Lionel 9511 question

[trains2353]

Need to replace interior bulbs on a Lionel 9511 passenger car. How do you remove the car body to access the bulbs?

[lionelsoni]

From Roland E. LaVoie, Greenberg's Guide to Lionel Trains 1970-1991, Volume I, p. 261:

"...Getting at the light bulbs [of the 9500-series 'Short Madison' passenger cars] to change them was a horrendous problem never fully solved.  The roof and translucent window pieces were made of one casting which snapped into the car bodies.  At first, there were tabs on the car bottoms, but these actually had to be cut off to remove the roof.  Later the tabs were eliminated in favor of projections in the translucent window inserts which snapped into the window frames.  Even with this arrangement, getting the roofs off these cars has always been a job to tax the most patient of people."

Good luck!

[trains2353]

Bob;

Thanks for the reply. There are somewhite tabs on the bottom of the car. I'm guessing they belong the he windows. Will attempt to remove the roof and report results.

Thanks again for the info!

Bob

[lynbrookyankee]

You might want to look at the below link. If I'm not mistaken the polar express cars are the same as the 9500 series.

http://www.jcstudiosinc.com/Polar-Express-Change-Light-Bulb

[alank]

The subject of replacing interior bulbs in 9500 cars came up in 2012.

John Brooks or Kooljock1 answered it back then in the thread Lionel Baby Madison Car Lights...the correct answer...

I remembered it as I knew John when I lived in northern VT and found the thread using google and typing in Lionel 9500 light bulb and John Brooks if you can't find it using a CTT search

Good luck...

       Alank

Lionel Baby Madison Car Lights...the correct answer...

 

Posted by Kooljock1 on Thursday, January 19, 2012 4:31 PM

[ADCX Rob]

The secret to getting these apart is to squeeze the windows in from the bottom or sides instead of trying to reach over the top... hold the car in front of you with the side windows facing to your left & right between your hands.

Press in on the "notched" rear windows with both index fingers using a pushing up motion at the same time to "unlock" the raised tabs from the windows. Switch to the front windows and do the same. Repeat on back windows again... usually by this time you have opened up the roof enough to get a grip on the roof panel and raise it straight up & out of the car.

 

Don't mar the finish by using wedges or screwdrivers to pry the roof up - it just isn't necessary and can crack or break the plastic.

If you have the early Milwaukee cars, you may have to cut off with a hobby knife the portions of the window castings(tabs) that protrude below the floor. These were eliminated before the PRR cars came out.

There is also 1 more step if you are working on a Polar Express observation car, you must remove the screw from the platform overhang ceiling(up into roof casting).