Smoke or No Smoke - Model Railroader Magazine

At least in HO (where smoke units put out a lot less smoke than in large scale) the claim about smoke units getting residue all over the layout and other rolling stock is nothing but pure hogwash.  It's about as accurate as the evening network news.

Actually when I played in large scale there was minimal smoke residue ever...perhaps a few drops or spots on the tender, that were easily cleaned off.

I had an operating smoke unit steamer as a child with the same Seuthe smoke unit in it that I believe you can still buy and install today.  I ran that operating smoking steamer a whole lot--enough that Dad replaced the smoke unit a few times.  It never left ANY discernable residue on my scenery or adjacent rolling stock.

I have owned and operated both MTH and BLI steam engines that have operating smoke units, including the big articulateds which smoke A LOT.

I have NEVER noticed ANY residue on ANY other rolling stock or on ANY scenery.

Sure, if you tip the engine, you can get some smoke fluid on it, and in the case of BLI steamers, the smoke fluid does tend to leak out on the engine.  Eventually, in about 6 to 8 months time of not operating the smoke unit, it will simply evaporate leaving virtually no evidence it was ever laying on the engine.

OR I have been able to clean it off to pristine as new condition with a couple wet Q tip swabs and ordinary liquid soap.  If you spill a lot of smoke fluid, it may take a little longer to clean because it likes to lay in the crevice between the top of the BLI boiler and the bottom piece, typically located at the running board level.

The smell--sure my wife and kids have allergies and my wife doesn't really like it when we operate the MTH and BLI steamers with the smoke unit turned on--but we sometimes do and it's not that bad.

I've researched and read online that it's basically scented mineral oil and harmless.  Besides the smell just plain "bothering" some folks who have allergies, inhaling the smoke in moderate quantities is not considered to be harmful at all.  My wife and kids all have asthma.  It did NOT bother them in that way.

I do find the aftermarket Vanilla scented smoke, or the Christmas Pine scent, to be much better/more tolerable than the BLI and MTH factory scent.

Also--you can actually use the smoke fluid to clean track and to clean filth off of models without damaging the paint--though I do prefer electrically conductive lubricant for track cleaning to the smoke fluid.  However, both will work adequately to clean track.  So does rubbing alcohol.  (Rubbing alcohol will damage some paint finishes).

How many of you do your own painting?  I bet the paint on your skin and fumes of Scalecoat I and Floquil are way worse for you than any smoke.

Then there's the glues that we all use, which in my case, more than using a tiny amount for a simple repair does cause me to get an attack of episcleritis in my eyes, which is treatable by prescription medication.  (Sheldon--if you are reading this--this is ONE reason why I prefer to buy RTR equipment.  I can no longer assemble stuff with CA or similar glue without having issues.)

John