It was really lucky that the customer still had the piece of plastic that had broken off. Otherwise, I would have had to trim a piece that fitted on the roof. Many plastic materials can be solvent-welded. That’s why it’s important to know what kind of plastic it is before you start work.

After I had removed the engine body, I coated the broken edges with solvent using a needle. I needed to be careful that the solvent didn’t get anywhere else. The window panes are especially susceptible. They may be damaged by steam. It is better to take the window panes out before cold welding. I let the piece that had broken off soak for a short time then put it back on using tweezers.

I let the small ridge that was created through welding harden for a few hours, then it was ready for filing and sanding. Then I masked the whole body except for the roof so that the latter could be spray-coated. By test spraying, you can check the colour of the spray paint you have prepared against the original colour of the paint.

Once it has been painted, you cannot see that the roof was once broken.

The roof of the Fleischmann N engine model 7231 is broken. In the Fleischmann list of spares the new body is listed under number 10 72311. What if the body is no longer available or is very expensive? I will show you an alternative to buying a new one. The roof can be repaired.