does the "fragrance" from Lionel's smoke fluid smell different from the MPC era trains to the modern fan driven smoke units? When I smell an MPC steamer running Lionel fluid, it takes me back to being a kid watching the train go around the Christmas tree. But the smoke fluid in my Legacy engines just don't seem to have the same smell as the earlier ones.
Have a good night!
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Interesting question. Personally, it seems unlikely that their fluid mixture hasn't changed just due to changes in production techniques, suppliers, fluctuations in availability of raw material, etc. Companies often make adjustments to proprietary recipes for such reasons. Like you, I think newer, fan-driven units give of a slightly different scent from what I remember. Whether this is due to changes in fluid mixtures, characteristics of different smoke unit technology or a combination of the two - or just a bad memory, I don't know. Have you compared old and new locomotives side by side? I don't currently run any non-fan driven units or I probably would have tested this myself.
It all smells the same to me. Pellets vs fluid - there is a difference. No doubt the fluid varied over the years but and no doubt changed a bit in odor as different people made it/mixed up different batches, etc., but I think it's just as likelyto be our noses playing tricks on us. And maybe it's my mind and nose playing tricks on me, but it smell just the way I remember it from years ago!
Perhaps it could be that older 'puffer' type units produce a slightly more concentrated smoke, due to the smoke having time to accumulate before it is gently puffed out. Whereas a fan driven unit provides more air and dilutes the smoke a bit more. 
Come to think of it, the MPC era steamers have a more ozone-y scent in my opinion.
Come to think of it, the MPC era steamers have a more ozone-y scent in my opinion.
It might be the ozone smell from the open frame pullmor motors in the MPC era engines that is absent from the modern can-motored engines with the fan driven units that the original poster is missing and nothing to do with the smoke fluid.
Come to think of it, the MPC era steamers have a more ozone-y scent in my opinion.
Perhaps this show should really have been called the O-Zone? 
Why hasn't anyone mentioned our olfactory nerves are not as sensitive as we age? Just a thought 
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I wish I could say that it did, but with all of the Mega Steam scents, it is hard to think back at the time of the smoke pellets.
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