A few years ago, Centralia Car Shops came out with some beautiful models of the PRR P-85 coaches. Unfortunately, everything seems to have been glued together. Has anyone found a way to get into the interior of these cars without destroying the model??
John
I am bumping this very old thread because I've got the same question now in 2019. Does anyone know how to open up the Centralia PRR P85b coaches without risking destroying then? Thanks.
Maybe try to contact Intermountain Railway, as they handle the Centralia Car Shops.
https://www.intermountain-railway.com/manufacturersho.htm
I didn't see anywhere on their web site for manuals or instructions.
Mike.
My You Tube
I have never found a way of opening these cars to access the interior. I was also reluctant to push my luck for fear of destroying the cars.
Is Centralia still in business? They initially offered these cars as kits. Last I heard they were releasing N scale cars through Intermountain's distribution network.
Boris
wojosa31Is Centralia still in business? They initially offered these cars as kits. Last I heard they were releasing N scale cars through Intermountain's distribution network.
I did a few searches for Centralia Car Shops, and all led to Intermountain. On the IM page that I link to, there is a button for Centralia CS.
I couldn't find any info on how they came apart.
Maybe it's like Rivarossi, the top and window glass come together. Maybe look for some tabs on the bottom of the car?
If the frame and the car sides seam to be one casting, that's a clue the top comes off.
jpwc50Unfortunately, everything seems to have been glued together. Has anyone found a way to get into the interior of these cars without destroying the model??
I was curious myself so I contemplated a method of attack. You are correct, everything is glued together. With a little bending, tapping and squeezing I determined that the roof was indeed cemented on but only at the ends and center.
Fortunately, the openings through the car-ends are open enough to poke a long-shank, flat blade screw driver in and pry up on the inside of the roof. The end of the screwdriver winds up about a third of the way in and this is just the place where the roof wasn't glued:
PRR_P85_3 by Edmund, on Flickr
I used the top of the end-wall bulkhead as the fulcrum point:
PRR_P85_5 by Edmund, on Flickr
PRR_P85_0 by Edmund, on Flickr
With a little careful prying, and a little pressure on the car sides the glue bond eventually comes apart. Try each end a little at-a-time, one end may be glued better than the other. I dislodged one of the end walls at one end (easily re-glued).
PRR_P85_2 by Edmund, on Flickr
You can see some damage that was done to the drip rail even before painting, also this shows the center glue joint. Fortunately the roof was glued after painting and this helps to break the bond.
Voilà:
PRR_P85_1 by Edmund, on Flickr
Your model may be a little different. Actually, I'm glad to have the car opened up as those seats are, maybe a bit less than ideal? They are vacuum formed plastic and just a tad bulky. Better than an empty interior, though.
Hope that works for you. I'm going to come up with a way of re-attaching the roof with sticky dots or some other kind of tacky cement. Perhaps neodium magnets
Cheers, Ed
Wonderful! Thanks for trying and reporting this and congratulations on the successful outcome.