I need to remove the locomotive shell because the coupler screw made its way into the body when I was trying to attach the coupler. Other than the couplers there do not appear to be any obvious screws or tabs. Does anyone know if this shell is attached to the chassis solely by friction which means brute forc somehow or is there something I am missing?
If your F7A is the same as my E6, the body is held in place by a couple of tabs along the side of the frame. You need to gently spread the body to clear the tabs and then the frame will slide out. If your finger nails are long enough you may be able to get enough grip to spread the shell sufficiently. I use two small flat head screwdrivers wedged between the body and the frame, and then turn the loco right side up and shake it gently over a soft surface so the tabs clear the slots in the body. Be careful not to drop the frame.
Couplers must be removed first. It is also important to pull the shell off evenly instead of lifting one end first or it will bind.
Dave
I used search terms “remove Walthers F7 shell” and got this:
http://ikm.digitrax.com/questions/85/
Ed
That’s really not much different from the old Proto 1000 F3 shell removal. I have one of those that was especially stubborn.
Thanks for the help. The digitrax site did the trick and I used two small flat head screwdrivers as advised and it worked like a charm. I kept trying to google “removing a Walthers Proto 2000 F7A locomotive shell” and did not come up with much of anything.