Doodlebug Disassembly

On the end where the diaphragm is ....put the two back closest to the front of the engine.  Only the first 2 closest to the diaphragm have to come out.

On the center, put the two you have taken out back in and move to the center of the body.

Remove the 2 screws each directly across from the Made in China writing.

Once all out you may have to gently pry outward on the sides to remove the shell.

Just lift the shell off and set it to the side.  No need to unplug any wiring.

Dave

Dave,

Thank you very much.

Jim K

Put some figures in a few of mine but had to trim them on one side to make them fit.

Hey Dave,

Thanks so much for clarifying the "SCREW" locations to remove the SHELL off the "DOODLEBUG"!   I have two that i'm adding Passengers to, and a friend of mine is adding some to his Doodlebug as well !!. It helped a lot, believe me.  Thanks again.  By the wat I was able to Purchase some of those Lionel 6-83653 / 21" Passenger Scale Figures specified in the OGR Run 335 Article from Train Z.  Lionel was Out of Stock or Not Available!!

FREDSTRAINS   

Great Fred!

I find the Lionel pack of people very nicely painted and my preferred choice for this application.

Post a pic or two and let us know how you made out.

Dave     

I have the Halloween version of the Doodlebug that I would like to put skeleton figures in if I can find any. Can someone give me the measurements of the people figures you are using before and after you cut them down to fit and if anyone knows where to get some small enough?

Brad

Dear Dave,

I’m trying to follow your instructions about the necessary Doodlebug screws to remove in order for me to seat passengers.

The two screws above and below  where it says Made in China are dead center on the bottom (A): heading towards the front, there are body screws above and below the three toggle switches (B), and continuing forward, there is one body screw on each side near the front (C).  Heading rearward from Made in China, there is a body screw on each side (D), then finally at the back end, there is a pair of screws on each side (E).

Your advice would be much appreciated.
Sam

1)  At the FRONT of the engine, remove those 2 screws, one on each side.

2)  At the CENTRE of the engine, remove the 2 screws on either side of the Made in China notation.

3)  At the REAR, there will be 4 screws.  ONLY remove the 2 screws closest to the diaphragm, one on each side. 

Gently pry the sides a little and the shell will come off.

You don't have to undo any wiring.  Just place the shell to the side and proceed to glue the paying passengers in.

Thanks so much!

I will work on it tomorrow morning.

Two things I do in this type of situation...

1) Try to find an exploded diagram online.  If available, it usually shows which screws hold the body on.

2) If I have to guess, I'll pick the 4 or 6 screws that look like the most likely to hold the body.  Loosen them a couple of turns.  See if the body seems loose, and listen/feel to see if any internal components seem to be moving.  Experiment with slightly loosening/tightening until only the body gets looser.  Loosen a little more and recheck.  Continue until the body is free.

I also use a small magnetized tray to hold the screws.  Don't ask how I learned that this is a good idea.

There are 6 screws that need to be removed: 2 dead center, and 2 each on the front and all the way in the back.

All passengers are seated and ticketed.

@cpasam posted:

There are 6 screws that need to be removed: 2 dead center, and 2 each on the front and all the way in the back.

All passengers are seated and ticketed.

Looks good.