Diameters of Uncoupling Levers, Grab Irons

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
1

I’ve been able to find lengths, distance from car/locomotive/tender surface and ends from Car Builder’s Dictionaries and FRA documents, but not diameters. Think it’s somewhere near an inch, but I’d like to know for sure so I can choose the correct gauge wire to model these parts. My modeling period is the 1920s if that makes a difference compared to the 2020s.

Anybody know if there’s a pub. I’ve missed where such specs. might be?

2

This shows arrangements of passenger uncoupling levers circa 1938:

AAR_Uncoupling Levers by Edmund, on Flickr

I might have other info but this was something I already had a scan of.

Regards, Ed

3

Ed,

At first guess I would have said no larger than 3/4" OD. But, given the size of the cars - 1" OD does seem about right.

Tom

4

Ed,

Thanks…I’ve been using the 1919 Car Builder’s Cyc. of Amer. Prac. for various details and just hadn’t dug deep enough. That edition shows 1 in. also for the uncoupling levers and 5/8 in. (min.) for grabs which equates to about .0125 in. and .007 in., respectively, in HO.

-Chuck

5

A friend, who does volunteer work at Steam Town, did some measurements (at my request) for handrails and grabirons on F-unit diesels.

All grabirons, nose handrails, eyebrow handrails, handrails at rear steps, ladder rests, and cab-interior handrails are 1 1/8" in diameter.

The handrails at cab doors and engine room doors are 1 1/2", but the mounting points are 1 1/8"…this seems to indicate that the handrails are pipe, with the 1 1/8" rod continuous within the pipe.

While this info isn’t of much use for a 1920’s era layout, perhaps it’s useful for those modelling the diesel era.

Wayne

6

This boxcar was home to the Scale Rails of Southwest Florida N scale layout from the late 1980s to the early 2000s.

I can verify that the ladder rungs on This Boxcar were 1 1/8" because I measured them myself with a caliper.

That is all I know on this subject.

-Kevin

7

Pure genius! If a hurricane threatens, you send the layout to Kansas City, or wherever, and return after the crisis!!

8

Time has rolled over the Scale Rails boxcars.

This is what they look like now:

[:(]

-Kevin