Smoke Units

June 18, 2014

Model steam locomotives are often equipped with smoke units to simulate the real thing. Smoke units are usually a simple cup under the smokestack, with a heating wire inside to heat the ‘smoke fluid.’ thus producing smoke. Each little plastic bottle will usually provide about 30 minutes of smoke. There are various brands including Marklin, Piko, Seuthe, and Faller.

Details of Marklin Smoke Unit

Faller Smoke Generator Kit Details

The following video has some great scenes of a double header model steam engine belching out smoke. In real life the color of the smoke can vary depending on the quantity of coal being used. Too much coal in the firebox would emit black smoke. If the smoke was gray it usually was burning about the right amount of coal to keep the fire hot.