Marx 1998 diesel S3 Switcher Plastic Body Removal

Looking at my powered unit (not sure of the year - both units are just part of my "collection" and have never been run), it looks like a good idea - but not a required move - to remove the motor and trucks first. There appear to be 2 screws in the die-cast frame.

The plastic body appears to have had molded-in "tabs" that drop through 8(?) holes in the metal frame, then these tabs are melted from the bottom to affix the plastic body to the die-cast frame. You will have to grind/drill/cut - don't re-melt them; could warp the body - these melted/flattened nubs to remove the body shell. Patient with your grinding with a Dremel or such, too - this can produce heat.

Re-attachment could be done by glueing some new styrene (or basswood) rods vertically in the body, drilling them out, and using small sheet metal or wood screws to attach the body. Other ways exist, too.

I've never taken these locos apart, so this is just the way I would approach it. Marx never intended these bodies to be removed "casually".

These are cool locos with a typically clever Marx truck design - they swivel, yet they don't!  Also, you probably know this, but the body tooling lives on in the RMT "Bang".

The plastic mounting stud is melted to hold the body onto the frame.

You'd need to trim the mounting studs, drill them 3/32", and mount the body to the frame with #6 x 1/2" sheet metal screws.

@D500 posted:

Looking at my powered unit (not sure of the year - both units are just part of my "collection" and have never been run), it looks like a good idea - but not a required move - to remove the motor and trucks first. There appear to be 2 screws in the die-cast frame.

The plastic body appears to have had molded-in "tabs" that drop through 8(?) holes in the metal frame, then these tabs are melted from the bottom to affix the plastic body to the die-cast frame. You will have to grind/drill/cut - don't re-melt them; could warp the body - these melted/flattened nubs to remove the body shell. Patient with your grinding with a Dremel or such, too - this can produce heat.

Re-attachment could be done by glueing some new styrene (or basswood) rods vertically in the body, drilling them out, and using small sheet metal or wood screws to attach the body. Other ways exist, too.

I've never taken these locos apart, so this is just the way I would approach it. Marx never intended these bodies to be removed "casually".

These are cool locos with a typically clever Marx truck design - they swivel, yet they don't!  Also, you probably know this, but the body tooling lives on in the RMT "Bang".

Thanks for the tips.

I just recently acquired this 1998 from Trainz.com, and I've never worked on one of these before.

The Marx product designers and manufacturing engineers were exceptionally clever at finding the least expensive ways to get the job done. It's really quite amazing that their products are so durable too.

I have a Marx 1998 bought without the body shell.  I had an old Lionel NW 2 switcher body that I cut about 1 inch of the body out to fit the Marx 1998 frame with motor and painted it red, white and black as a Bauxite and Northern Railroad switcher.  I also replaced the rear Marx coupler with a Lionel one.  This engine always wins the engine races we have on the Oval and figure 8.  I have most Marx steamers and diesels and the Marx 1998 is the best runner of them all.

Later I obtained a Marx 1998 with a Marx shell, the maroon one.  I have never taken it apart and had to check out how the shell was held to the body and found the 8 or so plastic melted on tabs.  It would be a chore to cut or drill them off but in over 15 years or more I have never had to remove the shell.  Those Marx motors just run and run.

Picture of my two Marx 1998 racers

Below picture of the Lionel Shell on a Marx 1998 body with sheet metal screw and washer holding the shell on and he new Lionel coupling on left.

On right is the melted on plastic tabs on a regular Marx 1998 never opened up

Charlie

My 1998 has a headlight lens in back of the cab - but there doesn't seem to be any bulb socket in the cab. Were any of the 1998s ever equipped with a light in the cab?

@Choo Choo Charlie posted:

I cut about 1 inch of the body out to fit the Marx 1998 frame with motor

That is fabulous. Was the cut vertical or horizontal - i.e. did you shorten the body length or the body height? How did you make an accurate clean cut?

Mike

You asked a question I had to check out.  I cut down the Lionel NW 2 body in 1982 but did not remember where I cut it out.  I had to go look !  It was very hard to see where I cut it as I did great work at that time !  I believe I used my band saw to cut 7/8 inches out of the length of the body.  I had to compare a current Lionel SW 1 body with the cut down one, to figure out where I made the cut.

Picture below shows the uncut orange NW 2 body has four double sections of vent panels on the top left.  The cut down NW 2 body shows one full vent panel and one partial vent panel at the front so the cut was made after the first panel;   removal of 7/8inch:   and then cut part off part of the last panel.  I am sure I left a 1/32 inch extra on each body part to allow for filing it off to make as good smooth and accurate fit.  I probably used Testor's plastic glue to join the pieces together.

Charlie