Not too taxing... should be a doddle...

Dear Skoti,

With your demonstrated level of proficiency, should be a doddle.

http://hoseeker.net/assemblyexplosionAthearn/athearnsw1500rtr2008.jpg

http://www.tcsdcc.com/Customer_Content/Installation_Pictures/HO_Scale/Athearn/SW1500_DCC_Ready/Athearn_SW1500_DCC_Ready.html

- unscrew and remove the couplers+draft-gear boxes from out of each pilot

- body shell should now be loose, and can be carefully removed enough to gain access to the mech-mounted PCB

- the bulb wiring is connected to the PCB using little plastic slip-on anchors. At each end of the PCB is 4 plastic connectors. The outside ones are the truck/pickup feeds, the inside pairs are the feeds to the lights.

Remove the inside pair of anchors at each end to release the bulb wires, and stash in a safe place. (You may wish to re-use them, some modellers prefer to ditch them and actually solder the connections).

- with the shell wiring now separated from the chassis/mech, and both assemblies now free of each other, should be easy to lay the shell upside-down in a service craddle,
trace the wiring to the bulb locations within the shell,
and dis-assemble/remove the bulbs as required.

Hope this helps...

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

It's the removal from the shell that I'm unsure

Thanks Prof, I understand how they come apart. The thing I am curious about is the manner in which one removes the bulbs from the sockets in the shell, such as if there were ways to neutralize the glue without spoiling the shell, or if one can simply grab the wires and give a sharp tug without leaving  pieces of bulb behind.

If it is the milky white adhesive

you are describing, gently pull on the wires. It has little holding power. It is inert to the plastic so there is no damage to the inside of the shell. If you feel resistance, use the tip of a #11 blade to add leverage.

If they become damaged, Minitronics and others make replacement  bulbs to fit Athearns. Or replace the bulbs with SMD LEDs.

If it is the milky white adhesive

Brush some hot water on the glue, it will soften it. That being said, I've just grabbed the wires and gave them a good tug and they usually break free.

Mark.

Thanks for the input!

I'm glad it's that simple, what I was thinking of doing is to replace each pair of bulbs with a single surface-mount LED at each end, and use canopy glue to make the lenses.

Thanks all for the help,

Athearn light bulbs

Gents:

I've replaced several of those bulbs in F-units & I was batting about .250 the last time I counted! I much prefer the suggestion Mark made of softening the glue first. Sometimes they come right out & other times they come out with the glass envelope staying behind; since they have a headlight lens you end up with tiny pieces of glass inside the lens which has to be removed before you put in the new bulb(s). I definitely recommend softening up the glue & not getting strong-arm with pulling the bulbs out. 

Bob Battles