Bulleidboy Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 I have been trying to remove the body from a Hornby Class 73. Instructions say "unclip sides and chassis will drop out" - well it doesn't. There are no screws to be seen or mentioned in the instructions. Any ideas - several parts have come off of the body, but all appear "clipped" so should go back on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Spare Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 I think you will find the buffers have to be removed as they pass through the body and the underframe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 I have got several Lima class 73s that I converted to the latest Hornby chassis. Now unless Hornby changed the Lima design significantly the body just clips off using 4 credit cards as levers. It is the Lima class 47 that have the buffers holding it on. I think that there is another loco that Lima did that on as well. There are no holes in the chassis for screws, well at least not on my one, They may have used clips at the front or back as they did on the HST which are difficult to unclip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Spare Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 Colin's advice is better than my memory! Looking at Service Sheet 296, there appears to be a clip on each end of the underframe sitting below the driver's desk and just above the bufferbeam, although it is not clear how you access them with the body in place - perhaps by introducing a fine blade up between the bottom of the body and the underframe or, once the side clips are released, the body can be moved along the underframe sufficiently far to release one of the end clips?Looking at an underframe on New Modellers Shop website, it appears to differ from the Service Sheet in that there are 4 slots presumably for body clips on each side: one under each cab door and one at the inner end of each bogie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 I suddenly remembered I did buy a genuine Hornby one, yes I know I should have remembered but my excuse is I have been building and not done much on my trains for a year. On my Hornby City of Winchester it has four clips each side that clip into the chassis, these are pretty easy to get off. The glazing front and back has a slot that clips onto the cab ends front and back, these were extremely tight on my one, you just have to gently rock the body from side to side and eventually it should release. Looking at mine there is some black tack holding the wires on, I am pretty sure I didn't add this Hornby were into this at one point. It could be that the black tack is stopping it releasing, so you might have to run a thin knife between the body and chassis to release it, be careful though because you could cut through the wires that run close to the body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulleidboy Posted September 20, 2023 Author Share Posted September 20, 2023 Thanks Going Spare and Colin. I am afraid I gave up in the end, but having read your comments I might give it another go. I was using four "old" credit cards between the body and chassis, but that did not work, so as GS suggested maybe the buffers have to come off. I have to say the instructions that came with the loco are pretty vague "just unclip the body sides and the chassis drops out" - I was expecting something like the Class 66, where the chassis did just fall out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 Well Bulleidboy it should do but as I said on City of Winchester it did stick a bit. So exactly which class 73 are you trying to open? I have two proper Hornby ones City of Winchester and GB Railfreight number 73964. If it is the Railfreight one, I will find it and see if there is any difference. I remember buying that because someone was doing them really cheap. They should come apart just like the class 66 but sometimes I think the cab front can get stuck on the front glazing. On mine the buffers are moulded into the chassis so they don't come off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulleidboy Posted September 20, 2023 Author Share Posted September 20, 2023 It was the R2516 Pullman Class 73 – 73101- “The Royal Alex”. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 Sorry haven't got that one. I must have taken all mine apart as I fitted DCC decoders in all of them, so I suspect in your case it is either the glazing or liberal use of black tack inside the loco to hold the wires on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey1707822023 Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 As others have said remove buffers first then it easily unclips. This was the first loco I installed the new Bluetooth chips in. They take the biggest speaker enclosure too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 Are you sure about the buffers Mikey on all of mine they are part of the chassis as I said in an earlier post. Definitely for a class 47 and I think a class 60 but not so sure, I know I took another one apart that had that arrangement. I think the front and back glazing is stopping it coming out, I have had that issue on a lot of locos that clip together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey1707822023 Posted October 21, 2023 Share Posted October 21, 2023 Sorry I didn't get a notification. Yes I am sure. As I said, I had already done it. I own four Hornby 73s and they all seem to be the same...Remove buffers and pull off the body..No need for any tools and loads of room for decoders and speakers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted October 21, 2023 Share Posted October 21, 2023 Looking at the Maintenance sheet and both Service sheets applicable to the 73 it appears the buffers are part of the chassis, but who knows if the printed info is accurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted October 21, 2023 Share Posted October 21, 2023 I know 96RAF, for once we agree, I have 3 of them and they all just unclip. When this was first posted I checked on all of them. On the class 47 you have to remove the buffers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTSR_NSE Posted October 21, 2023 Share Posted October 21, 2023 Considering 2 very different experiences are being discussed/disagreed - is it possible that there are 2 class 73 models/toolings? (e.g. main range & railroad/ex-Lima?)We all know that not all models (especially railroad/ex-Lima) have had service sheets created yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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