Changing lights on Polar Express Cars

TNT,

Lay the car on its side and look close at the windows near each end. There should be one that appears thicker near each end. Gently press that window in until you can slip a flat toothpick between the car body and the window. Do this to both, then, flip the car over and do the same thing on that side. The roof (with windows attached) should slip right off.

You're welcome!

Jon

Jon, Thank you for the video!  Also, thank you TNT69 for asking.  I never had a reason to want to get inside the cars, but you never know.  I just accomplished it with one of my Polar Express cars with snow on the roof.  I had a little harder time than the guy in the video, but I have arthritis in my fingers and thumbs.  With the roof off, now I see the tabs are the 3rd and 5th windows where he said to press.  Pretty slick design!  My other to sets of passenger cars are MTH RailKing, but I think in the future if I need to open the PE cars, I will remember as soon as I notice there are no screws on the bottom.

@Big Jim posted:

Gently press that window in until you can slip a flat toothpick between the car body and the window.

The only thing I do different is I use plastic coffee stirrers.

I'm not sure if the different model years are made the same or not. Mine are the cars with snow on top and footprints down the length of each car. My windows all look the same and the only seem seams to be around the roof only. I have toothpicks under the seam on all 4 corners.  I just can't find where the tabs are and how to disconnect them. Don't want to snap any plastic.

OK, I got the roof off. Thank you Jon, the video really helped. Now I take it that the lamp is at the right end of the wiring in picture 1 and in picture 2 it is face on. Has anyone ever changed one of these out or do you just take them into a train shop? I'm not 100% sure if the lamp is even burned out or if there is another problem.  ?

Looks like LEDs to me.  I suspect your problem is either the pickup wire (which you checked) or the wire coming from the wiper on the axle for the common.  If it's not that you have a board issue on the LED circuits.

A more important question is where is the power feed to those boards from the trucks?  Up the end of the car?

The arrow point to the LEDs there is another opposite side of each board for a total of 4.  The circuit boards are highlighted.

The power runs from the trucks through the bottom of the car right above the trucks as shone in the picture.  

@TNT69 posted:

The power runs from the trucks through the bottom of the car right above the trucks as shone in the picture.  

OK now I see.  It looked like that was the top of the car in the first set of pictures.  I would check the common wire to make sure that too has continuity to the boards.

The board with the extra parts, capacitor and rectifier is where the power should go first.  Looks like they land where highlighted.  If the wiring checks out with a meter then you'll most likely have to get Lionel involved or a service center.

I'm getting 16.5-17 volts through that spot.

Wow, is that different from my snow on the roof cars!  I was sure I didn't see any circuit boards in mine, so I took the top off again.

I bought this LC set the first year they were out and sold my older conventional PE set.  I did purchase a skiing hobo observation car this year and was curious to see if it has LEDs.  I started taking the roof off, but both thumbs ache from already doing it twice so I gave up.  With power on, I do see three lights close to the floor in the skiing hobo car like yours TNT69, indicating to me that they are LEDs.  The other cars have lights higher up in the car.  So they must have started using LEDs in them after I purchased the early snow on the roof LC set.

All of my cars have the mini-bulbs in them. The LEDs must be something new.