How do I clean/protect rusty hand railing?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Hi- I have a few old locos that have been in storage for quite some time. They run very well and the plastic and deco is in good shape. Problem is the thin steel wire hand rails are rusty (and I wouldn’t really call it “weathered”). Anyone have any suggestions for a good way to clean and then protect these?

Thanks.

2

Soak in Coke a cola over night should take the rust right off.

3

I had 2 loco’s from the early 80’s that were like that. I used a small piece of ScotchBright to clean some. This got to be a real pain. I just painted the railings with flat black and a small brush. in fact that’s exactly how I paint my new loco’s handrails. I never had one bleed through. They also sell stuff called Model Flex Paint. It’s used for small motorized plastic race cars and is flexable. I found it to be OK but not worth it.

4

Wait, are the handrails on the loco or still in the box???