USRA 0-6-0 with smoke problems

[jesse52]

Hi everyone,

Yesterday, I bought this train from my local hobby shop that i've been saving up for a long time for, and brought it home to test. It runs absolutely perfect, HOWEVER... the smoke unit is another story. It is VERY inconsistent. It will only produce smoke about 20% of the time. Ever time it starts to produce smoke, it makes very loud crackling sounds, like something is short-circuiting. It also seems that when i was cleaning the wheels tonight, it had much more power after the smoke started going. I have no idea what the problem is or if I should have it replaced.
Please help.

Thanks,
Jess
EDIT: I also forgot to mention that very small oil splatters always seem to appear on the engine when it doesn't smoke. Srry for not mentioning that before.

[ABC]

It is a $40.00 engine...you get what you pay for...often times if you do not run it near full speed, it will not make any smoke, and it often will take a while to get going. There's nothing wrong with it, if you send it it you will get the exact same thing. If you want a engine that is consistent then spend a little more money and you will get a better smoke unit... say BLI, MTH, Proto 2000, etc...

[bgerm]

I have had a similar problem.  I recently bought a standard line Bachmann 0-6-0 steam loco with smoke unit.  I ran it for some time before it produced smoke.  When it did, the smoke was heavy and erratic.  It also smelled heavily, making me think the smoke unit wasn't evaproating the smoke fluid very well.  After a short time, the smoke would stop, so I would add a couple of drops of smoke fluid.  (It seemed to go through smoke fluid much faster than my more expensive (BLI) locos.  After a total of about one hour of operation (two sessions of operation), I find that the smoke stack is leaning.  It looks like it is melting.  And the engine itself is covered with a coating of oil from the smoke fluid.  Has anyone else had an experience like this?  Is it worth trying to repair/replace the engine, or is this the way these less expensive units are going to operate?

[pghwrench]

I dont care how cheap an engine is. If its truelymelting or distorting shape from the heat then call and send it back this is clearly a material /workmanship problem as this is an electrical iem regulated by UL and could possibly cause a fire. dont hesitate to send it in. they will take care of you. there good people plus its got a lifetime warranty.

[VTBob]

the crackling is a normal sound I've found. IT's ''spitting'' through the small heater coil. Once it stops spitting, it'll smoke quite nicely.

If you run it for long periods without any fluid in it, it will melt the smokestack. The smoke unit creates smoke by heating the smoke fluid. The fluid seems to act like a cooling gel for the unit, but when run dry, it'll heat up fast

The only other thing I can think of about the smoke units is that you will need to clean the wheels & track alot more often, as the smoke gives everything an oily residue that collects all kinds of grime FAST.

Vermont Bob

[jbsmith]

I have had a similar problem.  I recently bought a standard line Bachmann 0-6-0 steam loco with smoke unit.  I ran it for some time before it produced smoke.  When it did, the smoke was heavy and erratic.  It also smelled heavily, making me think the smoke unit wasn't evaproating the smoke fluid very well.  After a short time, the smoke would stop, so I would add a couple of drops of smoke fluid.  (It seemed to go through smoke fluid much faster than my more expensive (BLI) locos.  After a total of about one hour of operation (two sessions of operation), I find that the smoke stack is leaning.  It looks like it is melting.  And the engine itself is covered with a coating of oil from the smoke fluid.  Has anyone else had an experience like this?  Is it worth trying to repair/replace the engine, or is this the way these less expensive units are going to operate?

Yes with a 2-6-2 which is basically the same thing. The smoke stack was leaning against the light.
I ran the engine again about ten laps or so at full throttle.
Full throttle is how it got that way in the first place.
I stopped the loco right in front of me while the plastic was still hot and soft and then very quickly bent the stack back to its normal position before the plastic refroze back into its normal state.
The smoke units in these do not last very long.
One would think that what with all the advances in Model Railroading in the last 20 years a reliable & durable smoke unit would be among the advances made.
Then again my 2-8-4s' and 2-8-0 don't smoke, so adjusting to the 2-6-2s' not smoking was no big deal for me, I still like my Prairies'.
Just do not run them at full throttle for very long.

One other thing is when they have not been run for a spell is that they run rough at first when i do run them again.I Clean the wheels then just let them run for about 20-30 minutes, then they run good as new.

[full maxx]

does an engine smoke better running on dcc than the same engine ran on dc

[ABC]

does an engine smoke better running on dcc than the same engine ran on dc

Yes, if the smoke unit is wired, for DCC.