What to use for the hand rails? Styrene? If so, what diameter? I ordered and built the large LPG/AA tank cars from the HO swap site, but they didn't include handrails. I used was flower wire that I bent and painted black. Thanks!
My experience is that both floral wire and styrene are too soft for handrails, especially longer lengths like a tank car would require.
My suggestion would be bronze wire which is a happy medium, not too stiff but easy enough to make a sharp bend.
Tichy has a decent selection. .010 or .015 might be a good size to start with.
https://www.tichytraingroup.com/Shop/tabid/91/SearchValue/wire/Default.aspx
Good Luck, Ed
gmpullman My experience is that both floral wire and styrene are too soft for handrails, especially longer lengths like a tank car would require. My suggestion would be bronze wire which is a happy medium, not too stiff but easy enough to make a sharp bend. Tichy has a decent selection. .010 or .015 might be a good size to start with. https://www.tichytraingroup.com/Shop/tabid/91/SearchValue/wire/Default.aspx Good Luck, Ed
Deano
kasskaboose ...I ordered and built the large LPG/AA tank cars...
I wasn't familiar with the tank cars you mentioned, but from the photos I found in a quick search, these appear to be cars with full-length tank-top walkways. That means that they have support stanchions all along their length.
If you don't have pre-made stanchions (brass castings, I'd guess) then you'll need to fabricate your own. In that case, I'd agree with the suggestion of phosphor-bronze wire from Tichy. I'd go with .015" diameter, or possibly even the .020". Before you start bending or cutting it, drag each wire through some fine wet/dry sandpaper (use it dry) a couple of times to remove any oxidation. This will make it easier to solder the handrails to the stanchions.
You can do the soldering either after installing it on the car or before installing it.
To do pre-made handrails, make the proper bends for the handrail itself (most appear to turn down at their ends, acting in-effect as the end stanchions) then tape that to a surface suitable on which to do soldering. An alternative is to use dressmaker's pins to pin it to a sheet of 1/4" balsa. In either case, the stanchions are added and taped or pinned in the proper positions. Apply a little paste flux to one, and solder it to the handrail, then place a small wad of wet tissue or paper towel on the soldered joint, and repeat the flux-solder-tissue drill for each as you go along.
If you choose to assemble the handrails on the car, the procedure is similar, but you should first place a small wad of wet tissue where the stanchion to be soldered enters the plastic car - this will prevent the heated stanchion from enlarging or deforming the area around the hole. Repeat the wet tissue on the just-soldered joint, but the one to prevent damage to the plastic can move along to the base of whichever stanchion is being soldered at the time.
If my impression of those cars is incorrect (which probably negates the suggestions above), perhaps you could provide a photo, or link to a photo, of the type of car in question.
Wayne
I use a lot of the K&S music wire exclusively for making hand rails on the miniature trucks I make and for freight cars. I believe the Tichy bronze wire is fine for brake lines and such, but bends too easily if you handle the car much, which is what I do with the truck models. It is easy to handle and cut with the proper tool, a hardened steel cable shear, not at all like wire cutters, which actually distorts the wire where it trys to cut.....then cut end is not circular, it is flat on both ends of the cut so if you drill a hole the diameter of the wire, once cut with diagonal cutters, it will not fit in the hole because of the two flat ends, unless you file the ends round.
I use K&S .015 and .020...it is sold as a rod shape 12'' long, not wrapped like wire. I use flat jaw needle nose pliers to bend it to the size/shape I want. If you want to solder, I would recommend also K&S hardened brass rod in the .032 size. That also comes packaged in rod form, lengths od 12'' straight rod.
The trucks in thse photos have .020 music wire hand rails in different sizes:
I have over 150 trucks that I put music wire hand rails on and not one has ever came off.........or got bent out of shape.
Take Care!
Frank
I'd like to see a picture of the OP's car, or at least a Walthers number for it.
Not all Walthers LPG tank cars have full length hand rails on the top.
The hardware stores have a K&S display, I'll have to see if they have the .015 and .029 wire. If not, maybe they can order it for me.
I've been using Tichy, which is fine.
Mike.
My You Tube
doctorwaynestanchions
Russell
Fantastic suggestions on what to use for the hand wire.
The stock number for two of the tank cars is 932-5254, and 932-5251. They are listed as 85' (33,000 gallon) tank cars. They were fun to build but require a lot of work to ensure the trucks don't bind, etc.
Here is a link of what it looks unlike unbuit (I know, not too helpful and sorry if you need to copy n' paste):
https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=uch6XK6nF-qv_Qa85L2gBw&q=walthers+LPG++tank+car+kit+932-5254&oq=walthers+LPG++tank+car+kit+932-5254&gs_l=img.3...245115.248889..249161...0.0..0.64.456.9......0....1..gws-wiz-img.ACw2lg5Pf6Y#imgrc=_
OK, thanks. Walthers doesn't have a picture any more, they were released in 92, but in Walthers, they say they are 65' LPG cars.
Doesn't make any difference, just wanted to know. I like tank cars!
Of the pictures I found, it doesn't show a hand rail all the way down the center walk way, just around the dome and at the ladders on each end.
I'm building a couple of these with the Athearn 65' cars as my starting point with details and railings from Plano, only mine will be the Procor version.
Here's one with no ladders at ends, but double hand rails: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1974725
Another with full length handrails with ladders on ends:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4110015
csxnsYears ago the Walthers tank cars in kit form did not have them i used the Athearn blue box locomotive stanchions to hold the wire.
Yeah, the Athearn stanchions are a good option, as they're affordable and if used when all connections to the handrail include an application of ca, perfect for handrails made from piano wire - no soldering needed.
I used them, along with piano wire, for the handrails on both my scratchbuilt turntable bridge...
...and Walthers 90' version....
As for piano wire, I used it for the side walkway railings, mounted in the loco's plastic stanchions, on this modified Atlas RS-3...
...and for all of the railings, also using the original plastic stanchions, on the sides, front, and rear, of this Atlas RS-1...
I used Tichy's phosphor-bronze wire on this Tangent tank car, in lieu of the very nicely-rendered styrene handrail which came with the kit...
maxman Here's one with no ladders at ends, but double hand rails: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1974725
That's not the kind of car we're talking about though. That's a liquids tank car with a rather unusual 4-compartment configuration. Its size and fittings are quite different than the large LPG (pressurized gas) cars.
There are quite a lot of very different specialized tank designs.
The Walthers LPG model represents a late 1970s-80s Union Tank Car design like this:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1550658
Chris van der Heide
My Algoma Central Railway Modeling Blog
zstripe
Frank: Do you have pix of the equipment trailer hiding behind the two orange tractors? Thanks!
PETEVS,
PeteVSFrank: Do you have pix of the equipment trailer hiding behind the two orange tractors? Thanks!
Yes I do Pete.......not too very clear though I'm afraid, taken with My older Canon.
They are 37ft. drop deck trailer Pewter kits by Alloy Forms. I added the bulkhead where the name is, with .020'' 1/4'' Brass strip from K&S, CA'ed to the deck. they also have a laser etched real wood floor by Lonestar Models, you can buy detail parts from them without buying the kits. Alloy forms also makes a 45ft. drop deck, with 14 rear tires, looks similar. I have 3 37's and 1 45ft. for JaBear Construction vehicles:
The excavator above is a Woodland Scenic's Kit.
Two pic's of the 45ft. with the 14 tires:
The photos may be clicked on for a larger view. Since pic's were taken, everything is lettered now and complete. Some of the tractors are also Alloy Forms. I order from them direct........they merged with SS LTD.
http://scale-structures.com/contact-us/
http://scale-structures.com/trailer-kits/
zstripeSome of the tractors are also Alloy Forms. I order from them direct........they merged with SS LTD.
Pricy little devils.
Who makes the road grader and the two bulldozers?
Is the road grader HO scale?
maxmanWho makes the road grader and the two bulldozers? Is the road grader HO scale?
Max,
The construction equipment, Grader, Dozers, Excavator, are Woodland Scenics kits.
All vehicles there are 1/87th (HO scale), if they were not, I would not have them.
The excavator was a bear to assemble, even has acetate window glazing, that I put on, not in kit. Used fine EZ-Line for the cable.
zstripe PETEVS, PeteVS Frank: Do you have pix of the equipment trailer hiding behind the two orange tractors? Thanks! Yes I do Pete.......not too very clear though I'm afraid, taken with My older Canon. They are 37ft. drop deck trailer Pewter kits by Alloy Forms. I added the bulkhead where the name is, with .020'' 1/4'' Brass strip from K&S, CA'ed to the deck. they also have a photo etched real wood floor by Lonestar Models, you can buy detail parts from them without buying the kits. Alloy forms also makes a 45ft. drop deck, with 14 rear tires, looks similar. I have 3 37's and 1 45ft. for JaBear Construction vehicles: The excavator above is a Wooland Scenic's Kit. Two pic's of the 45ft. with the 14 tires: The photos may be clicked on for a larger view. Since pic's were taken, everything is lettered now and complete. Some of the tractors are also Alloy Forms. I order from them direct........they merged with SS LTD. http://scale-structures.com/contact-us/ http://scale-structures.com/trailer-kits/ Take Care! Frank
PeteVS Frank: Do you have pix of the equipment trailer hiding behind the two orange tractors? Thanks!
They are 37ft. drop deck trailer Pewter kits by Alloy Forms. I added the bulkhead where the name is, with .020'' 1/4'' Brass strip from K&S, CA'ed to the deck. they also have a photo etched real wood floor by Lonestar Models, you can buy detail parts from them without buying the kits. Alloy forms also makes a 45ft. drop deck, with 14 rear tires, looks similar. I have 3 37's and 1 45ft. for JaBear Construction vehicles:
The excavator above is a Wooland Scenic's Kit.
zstripe PETEVS, PeteVS Frank: Do you have pix of the equipment trailer hiding behind the two orange tractors? Thanks! Yes I do Pete.......not too very clear though I'm afraid, taken with My older Canon. They are 37ft. drop deck trailer Pewter kits by Alloy Forms. I added the bulkhead where the name is, with .020'' 1/4'' Brass strip from K&S, CA'ed to the deck. they also have a photo etched real wood floor by Lonestar Models, you can buy detail parts from them without buying the kits. Alloy forms also makes a 45ft. drop deck, with 14 rear tires, looks similar. I have 3 37's and 1 45ft. for JaBear Construction vehicles: http://scale-structures.com/contact-us/ http://scale-structures.com/trailer-kits/ Take Care! Frank
Thanks Frank! I think I'm going to scratch build my own from styrene. Rogers builds some beautiful trailers a bit more graceful than others.