Removing Smoke Fluid

Exactly how long will long term storage be? Six months, a year, ten years, etc.?IMO for a couple of years or less of storage and since engines have already been running with smoke fluid, I'd store them filled with smoke fluid. I say this because if the packing/wicking in smoke chamber dries out completely after having been wet, it could possibly loose some of it's original wicking capability when you readd smoke fluid at a later time. If you're concerned with the fluid leaking out during storage, then store engines in an upright position as though they were still on the tracks. Also don't store them in a superheated space such as an unfinished attic as there's the possibilityt summer's excessive heat, among other things, might cause the fluid to prematurely evaporate.

Kenn

Originally Posted by Train-a-Mania:

If you do go the q-tip route keep from pressing them down firmly on the batting in the smoke unit chamber in your effort to soak up as much of the fluid as you can. Pressing down hard on that wet batting could cause iy eventually dry in a compacted solid mass. Let it remain as porous and uncompacted as possible so that it won't lose all of it's original absorbency.

Originally Posted by Rod Stewart: