REAL ARTICULATED

They would sometimes because they are two separate engines. They would go in and out of sync as one slips more than the other. Just like running double header steam. Hot Water would give you the best answer.  DCS articulated sound does this but not smoke. 

Not all articulated steam locomotives had two stacks.  N&W A's and Y's for example.  But, there would still be separate exhaust for each set of cylinders, just shooting out one stack.

In fact, after the Clinchfield bought the UP-pattern Challengers from the Rio Grande, they rebuilt the smokebox with a single stack.

Rusty

As an articulated gains speed, exhausts blend together into continuous sounds and smoke/steam. Even with two stacks, exhausts from both engines go through one smokebox. As speed increases, a smokebox can function as an oversized muffler. A fast articulated, 3985 puffs and sounds that way most of the time.

As clem k posted, if both engines are in sync, they puff in unison or close to it, even at slow speeds.

No, NONE of the larger Union Pacific articulated steam locomotives have "alternating smoke exhausts", just because of the UP twin stack design. For one thing, the entire smokebox is essentially open inside, so that when draft (suction) is created by each and every exhaust from either of the twin exhaust nozzles, the corresponding suction through all the tubes & flues all the way to the firebox is uniform. As a result, you will NOT see alternating "smoke pulses" as the locomotive begins to move, even under heavy load.

I would suggest that everyone search YouTube for videos of UP FEF Northerns, Challengers, and 4000 class locomotives, all with twin exhaust stack arrangements, and watch how the smoke exits the twin stacks, and you will NOT see any "alternating" smoke pulses. 

And even wilder, didn't UP FEF #838 have a triple stack? The UP was quite fiendish in it's desire to have constricted horsepower-robbing steam locomotive exhaust flow unrestricted - similar to later generations of race cars, with tuned exhaust systems. And then there was UP's aesthetically challenged Sweeney stacks!

Thanks for bringing this up ironlake,I was wondering about it. I thought you would have said something sooner Hot Water, I've never seen alternating smoke puffs on 3985 either.

So in Lionels "effort" to get it right, its wrong anyway I don't get it... at the very least its not rocket science to go on youtube and watch videos of how these things actually work

MR is the "customer service, repair, and now head of production" guy. JZ is the "tech guy."

Who is the "prototypical accuracy" guy?, arguably the most important job concerning a model train.

Heres a good video clip....

It would be nice to see a real video of one going slowly, even if just to prove the point.

See  the link I posted below, at the 2;50 mark 3985 begins to move, prior to that it would seem that "crewtalk" is prototypical

3985 departs

As I stated previously, if you search YouTube, you will find MANY videos of UP 4000 class locomotives, plus 3985, actually starting. Believe me, the exhaust smoke do NOT "alternate"!

Not to mention how steam locomotives are drafted and what actually happens inside the smokebox.

Watching the video Chris posted, you ca see at times that the two stacks don't always put out the same color, perhaps Lionel is just trying to do what they can to match.  Unlike the real deal, the models don't put out black smoke that gets whiter as the locomotive fires cleaner.  And you almost never saw whistle smoke, unless it was cold outside.  Sure, the alternate stack thing isn't prototypical, but then, did Lionel say it was (I wasn't at York.)?  These things are toys after all, and Lionel is trying to get some extra pretties on them to help sell them.

At (an anticipated) $2500.00 MSRP for the Big Boy, them's mighty expensive toys...

Rusty

Oh, there are more expensive toys, I've even owned a few of them!

They say the only different between men and boys is the price of their toys.

This is footage filmed in the 50's...silent film but it has good shots in it.

Very cool stuff! Thanks

You can so tell it was filmed int he winter not only from the snow on the ground, but by how much visible steam is coming off of them.  Lionel should make them smoke like that, all over.

How much time do you wanna take cleaning smoke fluid residue off of everything?

Rusty

I have yet to experience this residue many speak of.  But then I do live in the southwest and the AC is almost running non-stop, so it's probably collected in my filters and I never see it.  Or it's mixed with the layer of dust everything has, so it's getting cleaned frequently anyway.

Besides being filmed in the winter, these scenes were also shot, probably during the winter of 1957/1958, thus the locomotives were NOT "maintained up to standard UP practices". Those locomotives were pretty much working out their last months of service, and the UP Mechanical Department knew it, and that is why some of the piston rod packing may have been leaking a bit.

From a modeling standpoint, I sure wouldn't want any of my steam locomotive models "leaking" like THAT.

Sounds like that would be a big mess....I'll pass, but that said there is nothing better than steam on a cool day.

Yes, you have no idea what freezes on a steam locomotive when the temperature is well below zero out in Nebraska or Wyoming, especially with a 40+ MPH wind.

I can only begin to imagine...that has to be a royal pita. 

Yeah, I liked that.  Maybe not quite that much, but it would be nice if there was controllable steam effect coming from the cylinder cocks when starting out, and a plume from the turbogenerator.  I wish Lionel had done that instead of the alternating stack effect.  BTW, it doesn't have to be real cold out to see steam - I saw it in the summer when conditions were right (I used to fire on a 2-8-0 [and got paid to do it!]).

It will be so cool to see 4014 alive again!