Smoke units

[bcjim]

The new steam generator car by Rapido,
has smoke that's supposed to be steam
directed down to the rails.
Is this leaving a residue on the tracks?
Jim

[ebtbob]

Any smoke generater will leave residue on the track because the smoke is made by burning oil.   Not all the oil burns what does not burn ends up on rolling stock and track causing real track contact problems.

[Tylerf]

Well I have one of the steam gennys and haven't noticed to bad of a residue issue, plus rapido claims that their fluid also cleans the track, however I can't tell if it does or not. It is a very nice model though.

[ebtbob]

Tylerf,

        I love it when a manufacturer claims that their product cleans track.  It is ALWAYS a half truth if the product is a liquid.
        Yes,  the liquid will clean the track but a residue is left behind that will mix with dust and make things just as bad if not worse than before.  If you clean track with a liquid,  dry wipe the track.   If you don't,  and you do not have clean wheels on engines and rolling stock,  then the residue will start to clean those wheels for you and guess where that dirt is going........yeap,  on the rails.   When I clean my track with liquid,  I run one cleaning car wet and then one car dry and then a Walthers"skidder" cleaning car,  the boxcar with the pad on the bottom after that.   Even after all that,  I still have to dry wipe my track.   Pay particular attention to the frog area on all turnouts as well as where the point rails touch the stock rails as those two areas seem to get the most crud on them.
         And for those of you not aware,  the use of smoke fluid to clean rails is nothing new.   I read about it here over five years ago.