey Hot Water, glad you posted this. Over the past year I've seen several people say smoke "gets all over the track" and messes it up.  I keep asking what this means, but no one ever backs it up. So I've been wondering if this an urban legend and people post this because they think it's a clever response, or is it real?  Can you respond - with detail - as to what you mean and how smoke gets all over track?  Thanks. 

Peter

I like smoke, and use it. Fun. I wish I could easily/harmlessly make it black/blue smoke.

I don't use it when the windows are sealed shut during the middle of the hot, humid summer ... while a/c is running. I have a somewhat sensitive schnoze.

PJB posted:

Hot Water posted:

I have the smoke shut off on every model I own. It messes up the locomotive weathering, and gets all over the track & scenery.

Hey Hot Water, glad you posted this. Over the past year I've seen several people say smoke "gets all over the track" and messes it up.  I keep asking what this means, but no one ever backs it up. So I've been wondering if this an urban legend and people post this because they think it's a clever response, or is it real?  Can you respond - with detail - as to what you mean and how smoke gets all over track?  Thanks. 

Peter

Gladly.  First thing to remember is; it is NOT "smoke"!  The stuff that exits all of these "smoke units" is vaporized OIL. Thus, what goes up, and out of the "smoke unit", must then fall back down. What does that "oil film/vapor" fall back down on?

Second, the fluid itself invariably spurts out of the exhaust stack on the steam locomotive models, and those small droplets, sure mess up the weathering on and around the smokebox and exhaust stack. 

Bottom line, for me,,,,,,,,it simply isn't worth all the "fall out".

I only get to run my trains over Christmas, or in other words I don't have a permanent layout. So for me its all out smoke!

I have learned that as much pleasure as I get from these smoke units they will pay you back in equal part pain!

Smokem' if you got'em!! 

I'm wrestling with the idea of adding smoke units to my F3 project.  It's a expense I can hold off on for now.   Like others if said, if the diesel is smoking, it needs a trip to the shop.

I'm at least partially in Rusty's camp in that I prime and test the smoke units on new diesels then turn them off and leave them off.

I don't run steam engines on my layout that often but, will operate the smoke units in them; at least part of the time.

Postwar steam engines running around the tree are in my "always exempt" category.  I realize I could add on/off switches to these but, that would be tinkering with the "natural order", as it were.  Mega Steam's "Smoke pellet" scent sets the mood for trains running around the tree.

Curt