Turntable Bridge Handrails

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

I have a Walthers 90’ non-motorized turntable that I pulled out of storage today. I am considering selling it, but the bridge handrails are warped. I removed them and laid them on a flat surface, and the handrails are not flat. They are thin styrene plastic and they are somewhat twisted.

Are these types of handrails available as detail parts or would they need to be scratch built? Any ideas, suggestions, solutions?

Rich

2

Rich,

I had the same issue with mine so I replaced them with Central Valley #1601 pipe railings. They look great and don’t warp.

Roger Huber

Deer Creek Locomotive Works

3

Roger, thanks for that reply. That is pretty much exactly what I am looking for.

Rich

4

Hope it helps. I have a friend that found some PRR pipe rail in brass but I don’t know any more about it. I like the looks of the CV pipe rails.

Roger Huber

Deer Creek Locomotive Works

5

check out Tichy.

6

Thanks, j.c., I will check out Tichy.

7

Rich:

I sent you a PM.

Here are the ones I recently made from .015" phosphor bronze wire for my 90’ Walthers turntable:

Dave

8

Dave, your work is superb. Love those handrails. [Y]

Rich

9

Those look great, Dave. Do you use the silver solder paste like Frank (Zstripe) uses? I have some of that coming for some handrails I want to do for a tank car.

Mike.

10

I used handrail stanchions from Athearn Blue Box diesels for my scratchbuilt turntable’s railings, while the railing itself is .020" music wire.
The “foot” of each upright is a short piece of brass tubing cemented to a square of styrene, while the upright itself is epoxied into a hole drilled into the tie beneath the decking…

Wayne

11

Wayne, I’m curious. Is your turntable motorized?

Rich

12

Mike:

I use Kester solder which has a 2% silver content. I buy it from Ngineering:

(Scroll down a bit.)

http://www.ngineering.com/soldering.htm

Dave

13

No motor, Rich, just a finger from the big 0-5-0 will turn it, as it’s only a few inches from the layout’s edge:

Wayne

14

My stanchions and railings are made from .020” brass, which is 1.7” in HO scale.


Cheers, the Bear.

15

Nice work, Bear.

16

For good reasons, it seems that it ought to be that way. My 130’ turntable is motorized, and I use that feature, but I have disabled the indexing feature.

Rich

17

I made my handrails from Tichy phosphor-bronze wire and K&S brass stock. Drilled holes at the top of the stanchions and soldered it up with Radio Shack silver-bearing solder.

A close-up (with a critter for Dave[:)] ):

Lots of great pics (and work) here, BTW. Good job, fellows.[swg]

18

I like the looks of the 28, Mike. [Y][Y] It reminds me of one of my favourite diesels, the CNR’s RSC-24s…like a little kid wearing his big brother’s shoes.

Wayne

19

Wayne,

Thanks![:D]

Some of it’s family, I’m sure, since while built in Australia IIRC, she’s at her heart an Alco/MLW. The “big shoe” look is also a favorite of mine.

While many narrowgaugers hate on diesels, I like them. In fact, diesels might have been the end of steam, but if they had appeared, the investment in them might have been a sign that the narrowgauge would survive. We can only imagine, of course, and model, if we choose.

20

Mike:

Nice handrails! Nice critter too!!

#28 looks like a power house!

Dave