I need help with installing the subject smoke unit. I've not been able to find much in the way of helpful information to do this on the net. I would like to do this using the Marklin mini relay but I first need a tutorial from someone that has already done this, like how it is wired to the decoder and what locations on the decoder board to use. This kind of help will be greatly appreciated. Perhaps Gordon from Northern California would respond or anyone else? Thank you so I don't burn out the ESU decoder. I am using Digitrax DCC and the smoke unit is a #20.
Richard in Vermont

Gordon,
Nice to hear from you. I seem to be gaining little by little with my Trix 2-8-2 but it's almost like flying blind because I'm not finding the info I need very easily. So today I decided to just take a chance and install the #20 smoke generator to see what happens. I removed the belly screw, removed the boiler shell and stuck it in the chimney then put it back together again. I had an old bottle of Bachmann smoke fluid laying around so instead of using the Trix fluid I used the Bachmann fluid (another experiment). Low and behold it smoked beautifully. Tonight I'm going to give it a better run on my friends layout. I consider that to be a stroke of luck in view of not having much info to go on. The one thing that I want to find out now is how to be able to turn the smoke on and off and to do that without running the smoke unit itself thru the decoder I will need to find out how to wire the mini relay to the decoder and then find out what CV's to use for the on-off function.
All th best,
Richard in Vermont

Hello Fred,
I have a Digitrax radio system. I'm glad to know that the decoder which I believe is the 3.5 model has the smoke on/off feature but how to set it up is my problem. I'm just not any good with European stuff. My first question is about the power to the smoke unit, is it coming from the decoder or directly form the track?
Richard in Vermont

Hi all!

One disadvantage of discussing one problem in two (or more) threads is that some folks will remember the earlier thread while others will not.

This thread is about Trix 22802, a US Mikado where the smoke generator is not controlled by the decoder.
Märklin 39390 is a DB Mikado where the smoke generator is controlled by the decoder.

You need someone who has such a Trix Mikado and who has modified the internal wiring of the loco.
People with a Märklin Mikado probably cannot help as the Märklin loco has controllable smoke generator contact - same mould, same company, different brand name, different loco board, different decoders (Märklin customers did not get an ESU LokSound with their Mikados).

In a two-rail group it could be easier to find someone who can help you.