How do you open an HO scale Doodlebug for decoder installation? I'm afraid I might break the shell by prying on it.

-- Don Vollrath (dvollrath@magnetek.com), April 09, 1999

Answers

I did get a reply from the Bach-man, He claims to simply pry the sides open slightly & lift. But that there might be a little glue near the ends. My glue globs looks more like concrete!

-- Don Vollrath (dvollrath@magnetek.com), April 14, 1999.

When opening the body, be sure that the clear window plastic is pried with the body plastic. I found that on my doodle bug the window plastic needed to be glued to the body. It is the clear plastic that actully grips the cast frame. I also installed a MRC decoder. I placed the decoder over the passenger compartment. My shell will not fit, so i just leave it placed on. You can see the detail on the bottom much more clearly.

-- Thomas John Rosano (RUFFUSMAN@msn.com), March 06, 2002.

Well, I pried as much as I dared and nothing moved. Where is the glue on the ends? Are the ends in recesses, or is this where the glue is?

Has anyone thought of making a McKeen shell for the mechanism

-- bill Stringer (stringer@mosquitonet.com), March 24, 2002.

I pried mine off today. One of the little tabs broke a piece out of the window material. There are quite a few little tabs along the sides. Carefully pry the sides out and coax it off. I had to repair the window material with a little dab of crazy glue. I think the doodlebug would be great for kit bashing into a trolley box-motor. Trucks are perfect; I think doodlebugs were actually trolleys pwered by a gas generator anyway, and I believ some were made by Brill. Any further info?

-- Lloyd Rosevear (trolley199@aol.com), November 24, 2002.

This is not a way to open the bug, thats been covered.I installed a Soundtraxx Galloping Goose decoder. I removed the seats to make room for the decoder and the speaker. I am sure you will get a bang out of the sounds it makes and when you hear the horn options you will grin from ear to ear. EVERYONE really enjoys it and wants to run it during our operating sessions.

My question is how do you quiet the motor and gear noise??

-- Carl Blahnik (mblahnik@lakefield.net), July 20, 2003.

Yep...Mine is noisy too. I have seen others. They all sound like a coffee grinder. I've thought about replacing the power truck by one from NWSL or another manufacturer but have not yet taken the time to research it down to a catalog number.

-- Don Vollrath (dvollrath@magnetek.com), July 23, 2003.