Protosmoke™ Unit Operation - M.T.H. Blue Comet Operating Instructions Manual

PROTOSMOKE™ UNIT OPERATION
(2 and 3-Rail)
The Blue Comet contains a self-powered smoke unit that outputs a steady stream of smoke
through the smoke stack on the roof of the engine. The ON/OFF switch located next to the
trailing truck must be in the ON position in order for the smoke unit to function. See Fig.
2 below.
The smoke unit is essentially a small heating
element and wick which soaks up and then "cooks" a
mineral oil-based fluid that omits a harmless smoke.
The smoke is then forced out of the stack via a small
electric fan which runs at a constant speed. However,
the smoke intensity can be varied by increasing the
transformer voltage setting. The higher the setting,
the more intense the smoke output.
For best results, we recommend that you add 15 -
20 drops of ProtoSmoke™, Seuthe, LGB or LVTS
fluid before you run the engine. If you don't choose
to add the fluid, then the smoke unit switch should be turned off. Failure to either add the fluid
or turn the switch off could lead to damage to the smoke unit heating element and or wicking.
Add the fluid through the smoke stack hole as indicated in Figure 3. After adding the fluid,
gently blow into the stack to eliminate any air bubbles. Do not overfill the unit as overfilling
can cause the fluid to leak out and coat the interior engine components. When the smoke
output begins to diminish while running the engine, an additional 10-15 drops of smoke fluid
should be added or the smoke unit switch should be turned off. When storing the engine for
long periods of time, you may want to add at least 15 drops of fluid to keep the wick soaked
with fluid and prevent it from drying out. After removing the engine from storage, it is
advisable to add another 25 drops of fluid, letting the wick soak up the fluid for 15 minutes
prior to operation.
SMOKE UNIT MAINTENANCE
(2 and 3-Rail)
CAUTION: Operating the engine without smoke fluid
and with the smoke unit switch in the ON position can
damage your smoke unit wick, causing the wick to
become hard, blackened and unabsorbant around the
heating element. When this occurs, it may be difficult
for the wick to soak up the smoke fluid resulting in poor
or no smoke output. If that occurs, we recommend that
you inspect and/or replace the wick taking care to not
run the engine without fluid in the future. You can
inspect the wick to see if it needs replacement by
removing the smoke unit inspection cover from the body
as seen in Fig.4. After removing the chassis and
inspection cover screws lift the inspection plate away
and inspect the wick. If the wick is darkly discolored and hard, it should be replaced.
MTH Blue Comet Operating Manual
Figure 3: Smoke Unit Switch
Figure 4: Inspecting The Smoke Unit
4
Smoke Unit
On/Off Switch
Smoke Unit
Circuit Board
Mounting Screws
Smoke Unit Frame
Mounting Screws