How do I get the shell off of F-3 A Unit, 85-2013-1

Well, since nobody else has chimed in here, I'll see if I can help you out.

I will preface this with the following statement.  I do NOT own one of these locomotives, but I've taken apart enough Intermountain, Stewart, and Athearn F units, and based on the exploded parts diagram available at the link below, I don't think this model is any different.

https://www.mthtrains.com/parts

Once you get to that site, put in your part number into the search, and you will get the exploded view of the parts inside the beast. 

1.  Remove the coupler from the front pilot.  Unscrew the retaining screw (Item #38 in the diagram), and slide the coupler and draft gear assembly out the front pilot hole.

2.  Get your fingernails under the body shell that drops down over the top of the fuel tank.  You should be able to spread the shell slightly, and the tabs that locate the plastic shell to the metal underframe will separate.  Once you do that, if this is the same as other HO F units, you should be able to pull the shell off. Be gentle here, and don't spread the shell any more than you have to to get the tabs on the underframe out of the plastic shell.  Underframe is the male, the shell is the female.   

3.  You will not be able to take the shell off very far because there will be wiring going to the headlight.  If you need to take the shell completely off, you will have to see if there is a plug that goes to the wiring to the front headlight, or if the headlight can separate from the bezel. 

If this doesn't get it done for you, the hopefully somebody with experience with your specific model can help you out.

Regards,

Jerry

Thanks Jerry.  Ironically, it is the headlight that I am after.  It quit working so I want to see if it is not plugged in well.  MTH brags that they don't use light bulbs, but something else, LEDs I guess, that are supposed to work for nearly ever.

Before I wrote this I had looked at what you described and really wanted confirmation that it was as complicated as you explained.  I'll tackle it later tonight.

Dennis

Hi Dennis:

Just about everybody uses LEDs for headlights now.  Keep in mind, it may not be the LED that has failed, but the output to the LED from the DCC board.  If you want to troubleshoot this circuit, I'm sure I and others can give you simple checks to determine where the problem is.  I gotta ask, since you are somewhat new to HO, did you check the easy stuff, like turn on and off the headlight with F0? 

You have just stumbled across one of my pet peeves with HO; headlights.  They can be a bear to install, and when they fail, we get to disassemble the shell to fix the darn thing.  Since I'm not big on lighting my layout in general (my layout basks in permanent sunlight regardless of the hour ), I don't get that hung up on headlights.  I have an Intermountain F7 that I installed an ESU Lok-Sound decoder into that now has a failed headlight (3 mm LED).  I don't know if it is the LED or the driver circuit, but when I have a choice of investing the time in taking off the darn shell, finding the problem, and doing what is needed to fix it, I'll live with the failed headlight until I don't have anything better to do with my time. 

It gets worse with my brass steam, particularly articulateds.  I HATE string wiring thru the boiler, draping the wiring down to the front pilot, drilling out the headlight casting, installing, finding a MV lens that fits and scrape the back coating off, put it all together, find the wiring interferes with front engine truck movement......................................................................  I'd rather invest my time in getting the drive to run smoothly, add as much weight as I can in the boiler and front engine (on articulateds), and making sure the sound is clear and synchronized. 

Besides, I model 1952, and the requirement to have the headlight illuminated during daylight hours did not exist (not exactly sure when the requirement came in, and whether it was brought in under CFR 229, or earlier in CFR230)  For that matter, neither did Rule 17. 

Best of luck in resolving your problem.

Regards,

Jerry

Holy mackerel, Jerry, you make my problem sound easy compared to what you have to through.

Dennis