Athearn Streamlined cars help!!!

[Trainman440]

Hi, 

I recently bought a set of Athearn Streamlined cars. How do you open up the cars?

I checked Hoseeker, but it didn't show how to open it up. 

Are there any tabs? If so where?

Thanks, 

Charles

[dstarr]

The body assembly (roof, sides, windows) is a friction fit over the floor.  There is a thin crack between the bottom of the sides, and the skirting at the bottom of the car.  Slip a sharp knife blade into the crack and pry gently.  Move the knife around the car, giving it a gentle pry at each place.  Work the body and floor apart carefully and you are home free.

[Trainman440]

Thats not the case with my cars. I even used pliers on my underframe to try to pull them out, but they wont budge. Do you think the Original owner glued the underframe to the shell? After all, I did buy them off of Ebay...

Thanks,

Charles

[RR_Mel]

I bought several Athearn streamline cars off eBay that had been glued together with a Styrene glue and I couldn’t get them apart.  I ended up having to cut the bottom out next to the sides.  I used a #56 drill to open an elongated slot enough to use my Xacto saw.

 

I rebuilt the bottom side walls on the remaining frame from .032” thick sheet Styrene so it would slide back inside the existing glued bottom walls. 

 

I built up interiors and installed passengers and lighting in 4 cars.  It was a lot of work but I was able to salvage all of the cars.

 

 

 

EDIT:

 

I opened one of the cars I cut up using my Xacto saw blade and took some pictures of the repair to the floor/bottom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lots of sanding too.

 

 

Mel

 

 

Modeling the SP in HO scale since 1951

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

[Catt]

If they didn't use the whole bottle (or tube) tossing the car in the freezer overnight should get the glue brittle enough that you can break the connection.Once you get it started don't stop till you got all of the glue broke loose.

[RR_Mel]

Catt

If they didn't use the whole bottle (or tube) tossing the car in the freezer overnight should get the glue brittle enough that you can break the connection.Once you get it started don't stop till you got all of the glue broke loose.

 

 

I wish I had known that trick, it was a big and time consuming project the way I did it.  In my case I think the guy empted a full tube of Testors Glue in each car.  Even after I had the bottoms off I couldn’t budge the glued parts.

 

 

Mel

 

 

Modeling the SP in HO scale since 1951

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

[Trainman440]

Thanks, Catt this did work for me!!

 

Charles Li

[cv_acr]

Catt

If they didn't use the whole bottle (or tube) tossing the car in the freezer overnight should get the glue brittle enough that you can break the connection.Once you get it started don't stop till you got all of the glue broke loose.

 

*IF* they used something like CA super glue.

Testor's styrene cement melts and welds the styrene together. That trick won't end up working in that case.