Never had to open one of these before... This one is Lionel #9501. Thanks!!
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If you look closely at the windows, you'll see that four of them near the ends of the car, one on each corner, are tapered. You have to pressed all of them in to pull the roof off, the windows are part of the roof.
How do I remove the top of a Lionel 9538 passenger car?
I have a set of Blue Comet cars of that era. Using your photo as a reference, with your forefingers on one side of the car and thumbs on the other, try gently squeezing either the 4th or 5th windows from the right and the second or third windows from the left of the photo. The roof release is attached to 4 windows.
Got it open. Right before you think you're going to break something!! Thanks!
If you opened it w/o cutting off these tabs, someone has been in there before you.
I have always hated this design.
I'm really liking the plastic rivets on the trucks!! Need two please!!!
@Jeff T posted:Got it open. Right before you think you're going to break something!! Thanks!
Been there, done that.
I have a special set of popsicle sticks for just such an occasion.....
My thumbs are too big to press those tabs in far enough.
PS- this should be in the Lionel General Topics Forum.
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@Jeff T posted:Those tabs are still there...
I've never been able to remove the roof w/o excising those tabs first on the Milwaukee cars.
I had to open one up just a couple days ago, and it was the most difficult one I ever had to deal with. I needed to use a small screwdriver slid under the front of the car between the roof and front end to pry up a bit while I squeezed the windows, and do one end at a time. The wire to the roller had broken free and retracted into the car.
I use some plastic rulers to hold the sides out in order to slide the roof off. I could never press enough of the windows to remove them the way they document. 
My trick was always to jam 4 jeweler screw drivers into the windows with the locking tabs. Keeps them all disengaged to rip the roof off.
I have a set of these and I was thinking about 3d printing some interiors for and putting ‘real’ windows in - now I am thinking I might need to come up with something creative to hold the roof on…. Anyone done this?
I think someone should have designed a tool for this! Given the amount of these MPC cars around, it would sell well and save a lot of frustration!
@ChrisFromCle posted:I have a set of these and I was thinking about 3d printing some interiors for and putting ‘real’ windows in - now I am thinking I might need to come up with something creative to hold the roof on…. Anyone done this?
Truthfully, you could probably just set it on with a nice lip around it, it's not like it's going to fall off. However, if you're going to all that trouble, I'd start with a much better base product. Tons of Railking cars with full interiors available, and they're a much better base to build on.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Truthfully, you could probably just set it on with a nice lip around it, it's not like it's going to fall off. However, if you're going to all that trouble, I'd start with a much better base product. Tons of Railking cars with full interiors available, and they're a much better base to build on.
Oh I hear you - but I have these blue comet cars without boxes, burnt out bulbs that are dying for some seats, people and leds (with your led board)… I might have to give it a go, I am sure I can come up with something!
@k-liner posted:Given the amount of these MPC cars around, it would sell well and save a lot of frustration!
Going in to their 51st year of production for this tooling.
As at @ADCX Rob noted these Baby Madison passenger cars have been around a long time. Rob also commented on the thread below, whch details on how to remove the trucks and rewired the cars to avoid the flicker because the cars only have one pickup. I followed this process and rewired the cars. I got my parts from Jeff at the Train tender, he was able to put a Parts "kit" together for me to replace the trucks with an operating coupler (below is a picture that shows the pick up that I had already sodered the wires onto. Recommend using the flex wires.
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