Does anyone have advice on successfully reattaching handrails on Athearn locomotives? It has become fairly obvious to me that CA does not work for this task.
Good luck! I just stick 'em on if the come loose.
Sorry,I am not much help but,I’ve tried several glues with negative results.
The trick is to get all the old glue off!! Glue will not stick well to glue!! If you clean it off well, re-drilling the holes & buffing the old glue off the rail ends with a Dremel, a neww application of CCA gel should do the trick.
Preparation!![:)]
Just to clarify, I’m talking about the newer handrails made from “celron”. This is a nylon type material that CA glue doesn’t work on.
In that case:
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if the railing ends are worn, new railings can be ordered from Athearn.
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If the holes on the body are worn, some Testors body putty and redrill the holes
Hope this helps![:)]
Lou,I been wanting a set of undecorated GP38-2 railings and I had to wait 5 months and they are finally back in stock-which I need to order…
These handrails are a press fit and usually stays in place but,after several months they seem to loosen up-at least that’s my thought.Of course these are scale size handrails we all wanted and of course they are spaghetti thin…One good sneeze and they break usually at the hole where the stanchion fits…
One option is to squeeze the pin into an oblong shape so it fits tighter in the round hole.
A second option - and what I do - use a toothpick and swirl some clear silicone into each hole before installing the stantions. It will hold them in place, yet will pull back out with minimal effort should they need to be removed.
Mark.
White glue, or tacky glue will work.
The best way I’ve found to reattach the “Rubber” handrails is to use them as a pattern and bend wire handrails. PSC and Smokey Valley and others make stanchions for Alco, EMD, & GE.
I make new handrails from .015 wire and junk the “Rubber” ones
Sometimes CA does work. I’m using it to hold the front handrail in place on a U28B so the end part and the drop step quit coming off.
If I’m repairing a break or using a piece of a handrail as a splice, I use Loctite Super glue for plastic. It’s really an epoxy, since you have to rub a marker on the parts to be joined, then after a minute apply superglue and hold the parts together. Can be had from a hardware store for about 4-6 bucks. I’ve used it for repairing handrails on locos, and even cutting apart one and re-attaching it to another.