Modeling How-To Beginners How to disassemble a locomotive in HO scale

How to disassemble a locomotive in HO scale

By Angela Cotey | November 14, 2022

| Last updated on March 8, 2023

Here are the basics of taking a locomotive apart and putting it back together

Email Newsletter

Get the newest photos, videos, stories, and more from Trains.com brands. Sign-up for email today!

Video Currently Unavailable

We truly apologize for the absence of this video while the site is under construction. Please email videorequests@firecrown.com to relay a specific video you would like us to prioritize or push the notify button for the video on this page below.

How to disassemble a locomotive without damaging it and then reassembling it is one of the more advanced tasks of a model railroader.

Some people just want to see the inside of the locomotive, while more often, there’s a circuit board that needs repair or replacement, gears that need lubricating, or a faulty wire or light of some kind.

Whatever the reason you might need to know how to disassemble a locomotive, the process builds on other modeling skills: steady hands, organization, proper techniques, and most of all, patience.

In this video, experienced local model railroader Keith Schmidt takes apart an HO scale SD50 locomotive made by Walthers and reassembles it in good working order.

Hands pulling apart a locomotive from its shell.
Keith Schmidt removes a locomotive shell from the frame, motor, and internal components.
You must login to submit a comment