Does anyone know how to get the tender shell off one of these little beauties? I purchased it very recently in an auction, and I just am getting around to tuning it up and upgrading it. I’ve pulled every screw I can find, and have tried gently prying the shell off - no go.
I’d like to get in there to re-work the backup light, and check out the construction method. I’m not very familiar with the very late Mantua products, having mostly the '50s and '60s types.
Incidentally, I think this is a very nice little loco - a good model of a PRR Class E-6 Atlantic (as delivered), and a smooth runner… Probably won’t pull that much, but then no loco with just 4 drivers is going to be a serious hauler…
Thanks for the response, Nigel! I can only find 4 screws on this thing, none of which apparently have anything to do with holding on the tender shell: the drawbar screw, two truck screws, and the coupler pocket screw. Did I miss one? Also, because it’s a PRR engine, there is a plastic casting for the water pickup scoop which sticks down through the floor. Is that what’s holding it together, and if so, how in the world do I release it?[?]
When I try prying on the front (cab) end, the only thing that happens is that I come perilously close to ripping off the front step platform. Any ideas?[%-)]
As it happens, I’ve been planning to open up my Mantua 4-4-2 to put in a decoder into it. I’ll take a look at it tonight and let you know what I see.
Just a thought - if get a chance, see if you can remove the water scoop. It’s been a while since I had my 4-4-2 apart, but there might be a screw that’s covered by the scoop assembly that connects through to the body shell of the tender??
The only late Mantua I have is a Pacific and the tender shell popped right off. I do ,however, have a concern with the flange depth being too deep and causing derailments over insulating connectors.
If you have the big flanges your Pacific is pre-1970, for sure (might be older - not sure when exactly they went to RP25…). They won’t be a problem on anything larger than Code 70. I’ve had several Pacifics. The construction is way different on the 4-4-2’s - the boiler shell on the 4-4-2 is plastic, for starters. It has the Super Power gearbox (which’ll make remotoring a bunch easier!), and a very ingenious rigid-frame trailing truck.
The tender scoop was it! With some wiggling, it came right out, and sure enough, the screw was there. Thanks for all the helpful suggestions, guys!
<>BTW why are you remotoring?? By the time Mantua introduced the 4-4-2, they had switched over to Sagami can motors. I don’t know if you could do better than that. I have the 4-4-2 and a 2-8-2 that came with the can motor from the factory and they run very well, in fact I retrofitted a couple of older Mantua engines with the can motors (Mantua had a ‘kit’ you could get with the parts and motor) and they run fine!!