Hi LIONEl, how about a replacement F40ph roof cover that fits?

audi posted:

It may be a great PR action to provide your customers with a replacement roof cover for the new F40 ph that fits better.

I received this model today and had great difficulty removing the cover, as have others. A new cover would be great!, one that fits.

Fred

A representative from Lionel already posted that the problem is simply the paint is a bit too thick, thus making the hatch fit tight. Thus, a "new hatch" might NOT correct the issue with tightness.

I respectfully disagree, the hatch is too big. I sanded the part with some 1500 grit , paint came off, but still too tight. 

audi posted:

I respectfully disagree, the hatch is too big. I sanded the part with some 1500 grit , paint came off, but still too tight. 

Then I suggest you contact Lionel and respectfully inquire WHY their representative stated, here on the OGR Forum, that it was "a paint issue"?

Thanks for the suggestion Jack, but I rather would like to address the issue here seeing their representative posted the thick paint problem here. 

That makes perfect sense!  Why contact the manufacturer directly when you can post an idea to a third party message board and hope they see it.  

It would have been even better PR if the cover fit right to begin with.

cta4391 posted:

That makes perfect sense!  Why contact the manufacturer directly when you can post an idea to a third party message board and hope they see it.  

They will see it. Maybe others will agree a replacement is a good idea, maybe not. This is social media, that is what it is for.

thick paint or whatever, this could be remedied by Lionel with a replacement part.

It would have been better if were right to begin with.

I took the tight hatch and simply sanded it on a flat piece of 400 grit sandpaper until it fit.  I used a Sharpie to blacken the sides again and it's as good as new, and it also comes off easily.  It doesn't really take much to get a nice fit.

Sadly, I had to send both units back to Lionel for the rotting couplers and other issues, so I'll have to give my new pair the same treatment.

Hi guys

Every F40PH sent in to us for repair will have the hatches adjusted properly with the paint touched up. The paint isn't too thick on the hatch itself. It's too think on the engine shell where it fits in. Just give us a call and we'll take care of you.

Dave

Dave, I found it a lot easier to fix by adjusting the hatch, trying to dig the paint out of the cavity in the shell would be much harder without making a mess.  I'd hate to see the "adjustment" mar the look of the shell.  If that was the only issue I had, I'd be cruising, I had that fixed in a few minutes.

John - we'll be adjusting the hatches, not the shells. We'll have them looking nice!

Great Dave, that seemed to be the path of least resistance, much easier than hacking at the shells.