How to replace smoke unit on Lion Chief Scout 246x


malibu43

malibu43

Active Member
Hi. I posted this in the locomotives and rolling stock section, but maybe there are more Lionel folks lurking here.

My kids recently burnt out the smoke unit on our Lion Chief Scout 246x. I got a quote for a new one from Lionel ($18.50 + $9 shipping). Are there any tutorials, walkthroughs, or diagrams for opening up the Scout 246x locomotive and getting to the smoke unit?

I have also located an authorized service center 20 minutes from work, so I may go that route if I can pay a few extra bucks to avoid hours of frustration in the garage trying to do the repair myself (if it is, in fact a frustrating, hours long process).
 
Two screws on the bottom plate should get you in. A pin at he back of the motor slides out only one way. The scout uses a plastic monster for smoke, once they burn out they stink. This module fits all the modern starter four wheel drive engines . You may have to solder one or two wires for the smoke and light. If you like smoke invest in a 2026 or similar engine that has a smoke unit. These kits are inexpensive through independent parts dealers.
 
Thanks. I actually got it fixed a few days ago. You were right, just 3 screws and a couple of wires to solder. It took me about 20 minutes to get the new unit soldered in, but then an hour to get the shell back on with everything lined up and in the right place.

It seems to work OK now. It took a LOT of smoke fluid to get it sufficiently wetted. I'm a little worried I may have run it with not enough fluid again after the repair, until I figured out how much I needed to added. Seems to be working OK, though.
 
On smoke unit engines I often use a simple slide switch, wrap it in electrical tape around the base then epoxy it inside the cab. Just cut the feed to the smoke unit and add the two switch wires there. Be careful not to let the epoxy seep into the switch.I have used screws on the switch and epoxied them to the cab wall.

FYI I lost my e mail for years, after a few computers I lost this site too.


Bob
 
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