Why??? Why?????

[Anonymous]

About a week ago I purchased an Athearn SW1500 NS Switcher locomotive(HO Scale). I tried to put the railings and stuff on it and they will not stick!!!! I was going to use some model glue, but I decided it might not help either, so I threw away the railings and said to myself,"If anyone asks, it's been in service for a while on this little railway and it had a head-on collision" or something like that. I've had problems with Athearn kits before(I really don't have much clue about what to do, I'm just now getting back into model railroading) so from now on I'm only buying Ready-To-Run locomotives.

[simon1966]

A small dab of superglue is all it usually takes to get the railings to stay in place.

[Anonymous]

lol thanks

[CP5415]

I've found with Athearn BB railings that if you are able to GENTLY force the railings into the hole provided, the railings will stay.
Another thing I noticed with my latest SW7 I bought, I had to drill out the holes for the front & end railings as the holes either had too much paint in them or they wern't drilled out enough.
After doing this, I had no more problems with the railings.
I've only had to use glue on one Athearn locomotive & that is only because the plastic broke around the hole on the front of my first C44-9W for the railing to fit.

Gordon

Gordon

[Anonymous]

My experience is much the same as Gordon and Simon's - I usually use a set of flat-jawed pliers to gently press the uprights in, then a tiny dab of superglue on the top of them where the handrail goes through to keep them vertical - with a bit of practice you'll be able to have the glue invisible as it'll be drawn into the joint by capillary action. Hope this helps!

[fiatfan]

I've had pretty good results by holding the uprights in position and then touching the upright briefly with a hot soldering iron. You may want to practice on on old engine first to get the hang of it.

Good luck!

Tom

[selector]

I hesitate to do this, but if Randy Rinker were to answer here, I've seen him say that he glues from the back/inside of the shell, and that leaves the outer appearance more natural. i lke the idea of the hot iron touched to the bar, again that would be on the inside?

-Crandell

[Anonymous]

Just thought I'd add. Never throw ANYTHING away!!![;)]

[rrinker]

QUOTE: Originally posted by selector

I hesitate to do this, but if Randy Rinker were to answer here, I've seen him say that he glues from the back/inside of the shell, and that leaves the outer appearance more natural. i lke the idea of the hot iron touched to the bar, again that would be on the inside?

-Crandell

I don't know if that would work very well on a BB Athearn, with the old metal stanchions and handrails. Believe it or not, i have only ONE Athearn BB loco, an undecorated S12, and if I recall from when I put it together over 12 years ago, it was a real PITA. I think I had an easier time installing the Ernst gears in it than putting on those danged handrails.

--Randy

[Anonymous]

Just drill the holes bigger than they need to be and put a tiny bit of CA in each hole.That will hold the handrails in and as long as you're not a glue squirter. nobody will now.

[AntonioFP45]

I can understand the frustration being expressed as at times I've lost patience on what "should be" an easy job.

If a job frustrates me, I get up and walk away for at least 5 minutes. When I come back with a clear head, things are easier. Athearn BB handrails can be headaches.

Great advice above about drilling out holes so the bottoms of stanchions go in more easily. After making sure every single stanchion is vertically aligned and not crooked ( get a family member to double check), carefully apply a tiny dab of CA to the tops of the stanchions and you're done!

Years back I screwed up the stanchions on a BB GP35 because I was in such a hurry. I ruined about 5 stanchions and made a mess with the glue. Yep! I learned the hardway! Not worth it!

Good rule of thumb: Working on a model should be like eating a fine meal..........you savor it, not gobble it down!

Peace!

[Anonymous]

If things go too badly on a first attempt, there is alwys the option of buying stanchions and handrail (wire) from Cal-Scale, Grandt, et al. "If you can't fight them, beat them!"

[Anonymous]

I take each upright and crimp the top with my needle nose pliers after I put the whole thing together, keeps them in place till I paint them, once painted they stay put fairly well. The needle nose comes in handy for the ones that dont want to go in the holes in the shell to. Cheers Mike

[JohnT14808]

I used the 'needlenose' technique myself...worked ok on my kit. My problem was I couldn't figure out how to then PAINT the handrails, once they were crimped and glued in.....So I left'em bare metal...Hey...looks OK to me....maybe I'll have to try handpainting the darn things.....oh well, another project.....

[Anonymous]

One thing you dont want to do is paint the rails before putting the stanctions on. I tried it once and completely ruined the paint putting the stanctions on.

[fiatfan]

QUOTE: Originally posted by selector

again that would be on the inside?

-Crandell

No, I use the iron on the outside. Just make sure the tip is free of solder . Wiping it with a damp cloth or sponge after it's warm will take care of that.

Tom

[selector]

Okee doke, to Randy and Tom. Thanks, fellas.