HI all, I recently bought a Weaver Hiawatha set from a forum member (G-1230-L). I noticed there was a screw loose on the underside of the observation car. Knowing loose screws end up on the rails and cause havoc, I decided to take it apart to see what's up. Now for the STRESS part - after searching all over for a disassembly guide - no avail - I decided I needed to forge ahead CAREFULLY so I would not damage anything on this gorgeous 20 inch observation car. I knew I would have to take it apart eventually to convert over to LEDs - so in I dove.
In a perfect world, you remove 2 pairs of body screws from either end of the body and slide the base out along the aluminum guide rails. No need to remove the trucks - done. As it was, the very ends of the guide rails were pinched making easy removal impossible. Using a wooden "stick" nearly the width of the base I was able to extract the base with a series of taps and bangs and several &^%&^%$. Then once out, a couple of taps with a jeweler's screwdriver in the channel opened the pinch point. Everything slides back together as intended. Making sure I did not damage the paint was my biggest concern.
So, does model railroading soothe stress? mostly yes, unless there is a delicate repair to make - then all bets are off. I will be very relaxed when I see the set running around the Twin Pines Rail Road.
Not much to this. The extruded shell, end tail, stamped thin metal base and two truck assemblies. 6 screws. Not counting the 2 screws holding the wire cover to the underside of the base. The assembly slides toward the end of the car. You can see the flat at the left side of the base. I could get it to slide out until the raised portion of the base hit the pinch point. There was no way for me to open up the pinch point so it was tap the base completely out. The metal is thin and easily bent - so light taps were warranted. Now the decision will be whether to detail the interior - or leave it as is.
