Question about Lionel Smoke

Tom - There is a company called Megasteam that most use. They produce a variety of scents as well as one called, NADA. No scent at all!!

http://www.megasteam.com/

True, but the other side of the coin, so to speak, is all that "oily vapor" still falls back down on track & scenery. Although I am into 3-Rail SCALE modeling, I NEVER turn the "smoke" on, in any of my steam locomotive models. Also, that "oily" crap sure messes up the weathering on all my steam models. Thus, I never use the stuff, even if we have visitors.

So...

Anyone know what the ingredients of the pills were?  Any way to reproduce them?

Boy...   What a neat market this could be for someone with the means to do a R&D small project...

I see liability as the biggest hurdle.  Anything in the air that can be inhaled could lead to some fairly aggressive litigation claims.  How the heck do the oil smoke producers get away with continuing what they do?

The only safe way out of this one would be to use water and make steam.  Interesting thought...

Another brainstorm - Dry Ice.

Thanks...  Tom

Already done and available HERE.

I read years ago that the pills were M-terphynl, or however that is spelled.

The reproduction pills act like they are made out of the same stuff.

meta-terphenyl?

Not something I'd want to be inhaling or even handling w/o gloves.

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0592.html