Taking a chip out of a 181

[Sulzer201]

Hi all,

I have a 181 and she's not running too well on DCC. I want to take the chip out and put it into another member of the same class. I have only ever chipped one of these locos and thought it a bit tricky as the body seemed to need a lot of force to free up and remove. Would anyone be in a position to post a few simple tips/instructions as to how to tackle this job correctly? Thanks in advance.

[irishthump]

Hi Sulzer,

Hope this helps, this is the way I tackle it myself.

 

Remove the cab at the front end first, that is the opposite end to the roof grill. Remember to just unclip the handrails from the cab or you will break them off, it just slips out of the little hole at the corner of the cab side window. Most people recommend removing all the handrails first but I found them a nightmare to put back on, so this is a way around that.

The cab should just pull straight up but you may need to use a very small flat screwdriver to ease it away. What I do then is turn the loco upside down and if you turn the bogies to the side you will be able to see the small tabs which hold the body on. They will easy to spot if the loco is in an orange livery! You can then use the small screwdriver to help release the tabs, the body plus the cab at the grill end will then lift straight up. (Remember to unclip the handrails from the grill-end cab as well before removing the body!)

I find his much easier than trying to squeeze the body sides to get it to unclip, as you said you seem to need to use a lot of force to move it!

[Sulzer201]

Hi irishthump,

Many thanks for this advice, it is that squeezing of the body which puts me off completely so I will definitely give this method a go.

 

Much appreciated.

[irishthump]

Glad to help!

 

Here's a pic showing one of the tabs holding the body on. Like I said, easy to see when the body is orange! I forgot to mention it's best to remove the bogie frames to get at them.

 

[Sulzer201]

Hi irishthump,

I managed it thanks to your advice. I still found it quite difficult to free those tabs, was using a small screwdriver and they needed a lot of effort. I changed a 181 back to dc and converted a 141 to dcc. Also had to remove the handrails off the 141 and a tricky to get back on if you don't have a small tweezers. I don't have the skills for this stuff and wouldn't dare do a speaker/sound conversion of a 141/181. Compared to chipping a 201, they are awkward and fidgety.

 

[irishthump]

Glad you got sorted. Are you thinking of adding sound to a 141? Because it's not difficult at all, the worst part is getting the body off the loco.

[Sulzer201]

No, not a chance, although I've seen Eamonn's one running with sound and I would love it. My next project will be a chip for 111 from the Belfast Model Shop and I will chance that myself as it's not too difficult. The last chip I put in a 071 was the authentic murphys chip and it went up in smoke! So I brought it back to Marks and Jim sorted her out with a new chip no problem. Thanks again irishthump and I will be going at another 141 class - cab removal - to get a driver in position.