MP Pacific.Mike cab removal?

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Anyone know how to remove the cab on the MP Pacific/Mike? I rather not disassemble the whole engine if I don't have to.

[brokemoto]

Turn the locomotive upside down.  Do this carefully, as the solder joints on this thing are delicate.  Use a cradle, if possible.  On either side of the cab piece, you will see two tongues with square openings in them that fit over nubs cast into the underside of the frame.  Insert a jeweller's screwdriver and gently pry up on the tongues so that they clear the nubs.  Slide back the cab piece and away from the locomotive.  Take care that you do not remove some of the air or steam lines that are plastic pieces that fit into openings in the frame.  If one or more does pop out, replace them after you are finished with whatever you plan to do with the cab and have replaced it.

[SandyEggoJake]

Let us know if you need help getting into the Vandy.  And if your used loco didn't come with a diagram, we might be able to help you locate that as well. 

[brokemoto]

If he plans on retaining the Vanderbilt, he will have to do something to make all of the wheels live.  If he is going to use a USRA standard, you can simply swap either of the tenders for a Bachpersonn SPECTRUM or a Kato USRA standard.

The Vanderbilt is  not that difficult.  If you will pry on either side of the fuel bunker, you can lift it up off the nubs and the water tank will come, as well.  There is a tab on the water tank that goes into the fuel bunker.  Once you start to pull off the fuel bunker, it becomes obvious how the thing comes apart.

[SandyEggoJake]

Once you start to pull off the fuel bunker, it becomes obvious how the thing comes apart.

Usually.  But I've run into a few with a significantly longer screw on the rear body mount coupler that goes into the water shell.  Too be honest, not sure if it was a production change or someone's after market mod.  But after marring the a$$ on one as I pried off the tank thinking it was like others, now I remove the rear truck and rear coupler on all just to be safe.   

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I was able to disassemble the Vandy pretty easily. It has the improved axle-back wipers from the most recent run. Though not axle point, they roll well and conduct electricity much better than the Rivarossi style wipers.

That cab though. This is possibly one of the most ludicrous design decisions I have ever seen on a model. Why is the front of the cab part of the boiler? Why the insane under body clip? I mean this thing ferrets around the drawbar, wires and chassis. I can't see any structural reason for this. It seems to me that they could have just molded the backhead and cab in one shot and the backhead clip would hold both in place along with the motor.

Insanity. Pure insanity.

[brokemoto]

That cab though. This is possibly one of the most ludicrous design decisions I have ever seen on a model. Why the insane under body clip? Insanity. Pure insanity.

Just wait until you try to get the cab back onto the thing.  Half the time, it will not go back on square, no matter what you try to do to it.  I have re-numbered several of the Pacifics and mikados as B&O had originals of both of these.  In fact, the first USRA locomotive built was a light 2-8-2 assigned to the B&O and it still exists.  It is in the B&O Museum in Baltimore.  Sometimes the cab will go back on straight, sometimes it will go back on straight after you fiddle with it a few times, sometimes it will not go back on square at all.  I foobilised a Western Maryland pacific on which the cab will not go back on square.  I removed the cab to decal it with a number and stripes.  The stripes go on the rivet lines; the road number between them.  I drew lines with a pencil, checked the line up with rulers and squares under a magnifying lamp and everything was Archie.  I put the cab back onto the locomotive, and you could tell that it was cockeyed--the stripes make it really noticeable.  I put it under a magnifying lamp and took rulers and squares to it.  YUPP-0!!!!!!  The cab was not square and will not go back on properly.

I find that these things perform much better with an all wheels live tender.  Experience has taught me the validity of Miranda's Maxim as explained by ke:  "The poor performance of many N scale steam locomotives is almost always directly attributable to poor electrical contact."