I am really having a though time with hand rails


B

Blues909

Active Member
For some reason even though I've made hand rails before and I had handrails I could copy from. On this RPP Gp-35 shell they are so different , plus I had a Blue box GP-38-2 I sold others I had and sold the hand rails with them. I did find that the Athearn BB SD40-2 has the proper end handrails and I can copy the long hood rails just make them shorter yet the right side all I have is a GP38-2 I already built and installed the handrails on it's the right side I need to make because it does not drop down, same with the GP-35. I've watched videos as well. Many times the Athearn hand rails do not fit proper so you need to adjust them a bit. For some odd reason sometimes they fit depending. Never had trouble with the SD40-2 yet did with the GP-38-2. On the GP-35 the end rails drop lower down on the pilots by the steps and the two center one need to be a certain distance apart so the drop step fits. seems like 2' 6" CTC then work from there. A line or arrow hobbies offers them and they
are not cheap and I have plenty of .020" brass wire as well as long and short stanchions. I have a later SD40-2 that included the hex drive and the metal stanchions and front metal hand rails yet not long hood metal ones don't know why so I guess I will use the complete set of plastic ones. Guess the trick is to mount the two center stanchions on the GP-35 then go from there. I know if I space them at 2'6" and know if I drill the holes 3/32" below the platform it will offer a starting point.

Any ideas ?
 
When I make them, I put in the first and last stantion of each straight and bend to match. As far as the cross over/drop steps, I make my own and they always fit. I start at the stepwell and work toward the cab. BN always had a chain across the center of the end rails so just had to do one side at a time. The trickiest ones are on B units where they start and end in a stepwell, the B30-7As and ATSF GP60Bs.
 
Most of the loco's I did came from ideas in rail road magazines , some were rebuilds like RS-3 with EMD long hoods or Baldwins AS 16 ot 616 with EMD long hoods , I saw a photo in a rail road mag that had what where called Buffalo's they had the low short hood yet C&NW had the AS16 and 616 high short hood so I built 2 AS 16's and one 616. The old Stewart frame with the Athearn drive were the best frames for doing these. Now Bowser took over and changed the frame which makes it more difficult and I've run out of EMD GP 9 shells. Last one I used a proto power 2000 GP-18 long hood and RS-3 shells and frames. To bad Stewart changed felt they had nice parts. Now every thing costs so much it's become out of reach and I sold these I built.
 
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