If it is like the ones I have, Jim, the couplers hold the shell onto the frame. But, mine are about 20 years old and the design may have changed since then.

Chuck

I installed a decoder in an Atlas RS-3 a couple of years ago; don't know for sure if it was Kato, but in addition to the couplers, there were four little fragile latches on the underside of the long hood, holding it to the underframe. Not all of them survived the operation.

4 tabs each corner, you need to pry or squeeze, have heard of toothpicks, Exacto flat blades or similar items being helpful. Walkway is held on by the couplers but is separate from main body. Taking them off may be helpful. Been a long time since i've had one apart. Persnickety was a good term. Decoder's a tight fit, too.

Thanks James and Karl, That did the trick! I bought this rig in a moment of temporary insanity at the LHS today. It looks like the P.O. stripped out the coupler mounts and epoxied in a pair of boxes. So I'll straighten out the mounts before I drop the decoder in. It's N&W right now, It'll be either a SP&S or a GN within a week!

Thanks again

Jim

I'm late here, but if it is an Atlas RS-3 follow these steps;

1. Remove the bottom handrail (the one that is attached to the cab and frame where the crew enters the cab). Just remove the bottom part of this handrail. Leave the top part of the handrail in place on the cab.

2. Repeat Step 1 for the other handrail at the back of the cab.

3. The final handrail that must be removed from the cab is the straight handrail that enters the cab from the long hood.

4. Remove the cab first. Hold the frame with one hand. Using the thumb and one finger of the other hand, hold one side of the cab at the bottom of its front and rear walls. Pull the bottom of the cab on this side outwards just enough to clear the tabs of the cab from the tabs on the frame.

5. Repeat step 3 for the other side of the cab. Once both sides are clear, the cab can be removed.

6. The long hood has a tab on the bottom of the front nose. Be careful that you don’t break this tab. Hold the bottom of the frame with one hand, and lift up with your pointer finger at the back end of the long hood. Be careful that the handrails don’t break while you are doing this step.

I may not be any help to you, but for the speaker in my Atlas RS-3, I cut out the exhaust hole from the shell and installed a Detail Associates HO #229-2702 Air Grill. Drilled a 3/4" hole into the top of the locomotive weight and dropped in a Soundtraxx 3/4" speaker.

The sound is great. I tried the speaker with face down into the hole and face up. Both ways seemed to sound the same. Ever since MRC started mounting their speakers face down into the speaker boxes, I always test both methods on my installs. This RS-3 install I went with the speaker face up. As you know, as long as the speaker pressure is less on one end, the sound will work just fine on the opposite end of the speaker.

As always, Louis thanks for the answer. You are right on the button (including the GN paint scheme) I'm looking to achieve. The shell is resting in my 'super secret' plastic shell paint remover. I've got the Microscale decals. I hadn't seen the Detail Associates grills before. Are those plastic or brass mesh? Many moons ago I did a PA-1 for my father in law with brass mesh. PITA! I cut it with aircraft shears and just too big of a tool for the job, but cutting brass is nasty.

Jim

I forgot about those tabs!

Chuck

Hi Jim, indeed they are brass mesh. I placed mine into some A-West Blacken-It Weathering Solution. The mesh grills come in two different sizes, the #2702 fits a perfect match to the Atlas stack once cut out. Then just place it into the hole and glue in place. Even if they were not used for sound, they make a nice detail to the locomotive.

Hi Chuck, if you have the number of locomotives as a lot of us do, it is very easy to forget things like that. I keep folders of all my locomotives with anything done, changed, relocated or decoders put in with decoder used and speaker information. Too often I use to have to break open a locomotive to see what I had done. :erm:

Louis, I think you have the only package in captivity. I searched everywhere online for those. Either not stocked or out of stock. I need to order about 4 pairs. I have some PA-1's and a FA - FB combo that would look good with those installed.

It's OK Chuck, I forget what I did a couple of hours ago, why are the car keys in the fridge?

Jim

The old Hobbytown of Boston Alco FA and FA a as well as PA had open area where the big fan was located and Louis' brass parts look like the same ones.