We like our steamers to smoke, but when you buy a car from a smoker's home, it literally stinks of stale smoke. Anyone know of a method to eliminate the smell of smoke?
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If it was me, I would try a little soap and water. Repeat if necessary. If still smelly after that, put it in a brown paper bag with crumped up newspapers for a few days.
Tom
Originally Posted by Michigan & Ohio Valley Lines:
Wrap in a few layers of newspaper and place inside a brown paper grocery bag. Roll up the bag. In two days, remove the newspaper and see if the car still smell. If so, wrap again. If the item is a boxcar or hopper, you can stuff crumpled newspaper inside along with wrapping the car.
Yep this works wonders. Every once in a while I will get a stinker off the bay.
I wrap it with news paper, put it in a paper bag, and after 5 days the stink is gone.
TBC I would spray it down with Fabreze that stuff is supposed to eliminate unpleasant smells. 
Choo Choo Kenny
I use this to clean. http://megasteam.com/page30.html
Many thanks for all your suggestions. I will try the newspaper and brown paper bag method first. These are metal cars (Hornby O Gauge), so I'm reluctant to use soap and water. In any event, I'll post my results.
JT Mega-Steam's Eliminator sprayed all over the car. or soak it in soap and water for short amount of times, several times a day.
If it smells of smoke, then I suggest inspecting the items carefully. I've seen trains with a brownish coating of nicotine. As far as I know, it does not come off without taking the original finish off with it.
placing the items in a bag of plain charcoal for a few days will eliminate the odor.
The newspaper trick works pretty well, I'll have to try toe charcoal method, that sounds like it might work as well. Of course, since I have a gas grill, newspaper is easier to come by. 
plain charcoal is hard to come by these days, everything is selflighting.
I don't want to light my trains, so that option is out! 
Try the lump charcoal, usually comes in a much smaller bag
Be careful that the ink doesn't come off the newspaper and transfer to the car's surface.
Excellent timing on this subject. I received some trains from a relative who is a smoker. I kept some of them and posted a few in the forums for sale/trade. I'll have to try the newspaper and charcoal trick and see if it works!
Great tips. I am going to fill my new used van with bags of newspaper and charcoal to try and improve the atmosphere. The van had two large air fresheners that masked the smell when I bought it.
One of our (LHS) customers uses kitty litter (FRESH, of course!!
) to do this job. He
s a frequent buyer of estate items and a retired authorized Lionel Service tecj. So I imagine he's been successful with the technique.
Can't say that I've tried it myself, though.
FWIW, always...
KD
There was a time when the packing paper supplied by movers and "you haul" places was newsprint stock. If still the case it may work as well without the messy ink results of your local publication.
FWIW
Activated charcoal is readily available at most pet stores that carry fish.
Ray
Originally Posted by Ray Marion:
Activated charcoal is readily available at most pet stores that carry fish.
Ray
So I shouldn't have threw my trains in a bag with cooking charcoal and lighter fluid?
Originally Posted by Tim Lewis:
JT Mega-Steam's Eliminator sprayed all over the car. or soak it in soap and water for short amount of times, several times a day.
Our "Eliminator"is really a smoke fluid-based cleaner for the smoke units. Its designed purpose is to cleanse smoke units and wicking material of bad smells coming from poor quality smoke fluid. Use it in smoke units.
We do have an exterior cleaner for metal and plastic called "b-Gone" that has been mentioned in this thread. B-Gone is safe to use on metal and plastic and will not have the paint, finish, or decals. see www.megasteam.com. We have found it to work wonders on dusty, dirt stained, and otherwise dirty trains.
