Did anyone has ever been able to take out the (Side rods/ Coupling rods) that Connects the driving wheels together on a steam loco? So that those red plastic inserts could be repainted black? Or are they so strongly glued or pres fit that it is impossible to disassemble. Thanks Ben
The siderods come out by prying the pin out with a small flat screwdriver. You can paint the wheels without removing the siderods if you paint what you can get to and run the engine a little until the other part becomes visible and then paint that part.
One thing to keep in mind if you remove the pins is that they are not all the same length. So keep track of where they came from. Putting the pins back in can be a bit tricky. I made up a little tool using a 1/8" round rare eart magnet and 1/8" styrene tubing. I cut a very thin slice of tubing and glued it to one side of the magnet (this helps hold the head of the pin in place) and then about a 3" length of tubing to the other side. Then I put a small nail in the open end to use as a pusher to seat the pin. It's a simple tool, but it helps a lot. It's no fun looking for those pins when they have been dropped. Dan S.
