New to posting so bear with me. I seem to be having trouble mounting the 933-1088 light kit in the cars they are suppose to fit. I expect fit issues in the cars with partitions but even in the coach there is a problem. First the light is too long, not a problem since it can be trimmed. However after fitting the mounting pins into the holes in the interior the roof does not seem to fit properly. The mounting tabs are delicate to say the least and I don’t want to force them. I have built many kits over the last 30 years but deconstructing a $45.00 car appears to be challenging me. I heard that this issue has been discussed. Any guidence or info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Found the original post on the light problem. Seems Walthers now recommends to twist the cars in half to remove the roof instead of jamming a knife blade through a car body and snapping off the roof tabs. Good thing I bought them on sale. And I have this hobby for relaxation!
Welcome to the forum.
I found that several of the capacitors on those kits stick up above the fixture and interfere with the roof. I merly pressed them down gently to be in line with the rest of the lighting fixture and the roof snapped back on with no problem. I also found that I had to trim the tops of the partitions in several of my Pullman cars with an X-acto blade for the light fixture to fit snugly. Despite what Walthers says, they are not simply a drop-in fixture. They take a little work in some of the cars.
And whatever the Walthers instructions say, do NOT use a chisel blade to pry off the roof. Simply twist the car until one of the grabs pops out, then lift the rest of the side of the roof off. The ABS plastic that Walthers uses in their tabs is relatively brittle and has no ‘give’ to it at all. I found that out on a couple of my early Walthers cars, and re-fitting the tabs was a royal pain in the behind.
Hope this helps.
Tom [:)]
Very simple fix - but Rapido cars!!! I have a dozen Walthers cars, but since my first Rapido, I’ve bought nothing else!! They’re available in the $45 range at MRPO, and include a battery operated lighting system - already installed and no flickering!! Just put the included batteries in!! [:)]
PS, MRPO website http://www.modelrailwaypo.com/
Thanks for the tips. I made the knife mistake once. I have dealt with styrene for many years appreciating its pliability, welcome to ABS. I see where the trimming is needed. I also see what appear to be extra tabs that walthers simply cut off and left the cross piece in the roof. More plastic to trim, I don’t give up easily.
Thanks again, Eric
Ah yes, Rapido Trains! Land of backward decals… But seriously, they do seem to be exceptional models. I buy the passenger cars from the Walthers site when they go on sale, a pretty decent price. It takes a lot of looking, but I was able to obtain a nice consist of B&O cars at a decent price. Rapido will come if our new raise allows me. Now all I need is space…and a few dollars I also buy from MRPO and, F&M Hobbies in Denville NJ.
It’s been a couple of years and I don’t remember all of the gory details, but a fellow club member purchased the Walthers light kits for his heavyweight cars and had to butcher and cobble every one of them to get a good fit. No two cars were the same internally.
Cacole–
You’re right on that–in putting together my 1949 Royal Gorge, a mixture of standard and streamline cars, the Walthers kits fit relatively (and I use that word avisedly) easy, however the Pullman Standard cars required major surgery for the kits to fit. I can well understand what your friend at the club went through with an entire train of Standard cars. Whew!
Tom [:-^]