A good friend of mine has a Athearn Genesis F3 AB set. I will be adding sound to it but first I need to find out what the trick is to getting the shell off. We can get the front unhooked but the back stays stubornly fixed in place. It rotates up like the body on a funny car and we haven’t been able to get it to come off. Do to the level of detail we’ve been very cautious so I figured maybe someone on here would allready know how to get the shell off.
Thanks
Jesse
As per the instructions that came with the loco. Remove front coupler ( “A” unit only). Slide finger nails between fuel tank and chassis. Spread body outward and shake loco in a vertical motion until the chassis slips free. Rotate the body forward and use tweezers to grip the headlight wire. Pull excess wire through cab interior. Very little space insdie to add anything, good luck.
Jesse,
There is one thing to add that the shell removal instructiosn don’t cover. Check the area where the rear coupler sits, There are a couple of projections on either side of it that can get hung up on the coupler. Gently move the shell, which these projections are attached to, enough so that nothing gets snagged by the coupler assembly.
Sounds like the rear latches are stuck in place. If they don’t come free from just spreading the shell outwards, then you can try carefully loosening them with a screwdriver. They’re clearly visible behind the fuel tank.
I agree with the window/ latches. If careful prying doesn’t work, slide thin styrene or card stock between the frame and clear window/ latch assy. This happens quite often especially on Stewarts. For real loose pieces, I add a couple dabs of Goo to hold them in place. Now the fingernail spreading will work.
Thank you for all of your replies. I should note that we did attempt as the instructions stated. I will try some of the other suggestions as well. If all else fails I’ll use a feeler gauge to feel for where the impingement is so we can focus on that exact area. Thanks again
Jesse
I tried all the basic ideas of shaking body loose and could not get out. Did the following. There are 4 tabs of clear plastic inside that is a shell of windows. Under the 4 round windows are those tabs. I slid a business card under each tab to hold it open and the chassis slid right out. You might need to slide each on back to unhook it for the card to go in. Plastic or anything else would work. They are tougher to release than stated in the directions and it just doesnt seem to work by just spreading the shell. Good Ludk
Finally!
An answer after 19 years.
