Remove N scale diesel loco cover

[dwight77]

Hi: Sometime in the past 6 months I thought I read someone had devised a way to alter a knitting needle or darning tool to make it easier to remove the cover from a diesel locomotive. I have tried searching for it but have come up empty handed.
Does anyone remember the message?
Thanks
dwight77

 

[Biased turkey]

I didn't find anything on this forum using the search engine, but a reader tip in the december 2006 ( I'm not sure about the date ) issue of model railroasder suggests to use 4 crochets.
As a man, I'm too proud to enter a craft store and ask for some crochets

 

[dwight77]

Hi Biased turkey....thanks for the tip. I knew I had read about it but it was in the January Model Railroader. I am copying some of the text here for anyone who might like to use the tip.
"If you've ever tried to separate an N scale diesel chassis from the body shell, you know what a hassle it is. Most manufacturers tell you to slip four toothpicks up between the shell and the chassis to loosen the catches between the two. Then you're instructed to gently pull down on one end, but in the process I always wound up pulling a truck aprart, pulling off a ladder, breaking the toothpics, or any combinations of these disasters.....there has to be an easier way. That's when I remembered that my wife had tried crocheting a few years ago and that involved small hook-shaped tools. I borrowed the smallest crochet hook she had - a size 9 (1.40mm) that looked perfect for my puroses. After inserting the toothpics between the body and chassis, I slipped the crochet hook inside, hooked it into a recess in the chassis, and gently pulled the mechanism out with out a hassle. My DCC conversion work is now a lot easier. When I asked about adding this hook to my model railroad tools, my wife graciously volunteered to buy me a steel one. The one she bought for me is a "Boye size 9 steel crochet hook, no. 6208-9 (www.wrights.com ).
This tip was provided by Ray Baldwin from Ft. Worth Texas, and should make everyone's N scale DCC conversions easier. Thanks Ray
dwight77

 

[dwight77]

Hi All: It really isn't that bad Biased turkey. I went into JoAnn's Fabrics, found the Boye size 9 crochet hooks and bought it. All of $1.99. Looks like it really should do the job.
dwight77