Interesting... My J4a Dreyfus Hudson is anemic too, I did not want to take her apart but sounds like it may be time. Cool smoke rings though...

The location of the smoke boost information in the manual is on the page where it describes what function each of the number keys has on the TMCC remote for the locomotive. It is included in the description for the number nine key.

Fred B.,

Could you please further explain - you flared the ends of the wick?

Thanks

1. Another option to obtain 4 exhaust chuffs per driver revolution is to add two more lobes to the chuff cam on engines which have the 2 lobe chuff cam. Three years ago I did this to the first run Lionel Pere Marquette scale Berkshire #1225 and to the Lionel scale Daylight GS-2 #4410. In these engines the 2 lobe chuff cam is located on the first driver axle, under the pc board. After removing the boiler shell, the pc board that covers the front driver axle, and the micro switch (chuff switch), clean the cam with denatured alcohol or lacquer thinner on a Q-tip, rotating the drive mechanism by hand. Mix some quick setting JB Weld and dab some into the hollows between the existing cam lobes with a toothpick, duplicating the bumps on the existing cam lobe. Allow to harden. Be careful to make sure the new JB Weld lobes are as precise as possible, centered in each depression between the existing lobes. This ensures an evenly timed exhaust chuff. You want the chuff switch to open between the cam lobes as the axle rotates. I had to do some trimming of the JB Weld lobes with an Xacto knife after the JBW hardened. Since the existing chuff switch is reinstalled, the new 4 lobe cam makes 4 chuffs per driver revolution and puffs the smoke 4 times. A small amount of lube on the cam lobes keeps them contacting smoothly on the chuff switch arm. If you want to make a more permanent 4 lobe chuff cam, I think Northwest Shortline makes them. They are in two pieces so you can screw them on to the axle. No changes need be made to the TMCC that came with these engines. 4 chuffs/puffs per driver revolution result from this modification. 2. Lionel's smoke unit fan motors were incorrectly wired backwards so that the "scoop" part of the impeller is rotating away from the fan chamber's exit aperture. Unsolder the fan motor wires and resolder in reverse order, changing the rotation of the impeller so that the "scoops" push the air out the aperture into the heater chamber. Make sure there's enough wick material in the heater chamber and the resistor heater is nestled into the wick. Also make sure the wick material does not obstruct the exit of the smoke through the hole in the top of the smoke unit's pc board. An unobstructed air flow is desired. With the smoke unit OFF, a small, stiff wire or a dental tool can be carefully inserted down the smokestack into the heater chamber and the wick material can be pushed around, making better contact with the resistor. Test the smoke unit AFTER withdrawing the instrument. I have had success with this, too. Phil

mtnhi7, thanks for the post. I really like Lionel's CC Niagara, one of my favorite locomotives. The only thing it does not do well is smoke, pretty anemic. I have been hesitant to take her apart but I think it is time to do so. I suspect the smoke unit is wired incorrectly and the unit needs to be repacked. Other than the smoke issue she is a beauty. I think it would be great if at some point Lionel were to do the Niagara as part of their Vison line with even more detail and the latest electronics. Bill B.

The verticle piston smoke units are not supposed to have wicking in them! The problem is not wicking or lack thereof, but rather air-flow. Jim Barrett explained the fix years ago in OGR.

In the verticle-chamber piston units, there needs to be a hole drilled through the verticle baffle adjacent to the heating element. You will get immediate results! I've done this to my B-6 and my PRR Torpedo, and they're now some of my best smokers.

Jon

quote:

The verticle piston smoke units are not supposed to have wicking in them

Jon,

I'm not sure that's 100% true. My CCI 773 cooked its' filament in the first 15 minutes of life. Lionel sent me a new one and when I opened it up the first thing I saw was a huge empty reservoir. Immediately I thought someone slacked off on this one. I mean it made no sense to have a deep chamber with lots of smoke fluid sloshing around on the inside as the loco made its circuit. On top of that, it would make a heck of a mess if the loco were turned over and it had a full load.

So, I added some fiberglass insulation to the chamber before I put on the new resistor and fiberglass sleeve. This served two purposes: 1) got the fluid to properly wick to the resistor and 2) prevented the smoke fluid from making a potential spill disaster.

After I did add the packing, it smoked like champ with the mechanical puffer or the drill out. Had smoke coming out the cylinders too! And, it never cooked the resistor again either.

Fred

No vertical unit was ever made with wicking, so your unit was built correctly. It just wasn't designed correctly. With the hole drilled, you can add more fluid (more than a few drops without the mod completely blocks the air-flow over the unit, causing the charring you speak of).

You can tell when you have a non-modified unit, as they'll pump pure smoke fluid right out of the stack!

Jon

The vertical piston smoke generators did have wicking material, called "smoke unit lining", part number 671-212. This material was cut in a circle with a V notch to fit around the air tube that was cast into the base of the smoke generator. (Not to be confused with the smoke stack gasket, part no. 671-181). The wire wound heater assembly, part no. 671-225, was then placed on top of the lining material. In later years Lionel used a wire wound tubular resistor in place of the ceramic core wire wound heating unit. I have some original Lionel smoke generators from the 1940s-1950s with the ceramic core heaters and tubular resistor heaters, all of which have linings/wick material. I also have an original and well-used Lionel service manual dating from the late 1940s and into the 1960s which clearly shows the smoke generator linings. This information is found in Lionel's older Service Manuals in the chapter entitled "Lionel Smoke Generators". Phil

More info about wick material:
Lionel part no. 6-30-8029-100 is a mat of woven fiberglass. This material is found in all the Lionel smoke generators from about 1990 to present. Frequently, there is not enough placed into the heater chamber, resulting in an insufficient amount of smoke fluid being held in the reservoir, overheating of the heating resistor, and subsequent failure of the resistor. TAS's smoke unit addressed these problems by using (1) more wick material, and (2) adding a temperature regulating thermistor that senses excessive resistor heat and shutting off current to the resistor while allowing the fan to operate, cooling the resistor. TAS's smoke unit also has different electronics on its pc board, using a large diameter 10 ohm resistor vs. Lionel's smaller diameter 27 ohm resistor. The woven fiberglass mat material is awful. When cut it tends to unravel, and you're left with many pieces of fiberglass strands. Very inconvenient, to say the least.
Lionel also makes part no. 6-91-SMKP-KG5 for American Flyer smoke units. This is a white fiberglass mat similar to insulation, about 3/16" thick and 3-4 inches long by 1 inch wide. This is by far the better material to use in any smoke generator. Cut it to an appropriate size, maybe double it, make a couple of narrow pieces to go alongside the resistor, and nestle the resistor in the middle space. Be careful not to obstruct the air inlet aperture from the fan nor the outlet to the stack. The AF wick material holds lots of smoke fluid. It can be used in any Lionel or AF smoke generator from 1947 on (not with the Lionel 1946 smoke lamps). Note that late 1940s and 1950s AF smoke units used a rope-like wick that was coiled around inside the smoke unit. The current production Lionel AF smoke fluid wick can be used in these older engines' smoke generators. While I'm at it, there is a misconception that liquid smoke fluid cannot be used in early Lionel pellet smoke generators. The ceramic core, wire wound heating elements MELT and LIQUEFY the smoke pellets, causing the ingredients to vaporize. The pellet material simply recrystallizes upon cooling, then melts and vaporizes again when reheated. Just don't drown the smoke generator by overfilling it.

quote:

Originally posted by J Daddy:
CsxAl,
All I can say is AHHHH! I don't look forward to taking this one apart.

For me, that's what a good repairman is for.

quote:

Originally posted by breezinup:

quote:

Originally posted by J Daddy:
CsxAl,
All I can say is AHHHH! I don't look forward to taking this one apart.

For me, that's what a good repairman is for.

Well, I myself like challenges and also don't want to pay $100+ for somebody to change a $2 part, but that's just me.

Boy this has been a good thread. Anyone have a graphic of where to drill the hole on the piston style smoke unit. I would really like to upgrade my J3a.
Also, just purchased a H16-44 smoked very poorly. Opened it up, no smoke fluid was getting to the resvoir. So I opened it up, filled it (maybe too much)? And now nothing. Did I burn something out or do something wrong? Not sure but I will have to take it apart, I read that you can test the resistor with an ohm meter or put a few drops on the resistor with the res. opened up, upside down.
If the resistor is ok, what else could be wrong?

Al, if you can find a drop-in EOB, this engine is a good candidate for the conversion. I got one from a buddy after TAS quit selling them. I dug into my Niagara to pull that switch out and used the EOB to get my 4 per (and much improved cruise).

I really like my Lionel Niagara. Looks great and operates fine!

quote:

Originally posted by hclarke:
I really like my Lionel Niagara. Looks great and operates fine!

So Harold can you post a pic with it in 'action'?