Suggestions for tank car railing stanchions

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I’m (hopefully) souping up some athearn single dome and chemical tank cars. Any suggestions for stanchions for new (say .012 or so phosphor bronze) railings? Thanks

Mike Sayre

2

The Athearn tankers all come with plastic stanchions molded into the tank for the stock wire railing which is 0.020 or so. Was I to make finer scale railings out of 0.012 wire I think I would use the stock plastic stanchions. Just wrap some rubber bands around the car to hold the new wire up close to the existing stanchions and then place a drop of CA adhesive on each stanchion. There was an RMC article on essential freight cars some years ago that showed the use of a bit of hypodermic tubing to join the wire railing.

I’ve been adding paper hazmat placards to my tankers, like so. The railings are all stock wire, 0.020 inch.

These photos are all taken in direct sunlight which tends to wash out the lettering on the tanks. I usually take photos on the layout under indoor lighting, but camera was acting up and refusing to do low light photography at all.

3
4

Athearn sells stanchions but they aren’t exactly suited to tankers. However, you might be able to make use of just the end that holds the railing inserted into the tanker body. Or, I may be totally nuts!

http://www.athearn.com/Search/Default.aspx?CatId=THCR&SearchTerm=stanchion

Dave

5

This is a shortened Varney tank on a modified Tichy underframe. I used eye bolts from either Detail Associates or homemade ones from brass wire:

This Proto tanker uses plastic stanchions left over from an Athearn Mikado (lettering is C-D-S dry transfers):

Eyebolts on this Walthers tank car:

I think this is an Intermountain car - I bought it used and in rough shape, with neither stanchions or handrails. Looks like Athearn steam loco stanchions again, but they could also be from Precision Scale (lettering is Champ decals):

This shortened Athearn tank uses the stock stanchions - they don’t look too bad on a dark-coloured car:

This Athearn three-dome car used the stock handrails, but I also added older style handrails around the platforms - the stanchions are from Athearn diesels, with .015" piano wire for the railings:

Wayne

6

Precision Scale makes brass stanctions part # 32110. I’ve found the stanctions to be the most vunerable part of a well detailed tank. The brass ones should be bullet proof.

7

OK, the PSC ones look like the ones. Thanks.