Smoke for a Train

[Skiroyalsummit]

Hello,

 

My company is manufacturing a train that runs on deep cell batteries. We have electrical limitations. We only have 12v worth of power. We need a way to make smoke that comes out the smoke stack and out the side drive pistions. Three dispersing areas total. We want to be able to control how much smoke is released and when it is released from the drivers cab with toggle switches.

 

We have looked into C02 because it is portable in cylinders and be controlled.

 

Can someone out there help us with some ideas on how we can do this effect so that is looks "real" taking into account we have limited power supply. We cannot us a system that uses lots of power. We do not have very much space to work with.

 

You can see the train at www.charliechoochoos.com so you can fully understqand what we are working with.

 

Skiroyalsummit

[MarkPAman]

Have a look at this :)

[cedd]

This topic appealed to me! My other hobby is 7 1/4 gauge ride on miniature railways! Whilst I'm a steam man and something inside me wants to say go live steam, I take it that isn't an option!

 

Several companies make aerosol based hazers/smoke canisters for DJ's and parties. I couple of these with a suitable system of motors or levers to operate the push down spray nozzle could well do the job.

 

I believe there was a previous topic along the lines of a locomotive on stage wanting to produce smoke. We found a few battery operated and also plug-in devices that you heated/charged up from the mains, used for a period of time, and then reconnected them again.

 

Not sure how deep into this you want to go, but the steam from the cylinders (actually the cylinder drains) is at much higher pressure, surges in time with the piston motion (front of cylinder on an inward stroke, aft cylinder on an outward stroke) and is only present whilst the train is starting after sitting for a period of time (it exhausts any condensed water from the cylinder before the piston reaches the end of its stroke - if there's any water there the end cap will be pushed off or warped). Steam from the stack too is in time with the beat of the cylinder, though you'd probably get away wih just a steady stream (the locomotive steam blower could be on, or even the ejector if some anorak-clad spotter turns up and quizzes you).

 

Lots of steam squirting from under the cab could be injector waste, and there's always a leak in the cab!

 

Or am I going too far?

 

Some idea on power available would be useful. 12v? 24v? From a battery alone or an alternator as well? Is the locomotive electricay driven or is there internal combustion in there somewhere?

 

Cheers

[david.elsbury]

Some idea on power available would be useful. 12v? 24v? From a battery alone or an alternator as well?

 

My company is manufacturing a train that runs on deep cell batteries. We have electrical limitations. We only have 12v worth of power

:)

[Grahame]

I've seen it done using a Tiny Fogger for the smokestack. Might not be a big enough effect in your case though.

[dbuckley]

I believe there was a previous topic along the lines of a locomotive on stage wanting to produce smoke.

 

There was, which mostly extolled the virtues of the tiny Look Solutions fogger, whcih Mark has already given a link for some messages above.

[cedd]

Some idea on power available would be useful. 12v? 24v? From a battery alone or an alternator as well?

 

My company is manufacturing a train that runs on deep cell batteries. We have electrical limitations. We only have 12v worth of power

 

Whoops, my bad! Teach me to jump the gun won't it!

 

How many deep discharge cells are we looking at here? The motor controllers I've worked with (4QD and Parkside) are rated at 300A and 100A respectively. There may not be a lot of reserve left for running a heater if you're after a decent days pulling (8 hours is what I usually work on) out of the thing. Some consideration as to whether the smoke machine draws current all the time or just on the command to output smoke may need to be made. Running a heater all the time for a few seconds worth of smoke isn't ideal. My own (very cheap and nasty!) smoke machine works in a heat/cool cycle and these really should be avoided for this application I feel.

 

The rest of that thread may make interesting reading too, as I believe there were a number of suggestions, but agreed the mini fogger seemed to come out as favourite.

[erroneousblack]

In one of my past lives, I was stage LX on Cats. They had, and apparently still have on tour a mini smoke machine in a funnel for the Railway Cat scene. Give someone at CM a bell.

[ImagineerTom]

There's not an economic "off the shelf" solution or system to do what you need and trying to mash somthing together out of the various systems on the market at the moment would be costly, complicated and still not do what you need.

 

That said the problem itself is relatively easy to solve if you're able to comission a system - ie approach an effects manufacturer's / designers and comission half a dozen units and you'll find that a 12v 3 point smoke system that gives you the effects you want is perfectly achievable and suprisingly economical.

 

t