I placed all switches in the correct positions and I added the required amount of smoke fluid. (no more than 25 drops).
I checked to see if the reservoir was getting warm/hot. It was warm, but not hot. Also, everything else is as it should be as far as operation.
So, why doesn’t she put something out?
Thanks for any help.
Is the fan turning?
What voltage are you running? You need about 7 volts for the unit to even start, 12v and above is optimal.
Greg
No fan on this locomotive Greg. As for volts, I am using a pretty good sized transformer that can operate multiple locomotives at one time. The track is clean and clear and as near as I can tell, everything is as it should be, but no smoke.
Oh its no big deal. I know it can be fixed or even modified and to tell you the truth, smoke is not a priority right now.
Thanks for replying.
I modified mine and put in a smoke unit out of an SD-45, now she really smokes.
I guess I am confused, thought the new Aristo 0-4-0 had the new smoke unit.
Maybe this is your (new to you) old version 0-4-0?
Ahh, after a little research, it turns out that Aristo advertised it with the new fan driven smoke unit, but it appeared with the old style non-fan smoker.
You might pull it apart and check the wiring.
So you have the smoke switch on the loco and the one in the tender both turned on?
Greg
Stacy Krausmann said:
No fan on this locomotive Greg. As for volts, I am using a pretty good sized transformer that can operate multiple locomotives at one time. The track is clean and clear and as near as I can tell, everything is as it should be, but no smoke.
Oh its no big deal. I know it can be fixed or even modified and to tell you the truth, smoke is not a priority right now.
Thanks for replying.
Stacy, volts on the track is related to the speed you have the transformer set to. You can have a huge honking transformer, but if you are running the locomotive at a (scale) walking pace, then the volts are low. I know some of my locomotives only get smoking well when they are trying to set land speed records, but at a more normal pace they don’t smoke well at all.
Of course, you may just have one of the new, politically correct, non-smoking locomotives. 
Update.
The newer version of the 0-4-0 from Aristo Craft does have a situation whereby the locomotive and tender MUST be hooked up by a wiring harness. A plug on the front of the tender for the wiring harness from the loco is where the two must connect. There are switches in the tender and on the side of the locomotive (left) under the cab. All switches were placed in the on position and still, no smoke.
Power is everything. If I ran the loco at near full speed, she spits out a few small puffs, but once I dial her down to a crawl, she stops smoking. Truth is: the smoke units in the older version and newer version suck. (Sorry).
I will modify the smoke unit one day in the future, but for now, I am content just to have a nice little steam era engine. actually two of them.
If you look inside, I’ll bet there is room for the fan-driven Aristo unit. If I know Aristo, the design had room for that unit, since even Lewis stated initially that it would have that unit.
I’m sure it was a cost saving decision when it came to the final product.
Ask here on the forum, and I’ll bet you can find someone that has one for a good price.
Regards, Greg
Fan driven is alright, but is it prototypical of a steam era locomotive to put out smoke constantly and not with the puff and chuff in time with the wheels?
Also, it seems rather pointless to spend money on a locomotive that is supposed to be updated with the electronics, only to have it not work correctly or as it should. js
Oh don’t get me wrong here Greg, modifying is something I am not shy about doing, but it must fit the situation. The idea of constant smoke coming out of a fan driven unit might look funny after awhile.
???
You started this thread about the smoke unit.
I sort of assumed you wanted it to work.
I noted that you can probably buy a used fan driven one (for a few bucks), and then your smoke would work.
Now you come back and pooh pooh one that does not puff.
Well, you bought a volkswagen bug and want to know why it does not run like a ferrari.
I also cannot really follow the meaning of the sentence about “supposed to be updated with the electronics”… the “updated electronics” is merely the 0-4-0 having the socket. No real electronics in it, or any other Aristo loco. No relation to the smoke.
So, if you want the nice puffing smoke, then drop the coin to pay for it, which will most likely involve a DCC sound decoder (which can be run on DC) driving the fan and heater separately.
I’m not trying to give you a hard time, but frankly, the logic of your response escapes me… the point seems to be that now you think the loco sucks, the electronics is not what it should be and for some reason doing mods does not “fit the situation”.
Many people have taken a sub-$100 Bachmann steamer and fitted an expensive drive system and an expensive sound system.
It really boils down to what you want “extra” and surprise, it costs the same to add this stuff to a cheap loco as it does to an expensive loco… the smoke unit and sound system don’t know and don’t care.
I thought I was being helpful, that you could pick up a used Aristo fan driven unit for maybe $20 and put it in no sweat and you had much better smoke (I guess way better since yours does not work apparently).
But it seems that my suggestion was not helpful at all, and frankly, I’m sort of stumped by your reply.
So, what I am taking away is that you want all your steamers to puff smoke, but it’s not worth the investment.
Just trying to get my “Stacy” calibration, and be helpful in the future.
Greg