Noob: Confused by Passenger Car light installation on Kato 4057 - Sahashi 165

[krt]

G'day,

On impulse I bought a Kato "Passenger Car Lighting Kit" #11-204.
I want to install it into a Kato #4057 - サハシ (Sahashi) 165 Dining Car. (Which I might have also bought on impulse   )

I read a few online guides, and the included instructions, but the inside of the model does not seem to match.
Rather than being "hollow", there's a floor section that looks to be moulded in.

 

 

So obviously I need to get the roof off or suchlike.

 

Is this possible at all?

 

I'd rather not have to cut things up.

 

thanks,

-krt

 

[katoftw]

[krt]

Looks good ... Do you know how to get the roof off?

 

thanks, -krt

[krt]

Ok i got it.

 

The roof part is held on with little internal clips much the same as the floor.

 

Looking from underneath (with the wheels removed) you can see up into the roof where there's holes in the floor (on one end).

 

Push a screwdriver / prong up through this cavity to the underside of the roof, giving it a gentle lift to form a sub-millimetre gap with respect to the body.

 

Get your fingernail into this gap, and repeat with the prong for the other side.

 

Then slide your fingernails down the length of the carriage and you will feel these clips unclipping.  The roof will then come away easily.

 

Never at any stage is significant force involved, it was all a mostly gentle action.

 

It's pretty easy when you know how - as are most things  guess.

 

Thanks for the photo katoftw, it told me that the roof certainly does come off.

 

I did not install the lighting kit into this car in the end.  I put it in another '165 car, which just happened to be the one I got open first.

 

 

The lighting kit works OK, only OK.  I think I'll have to make my own with some SMD leds or suchlike.

 

I'm not happy with how much brighter it is at the bulb end, with the reverse end relatively dim.

 

cheers,

-krt

Edited August 2, 2015 by krt