Can a Lionel PW steam lens be removed without destroying it?

Some lens have fins on them other a little taper, but I have not seen any glued in. But it is old plastic and they are brittle. There is some risk in removing them. I have used a wooden dowel and tapped them out from the inside. There are replacement lens available for most applications. I have found the lens hole undersized and reamed it out to avoid stressing the replacement lens. I assumed the under size hole was a result of the zinc growing. 

It's already got a chip/flat spot at 1-2 o clock. 

Mine does too. I hate that.

Might.as well have a clear, round, one when you finish Franking around .

I've wondered the same thing. If you do it post a how to please.

Usually they can be pressed out by pushing from the back.  As Adriatic pointed out, your lens is in old and in sad shape.  Yours might not survive being pressed out.  Sometimes, if they are not too bad, you can sand and polish to old lens but it is really not worth the effort since you can get a new lens for $0.75 (1666E-20).

You can replace them. If you wanted to save it you do want to press them out, not pound them out. If you have a drill press you can use a punch or the back side of a drill bit.

Pete

When they look like that, I replace them.

Not to completely derail the thread here, but while he is working on the locomotive, I'd just offer up that Olsen's at one point introduced a compatible boiler face that has a more prototypical raised headlight.

See part 675gf-EB contrasted to 675-14d-EB and 675-14GK-EB

Barrowing some of @RetroMikado's photos from this posting: https://ogrforum.com/...twar-675-boilerfront

That looks like a nice upgrade, much better looking than the stock boiler front!

BTW those Olsen high-lite smoke box fronts have a hole in the back large enough to sneak a 5mm white LED into. I'll probably 3D print a little split bushing to keep it in place and use one of Gunrunner's SMT single LED CCS boards stuffed in the boiler to run it.

@bmoran4, That's a nice looking boiler front but I think I'm about done on my capital investment for this project.  Maybe someday when I build one from scratch and I'm really focused on those kids of details.  But this is my "learning loco" as it were.

I will, however, replace the lens.  Do I order that direct from Lionel or is there a good source for aftermarket stuff?

Olesn's also sells just the 1666E-20 headlight lens. With shipping factored in, you might as well just order the whole upgraded boiler as it also comes with the decal and such

Forum sponsors also supply the part, and shipping is still a factor, but they do not have the custom boiler face.

@S AND W at http://www.sandwparts.com/Parts%20List/6-XXXX-XXX.pdf

@Harry Henning https://hennings-trains.shopli...-headlight-lens.html

"front of the boiler plate"

It's a "smokebox front"; the "plates" were in the dining car.

@D500, you've inspired me.  Plans for the round-boiler-front-piece-thingie-with-a-light have been shelved in favor of an actual boiler plate  Thanks for all the advice, fellas but I think I've got my solution.

@CJ Meyers posted:

BTW those Olsen high-lite smoke box fronts have a hole in the back large enough to sneak a 5mm white LED into. I'll probably 3D print a little split bushing to keep it in place and use one of Gunrunner's SMT single LED CCS boards stuffed in the boiler to run it.

I like CJ's solution the best thus far as you end up with an operating headlight.  I'll be better than it was before and much closer to the actual intent.

I've got some 24VAC integral-resistor LED's that I've used for headlamps on some diesels...I might just drill out a lens enough to fit one of those buggers in there.  I run them off track power, no problems so far.  I got a handful of them at a surplus store from a bin so I'm not sure if they will break down after a while (if they don't have backwards voltage rating high enough), but on some of my diesels I put them in series back to back and they work great, nice and bright.