I seem to be very chatty today so I have another question to ask. Will these fit on my Model Power or Bachman GP7? It’s exactly what I’m looking for. Is a HO model GP7 the same design from manufacturer to manufacturer? Help!!![?]
Sorry, forgot the link at first.
Ummmmm, will what fit?
We will need some more info. Mike
They won’t be an exact fit as each model manufacturer has their own interpretetion of size and placement of parts. The good thing about the Athearn railings is the fact that the stanchions are adjustable allong the railing. This part is still available from Athearn at a better price than this seller is selling for.
Dan Pikulski
I found this from Athearn’s site for a GP9.
http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATH11529
And since they’re metal I would think I could get them to fit my GP7. Whatch think?
As Dan wrote, they will fit but you’ll have to do a little fiddling with where you drill the holes since all manufacturers made their GP7/9 bodies slightly differently. The GP7 and GP9 are both the same length so that’s not an issue. As a side note, you can see that Athearn is selling the exact same parts set for half of what it’s being sold for on e-bay. It’s a good reason to always check a manufacturer’s site before assuming that e-bay prices are similar.
As the stantions are adjustable, the only holes you may have to fill and redrill or rebend the wire is at the cab and the pilot steps. You may also have to trim the foot of the stantion to help the stantion sit flush against the side of the walkway and not hit the metal frame.
An alternative are Smokey Valley handrail kits, which have correctly cast brass stantions instead of Athearn’s flat wire. (They’re about $15 a set - check Walthers), When done and painted, these look just like the newer cast plastic handrails, but of course much stronger.
BTW do not use a Xuron type cutter to cut the Athearn wire as it is made of steel, use heavy duty wire cutters or Dremel cutoff tool.