I bought a bunch of BLI F-7s back, oh 10 years maybe. When BLI first came out with the California Zephyr cars.
I can't for the life of me get the shells off. What the heck am I doing wrong? Or a better question is what do I do right to get them off?
Thanks ahead.
MC
WP Lives
I don't have that specific model, but before any one else asks, the CB&Q F7 from BLI was the original Paragon series.
I do have some F7s in the Blueline series, and it is no fun trying to remove the shell. It fits tight against the chassis, and you need a whole bunch of round toothpicks to hold the shell away from the chassis to permit removal.
Rich
Alton Junction
Thanks Rich,
Round toothpicks it is.
Should I remove the couplers? And are there screws? Obviously I don't have them with me at the moment. But I'll see tomorrow.
MC, recall that my F7s are Blueline, not Paragon, although I would bet that the shells and chassis are the same. Blueline was a DC version with a sound and lights decoder.
Definitely remove the couplers first and set them aside. On the Blueline version, only the coupler screws needed to be removed. Any other screws on the bottom of the chassis held components and details in place, but did not affect removal of the shell.
On the Blueline F7 shell, there are four sets of three protrusions inside the shell, one set approximately in line with each truck. The shell slides down over these protrusions until it snaps in place. So, to remove the shell, the toothpicks should slide between the shell and the chassis to open up the shell from the chassis. You need to open the shell enough to clear the protrusions.
Some say that you can pull the shell apart from the chassis with your fingers, but I found that the toothpicks act like a second set of fingers. The shell is a tight fit so take your time. Be careful not to scratch the painted surface, and watch out for those details, especially the foot ladders. Treat the shell removal as surgery.
Rich,
Excellent. Thank you so much. Look back here in a couple days for my update.
Mark
Mark, good luck.
As you insert the first toothpick, look for those three profusions. They are wedge shaped from top to bottom.
Déjà vu, anyone?
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/744/t/181954.aspx
This subject seems to come up here quite a bit! (Sometimes by the same author)
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/224851.aspx
Here is a photo of those robust clips and wedges...
and a closer view...
BLI REALLY didn't want these shells to pop off too easily!
Good Luck, Ed
gmpullman Déjà vu, anyone? http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/744/t/181954.aspx This subject seems to come up here quite a bit! (Sometimes by the same author) http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/224851.aspx Here is a photo of those robust clips and wedges... and a closer view... BLI REALLY didn't want these shells to pop off too easily! Good Luck, Ed
Hey...Ed, is it?
I just now finished my chores...
Plus, I thought that was on another forum...
Plus, I'm old...get off my lawn!!!!
Plus, thanks for the pix.
That said, thanks for posting those photos. I wasn't going to open that loco up again, but those photos are just what the OP needs to see what he has to do to get that shell off of the chassis.
I certainly have my share of forgetfulness... now, what was I saying? Oh, yeah! It's amazing how much time flies by and a project sits on a shelf for—how long?
So it is pretty easy to slip a few gears in the 'ol cranium!
Glad the photos were of some help. Have a great weekend, Ed