(57) A fuming or smoke-emitting device used on a model steam locomotive of railway model
driven by an electric motor. This model locomotive is accurately and precisely reduced
in a predetermined scale from an actual locomotive. The scale recently tends to mainly
become large. It is therefore required to reduce the fuming device as much as possible
and to simulate the smoke exhausted from the actual locomotive in the smoking state.
These requirements are critical. The achievement of the emission of smoke of the model
locomotive requires a special design of the corresponding mechanism. This fuming device
comprises a container which has therein Nichrome wire and is provided at its upper
portion with perforation for exhausting the fume or smoke. The container is filled
with an isolated liquid mixture of water and oil having non-affinity with each other.
When the heater is heated, the water is boiled to thereby stir the oil of the liquid
mixture. Thus, the oil is burnt, and the smoke of fume thus produced is exhausted
by the steam. The fuming state by this combustion phenomenon simulates the smoke exhausted
from the actual locomotive, because this fume thus exhausted from the locomotive is
similar in principle to the utilization of the steam exhausted usually from the normal
cylinder. This fuming device is extremely small and simple in structure, and not restricted
in its configuration design. Accordingly, this device is adapted to be carried on
the model locomotive.
Technical field:
[0001] The present invention relates to a fuming or smoke-emitting device to simulate the
smoke exhausted from the model steam locomotive and the model ship, etc. And more
particularly, it is suitable for use on a model steam locomotive of railway. The railway
model is different from toys, and its reduced scale and the method of operation are,
to some degree, internationally standardized. As for the reduced scale, except minor
ones, the two reduced scales are mainly adopted; one is refered to HO-gauge whose
reduced scale of model train is about 1/80, another is refered to N-gauge whose reduced
scale of model train is about 1/160. As the model locomotive recently tends to become
small, N-gauge has been prevailing. The method of operation mostly used is the remote
control to supply electric power in the rail from the transformer, from which, through
the wheels, the moter gets the driving power. In the smoking state opthe fuming device,
it is required to simulate the smoke exhausted from the actual smoke locomotive. Although
it may be possible to simulate the smoking state regardless of the size of the device
and its production cost, the space to load the fuming device is, in actual fact, very
restricted due to the reduction of the locomotive and other driving devices. Therefore
it.is required to reduce the size of the fuming device as much as possible. These.-requirements
are critical. It seems to.be impossible to make a small device by means of any mechanical
design. So the technical problem is to answer the both requirements; that-is, precise
simulation of smoking state and reduction of the fuming device.
Background art:
[0002] Any fuming method, tried so far, uses smoke produced by burning oil, and there are
two general methods for exhausting the produced smoke, namely one has recourse to
the machanical device for burning and another has recourse to an air blower. In the
former method, the smoking state has not-been performed satisfactorily and the latter
method requires an exaggerated device. However, one couldn't help compromising in
using them to some extent. Some types of fuming devices are sold now. among the products
appeared in the "Tetsudo Mokei Shumi(Hobby of the Railway Model)", which is the Japanese
special book of railway model, typical one is the product of Vest Germany which is
the example of the specially designed device for burning. In the following, the explanation
of the device is cited and summarized. "In Vest Germany, SEUTE sells some kinds of
fuming devices. In Japan, the devices of product-numbers 99
and/or 100 for HO-gauge are familiar. Inner structure is very simple; there stands a thin
steam pipe like an injection-needle in its center, and the upper part of it, about
7 mm long, is a heater with thin Nichrome wire wound. The oil for burning is stored
in the botton of the device and the oil is pumped due to capillarity action in the
pipe, then heated and evaporated by the heater and ejected upward. This process is
made intermittently, so the white smoke continues to eject so long as the oil exists."
But the following comments are made that the smoking state doesn't resemble and the
amount of the smoke is too little and that the power of ejection is too little. The
size of the device is relatively small, but the burning method requires the device
to be set vertically, so the model locomotives available to the device are limited.
Another typical product is one of Japan. In the following, the explanation of the
device is cited and summarized. "A fuming device whose chamber for making smoke and
blower are separated, and is designed for tender. That the amount of smoke is enough
and the smoking state varies in accordance with the speed of the locomotive is characteris-
ti
c.
" The device is limited to some particular locomotives for use, however, the smoking
state is highly estimated.
Disclosure of invention:
[0003] According to the present invention, to make the smoke, the oil is burned, however,
the characteristic point is that the isolated liquid
mi
xt
urp of water and oil having non-affinity with each other is burned. Concrete explanation
is given below. The Nichrome wire is put as a heater in a container with perforation
for a chimney at its upper portion. Through the chimney, an isolated liquid mixture
of water and oil having non-affinity with each other, is put into the container. Then
the electric power is supplied to the Nichrome and heat the wire, so the smoke begins
to eject from the chimney, and it is mimilar to the fume or smoke of a real steam
locomotive. In viewing the burning state using a transparent container, the process
seems as follows. As the boiling temperature of water is lower than that of oil, the
boiled water stirs the oil of the liquid mixture. Moreover, as the water and oil have
non-affinity with each other, the droplets of water and oil are formed when the mixture
is heated. The droplets of oil burn and produce smoke in an instant when they touch
the Nichrome wire which is barely exposed due to the boiling and stiring of the liquid
mixture. It seems that the produced smoke is ejected from the chimney due to the expansion
in volume of water vapor which is evaporated when the droplets of water touch the
Nichrome wire. The phenomenon that the water droplet, sometimes fallen into the heated
oil, bursts are easily found in daily life such as cocking. But to burn the mixture
of oil and water is essentially intentional. And the burning state is very suitable
for simulating the fume or smoke of the actual steam locomotive. It is appa
~ rent that the fuming state by this combustion phenomenon simulates the smoke exhausted
from the actual locomotive, because this fume thus exhausted from the locomotive is
similar in principle to the utilization of the steam exhausted usually from the normal
cylinder. This invention makes it possible to make a small device because it doesn't
require any special mechanical design, so this fuming device is extremely small and
simple in structure, and not restricted in its configuration design. Accordingly,
this device has an advantage in that it is adapted to be carried on the model locomotive.
[0004] Best mode of carrying out the invention:
To make a container with perforation for chimney at its upper portion, and on the
lowest part in the container the Nichrome wire is put as a heater, two edges of the
Nichrome wire are got out from the container. To pour oil and water, having non-affinity
with each other, through the chimney into the container. Drinking water is available
and the kerosene is suitable. The ration of water to oil depends on the volume of
the container, but about 2 to 1 is suitable.
[0005] Industrial applicability:
In Japan, the device is already sold. Its low cost and utility, compared with ordinary
ones, are highly estimated.