can anyone suggest a place to get some handrail sets for tyco GP20s?
jon
I’ve seen them on Ebay. but they are rare and you might pay more for an original set of hand rails than the complete locomotive.
Keep an eye out for a “junker” with the railings intact. I have gotten lucky and found a few sets that way at a reasonable price.
I have also made my own using modified Athearn stantions and forming the railing from brass or steel wire.
Smokey Valley railroad products used to sell a handrail kit that fit the AHM GP18 and the Tyco GP20.
See:
http://www.smokeyvalley.com/Catalog.txt
Kit #11.
Athearn GP9 handrails will also work. As would LL P2K GP20.
All will require some drilling. Smokey Valley should be soldered, but CA will work too.
If you want a realistic appearance for your GP20, don’t go with the Tyco handrails as they are too thick (used to own tycos). The Tyco GP20 shell however looks great and the dimensions are not far off from the prototype. What road name is your Geep? Are you repainting it?
As suggested, try the Athearn GP-9 handrails. Inexpensive and prototypical in appearance. Should fit as the Geeps 7, 9, 18, and 20 are basically the same body with upgrades that EMD made as each model was introduced. Purchase the drill bit from your hobbyshop, secure the stanchions with tiny drops of CA.
Depending on your road name, you might want to spraypaint the hand rails first. I put tiny pieces of tape at the points where the CA will be applied. Doesn’t take long. (If you apply CA on a freshly dried paint surface, the paint may smear. Happy Railroading.
I interested in finding some handrails for my bachmann GP40. I was considering making some out of wire, but could someone suggest something else?
You could make your own out of styrene or by salvaging some model (kit) flashing and holding it over a candle and then stretching to desired thickness.
Super Glue, goop or similar product could hold it in place
IMO, wire would be better. I checked out some locomotive pictures and where the vertical portion meets the top of the handrail horizontal, it flattens and loops around. This would be easy to do with wire by flattening the end and rolling it over with needle-nose plyers.
Chris;
See Smokey Valley link above. Also Atlas GP40 hand rails, and Athearn GP38-2 / GP40-2 should work too.