Ok, I'm being a total and complete utter wuss with this. I opened up my HO stuff all the time with minimal problems, but that's why I'm a wuss. MINIMAL is not good enough. I want to know HOW to open up my first N scale locomotive (which was a gift from my fiance, who pretty much put her soul into finding this little loco) so that I don't tear it up.
There is a drop method that works pretty well. Hold the locomotive about 2/3's that way back from the front of the locomotive. Hold it about an inch or so above your index finger on the other hand and gently bounce the plow area on your other index finger and that will pop the front side up. Now reverse the locomotive and do this to the rear side of the truck. The body should come off easily now. The shell may get hung up on one the the motor pads on the sides of the chasis. Just is the tip of a pencil or a pen to press it back to allow the shell to clear. And it is done, takes about 20 seconds.
Great vid, thanks! I usually just drop mine on the floor. Bonus: it nocks those silly details and useless couplers off. (no not really)
I have tried this method before and if you're not careful to get the pilot resting on the side of the case you will tear your plow right off the front. Trust me, I have done it. Just be careful and this is a pretty decent way of doing it.
I don't have any SD80's, but I got a few SD90's, same thing different sandbox on the rear. Holding the fuel tank in one hand, start pulling up on the shell with the other hand. Pulling from the radiators or around the inertial filter/ exhaust area seems to work best. The rear of the walkway always seems to snag those little nubs that hold the shell on, just wiggle it up over or use a small screw driver to help it over. There's a possibility that the walkway may also snag the motor tabs from the circut board. You can either pull the walkway out a little to get it over the tabs or use a small screwdriver. Stick the screwdriver between the shell and walkway and push in on the tabs allowing the walkway to slip over. Then just keep pulling evenly on the shell and it should come right off. That frame piece may or may not come along in this whole process, yes it is a seperate piece, it just seems to do what it wants though. Be careful using that drop method on newer Kato units, those circut board motor clips almost always snag the walkways. When they do, if you keep pulling or gravity keeps it dropping there's a chance you could break the small clips on the shell that hold the walkways to the shell.
Thanks guys! Got 'er opened up pretty easily. Thought I broke her into a million pieces though, cause when it popped open a bunch of it came apart. Took me a second to realize that it was molded in layers, the shell then the walkway, etc.
