how to clean out smoke generator?

I'm not sure how you would clean out a smoke generator but i do know that putting water in it will most likely short it out.  You may have to run it awhile with the smoke fluid you want to use. It may take awhile before you notice the change in smell.

Look at JT's Mega-Smoke Eliminator, it's specifically designed to remove the smell of the old smoke fluid.

Another quicker way it so simply replace the wick in the smoke unit with a new one, you'll be tossing out the old scent with the old wick.  Obviously, you'd also clean the inside of the bowl of the smoke unit to finish the job as you install the new wick.

Forgot about the smoke eliminator, i have never had a smoke unit apart,yet.

Postwar Lionel liquid smoke units, and the modern era equivalents were not designed to be serviceable. See the pcitures below. They are sealed units, glued together. I have had them apart, but there is a good chance the unit will be damaged by disassembly.
Modern Era Lionel also made use of the pellet type smoke unit, modified to use liquid smoke fluid only. These units are serviceable.

I guess it depends on the specific model, I see some of those, but many are still serviceable.

In all the years I've been repairing trains, I have rarely run across a postwar Lionel liquid smoke unit that didn't work. Most of them smoked without even adding any smoke fluid.

With no fluid, that's the heat burning up the plastic enclosure!

quote:

With no fluid, that's the heat burning up the plastic enclosure!

Nope. The real Lionel Corp built those smoke units to last. The pellet and liquid smoke units stand up just fine to being run without smoke stuff.
The earliest heater type smoke units will burn out if the voltage is set too high. Usually this only happens when the voltage is turned way up while the engine is in neutral and left on.  If the engine was in gear, it would surely derail on the first curve.  This smoke unit was obsoleted around 1947-48.

I find it appalling that modern smoke units are damaged if the owner lets them run dry.

I must admit, I've often searched for a wick that wouldn't burn, but so far I haven't found anything.

It works perfectly fine! Better than my newer lionel.., im only 17 and don't have the money and only lil time with school  and sports so it's hard to put alot of effort I just run the train when I have homework and watch tv around my room. If water shorts it why doesnt smoke fluid? Plus the enhine never seems to run out of fluid and puffs greatly but the old smell of fluid I wanted gone haha

Smoke fluid is oily is why it doesn't short it out. Water and electricity do not mix.