Rail King D&RG 4-6-0 Operating Instructions Manual - Protosmoke™ Unit Operation

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RailKing D&RG 4-6-0 Operating Manual

 PROTOSMOKE™ UNIT OPERATION 

  The  D&RG 4-6-0 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. 3

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.  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.

MAINTENANCE

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.

smoke unit switch

Figure 3:  Smoke Unit Switch

Smoke Unit 

Circuit Board

Mounting Screws

Smoke Unit Frame

Mounting Screws

Figure 4:  Inspecting The Smoke Unit