Need advice on removing roof of Polar Express RTR set baby madison passenger car

There are indeed 2 tabbed windows on each side of the car.  You must press in firmly on all 4 windows while lifting the roof and window assembly clear of the car body.  A little tricky and a third hand or craft sticks inserted at the tabs to keep them clear of the car body will help.  

The secret to getting these apart is to squeeze the windows in from the bottom or sides instead of trying to reach over the top... hold the car in front of you with the side windows facing to your left & right between your hands.

Press in on the "notched" rear windows with both index fingers using a pushing up motion at the same time to "unlock" the raised tabs from the windows. Switch to the front windows and do the same. Repeat on back windows again... usually by this time you have opened up the roof enough to get a grip on the roof panel and raise it straight up & out of the car.

Don't mar the finish by using wedges or screwdrivers to pry the roof up - it just isn't necessary and can crack or break the plastic.

There is also 1 more step if you are working on a Polar Express observation car, you must remove the screw from the platform overhang ceiling(up into roof casting).

Someone here on the forum had a great technique posted with photos of using coffee stirrers slid up from beneath the car body over the window tabs - works great and leaves no damage marks.

ACDX Rob is correct: You gotta hold it from below with two hands as you press in and UPWARD on the tabbed windows.

Criminy, the answer to this question should be pasted to the top of the forum!  Someone asks it every two weeks!

Some people here have foolishly recommended inserting a flat piece of metal between the wall and the "window section" to facilitate this, but that is only asking for trouble in the form of scratched or cracked plastic.

The design was poor in that it made assembly easy at the factory... but with no consideration for customers who would one day be replacing light bulbs.

The diagram for this is also, no doubt, on www.lionel.com

Not much fun for Service Centers that have to replace bulbs for customers either!

Now that you have the correct answers..........