# Help a newbie with brass handrails please



## Never Get Old (Apr 16, 2016)

One thing I have been avoiding, literally for years, is making brass handrails in N scale. I don't even know where to begin. Attached is a picture of the railings that I need to model. They are for a yard slug, obviously.

I know nothing about how to approach this. What size wire? Any special type of wire or just ordinary brass? How to bend it accurately and consistently? How to - I assume - solder the pieces together? What size drill bit to use for holes in the sill? And on and on.

I'll be using an Atlas VO-1000 to make the slug. It's "close enough" to be used for this project. The slug pictured actually was made from a later model S12, but the VO-1000 is fine for me. EXCEPT that it has no side sill handrails, and the front and rear handrails are angled, not square, so I have to make them somehow. Ugh!

IMPORTANT NOTE: I probably will cheat and keep the square front and rear rails that come with the Atlas VO-1000 instead of making angled ones. I need to know what wire will closely resemble the Atlas and LifeLike handrails in thickness so my new side rails match.

Somebody please help me get the info I need to get this project right. I really want to model this yard slug as I already have painted SCL SW9 #140 to go with it. I figure if I can paint and decal that LL SW9 loco in N scale, I ought to be able to make brass handrails for the slug to go with it. I just have to learn how. For some reason, this is overwhelming me and has for years.

-Never Get Old


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Making hand rails*



Never Get Old said:


> One thing I have been avoiding, literally for years, is making brass handrails in N scale. I don't even know where to begin. Attached is a picture of the railings that I need to model. They are for a yard slug, obviously.
> 
> I know nothing about how to approach this. What size wire? Any special type of wire or just ordinary brass? How to bend it accurately and consistently? How to - I assume - solder the pieces together? What size drill bit to use for holes in the sill? And on and on.
> 
> ...


 Never Get Old;

First off I want to compliment you on the finished SCL switcher in the photo. It looks great; excellent work!:thumbsup:
Second, making handrails, or nearly anything else, for that matter is no harder in N-scale than in other scales.*
Yes the parts are smaller (except for Z-scale) but the mechanics of construction are identical regardless of scale. 
To get the size wire for your handrails you can measure the factory rails with a vernier caliper. They are easy to use, not expensive, (you wont need a fancy dancy model. I use a plastic cheapy more often than my metal, dial-equipped, version. You can get this handy tool from www.harborfreighttools.com 
Factory, plastic handrails are usually oversize, often very oversize, especially in a small scale. There are practical limits to what can be made of plastic, and still be expected to survive.
If you're not determined to duplicate the manufacturer's size, a good rule of thumb is that prototype hand rails are often approx. 1/2"-3/4" in diameter. An N-scale inch scales up to .006" in real life. You can buy brass wire this small, but i suggest using phosphor-bronze wire instead. It is stronger, and solders very well. I use it for my N-scale catenary on my electric railroad. Mine is .008" which is a bit too large to exactly duplicate Milwaukee Road's catenary wire, but really, who's going to know; much less care? You can make your handrails a little over exact scale size. The odds of a visitor showing up with a caliper in hand are not that high!:laugh: 
The same wire, or a slightly larger size, (.010? .012?) can serve for the vertical stanchions. Flatten the top end and drill it for the handrail diameter, or wrap the flattened part around the handrail. 
You'll need a simple jig to hold the parts while soldering. I use a pine plank with Atlas track nails to form my catenary, but you could just use a board with the parts taped in place. Small pieces of duct tape, or masking tape would work.
What size holes you need to drill into the walkway sill, depends on the wire size you chose. Just get a set of miniature drill bits and a pin vise, if you don't already have them. A good source is www.micromark.com 
Hole placement will be critical. Set every stanchion dead vertical on the soldered handrail assembly before trying to attach it to the locomotive. Then make a hole jig from a small strip of brass. Carefully mark the location of each stanchion, and drill a hole in the brass strip. When all the holes are drilled you can hold the strip/jig against the loco and use a sewing needle to "center punch" each hole. Remove the jig and drill the walkway sill at each needle mark. Super Glue will hold the handrail on. Extra tip on painting. I use a chemical blackener as a primer. If the handrails happen to be black, then that's the final finish. Other colors can be painted over the blackener.

good luck; Traction Fan:smilie_daumenpos:

* to see what's possible in N-scale; see my posts "N-scale caboose with working marker lights" here in the N-scale section, and Seattle Union Station" in the structures section.


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## Never Get Old (Apr 16, 2016)

1) Thank you for the specific directions. I'll print that.
2) This process terrifies me. 
3) I only have to learn once, right?

I figure making a printed template in my graphics program might be a good place to start.

I have no local source for the wire that I know of. Where is a good place to buy the phosphor bronze wire online?

Thanks for the compliment on the loco. It was only my second attempt with my airbrush and decals. I've never done this stuff before due to time constraints and ... fear of the unknown. I bought an airbrush a few months ago and started painting cardboard test pieces. Then I started using it for light weathering. Then I got up my courage and stripped and painted a switcher. I have done three SCL switchers and an Amtrak B unit now. I did destroy one other loco though as part of the learning curve. Oops. Painting, stripping, and decal details are in the painting forum.

If I can figure out the brass handrails and build this slug, I'll be finished painting, at least for a while. I'm surprised nobody offers pre-built lengths of brass rail. Doesn't someone sell stanchions ready-made? I'll have to Google and see what I find. 

*Edit: I did Google. What about Gold Medal Models stanchions?*

Note: Given the bent up, torn up handrails I see on most yard switchers, I'll take that as some comfort that mine don't need to be perfect. How yard switchers get their railings bent like that is interesting. What the heck were they running into?

-Never Get Old


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## Never Get Old (Apr 16, 2016)

One of my favorite Fee-Pay vendors seems to have everything I would need, but I would like more info on the Gold Medal Models stanchions. Has anyone ever used them? Would you recommend them? What size drill bit is required?

I found this online:



> I have used them. I didn't use the .006 wire. All I could get in that size was brass and it's way to flimsy. I used Tichy Trains .008 phosphor bronze wire. It has a memory and resists bending when bumped. Very springy.
> 
> To begin I drilled all of the holes for the stanchions with a #80 bit. Then I glued them all in place. Then I tinned the tops with a tiny bit of solder. Finally I layed the wire on the tops and soldered it in place. When doing that I had enough solder on my pencil iron that the bubble of solder was all that touched the wire/stanchion. If the bubble got to the point where it was too small or gone, the tip of the iron would stick to the wire and move it out of place before it dried. Dipping the joint in the bubble was a way to get the solder on with out actually having to contact the metal. Then I made all the bends for ends of the wire. Instead of bending the tops of the stanchions around the wire I just clipped them off flush. The result is awesome. All of my locos will get them eventually.


-Never Get Old


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Phosphor-Bronze wire and Gold medal models*



Never Get Old said:


> One of my favorite Fee-Pay vendors seems to have everything I would need, but I would like more info on the Gold Medal Models stanchions. Has anyone ever used them? Would you recommend them?
> 
> -Never Get Old



Never Get Old; 

I bought my Phosphor bronze wire on Amazon. It's sold as "artistic wire." 











Gold metal models makes very high quality products. I have not used the stanchions, but I have used several of their other photo-etched brass offerings. They all worked great! About the only down side of GMM products is their high cost. That said, I'm a little embarrassed that I didn't think of using their stanchions. Your good idea will save a lot of work, so it's well worth the cost.

Good luck with your project. It may turn out to be easier than you think.

Traction Fan:smilie_daumenpos:


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## Never Get Old (Apr 16, 2016)

$7.00 for a set of 150 stanchions plus $2.00 for phosphor bronze wire plus $3.00 shipping. I just need to know what size drill bit I need. I read somewhere #80 and someone else says #76. I wish Gold Medal Models would specify what to use.

$12 plus whatever drill bit I need.

-Never Get Old


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Sounds like you're well on the way.*



Never Get Old said:


> $7.00 for a set of 150 stanchions plus $2.00 for phosphor bronze wire plus $3.00 shipping. I just need to know what size drill bit I need. I read somewhere #80 and someone else says #76. I wish Gold Medal Models would specify what to use.
> 
> $12 plus whatever drill bit I need.
> 
> -Never Get Old


 Well, that doesn't sound so expensive. I don't know if you have used, or even seen, a #80 drill bit (which might require an Optivisor, depending on your vision.) Those bits are typically the smallest in a set of miniature bits. I think my set runs from #61 down to #80. The #80 is really, really, tiny. I think it's about the size of a human hair. If you use this size, buy a half dozen. They break extremely easily! I don't think I've been able to keep an intact #80 in my set much past one, (attempted) use. This is one of the advantages of having a set. When (not if, but when) I break my #80, or whatever, I can use the next size up or down. I'm going to the local train store (yes, I'm actually lucky enough to still have one!) and reading this message has just reminded
me to take my drill set along and tell them to "Fill-er-up", meaning the drill stand.
Yes, I would think that Gold Medal Models would have a drill size recommendation on their package. You could probably get that info by E-mailing them too.

Keep going, you will get there;

Traction Fan:smilie_daumenpos:


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Sounds like you're well on the way.*

Oops.. double post. My bad.:smilie_auslachen:

Traction Fan


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## Never Get Old (Apr 16, 2016)

I've never seen or used a #80, so thanks for the warning. That does not sound like the right size at all. Maybe the person who wrote that wasn't correct. Someone else mentioned #72. Maybe that's more realistic. I'll ask around and see what Gold Medal Models actually recommends. Surely it says on the package.

-Never Get Old


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## Never Get Old (Apr 16, 2016)

For the Gold Medal Models diesel 160-32 stanchions, from the seller:



> On the back of the package is states:
> "Locate and drill #76 in frame for stanchions


There is the correct answer.

-Never Get Old


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## Never Get Old (Apr 16, 2016)

Traction Fan, thank you for your detailed description of how to flatten the end of brass wire to make stanchions. I used a piece of .016 brass wire that I had, and I successfully made two handrails for my VO-1000 slug project. I know that is 2.5" diameter in N scale, a too thick for a totally realistic handrail, but it's what I had on hand to experiment with, so that's what I used. I certainly have seen thicker plastic handrails. Ever look at a closeup of a Con-Cor MP15DC? Yikes! The handrails are huge! Next time I'll get some finer wire.

The rails only needed two stanchions each, but they turned out just fine using your technique. Flattening the end of the stanchion wire with a hammer and wrapping it around the railing really makes for a strong solder joint, and with a little flux, they turned out without too much solder clumped on them. I messed up a few stanchions by flattening them too much, but I quickly got the hang of it and made 4 good ones. Thanks again.

:smilie_daumenpos:

Never Get Old


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Glad to help*



Never Get Old said:


> Traction Fan, thank you for your detailed description of how to flatten the end of brass wire to make stanchions. I used a piece of .016 brass wire that I had, and I successfully made two handrails for my VO-1000 slug project. I know that is 2.5" diameter in N scale, a too thick for a totally realistic handrail, but it's what I had on hand to experiment with, so that's what I used. I certainly have seen thicker plastic handrails. Ever look at a closeup of a Con-Cor MP15DC? Yikes! The handrails are huge! Next time I'll get some finer wire.
> 
> The rails only needed two stanchions each, but they turned out just fine using your technique. Flattening the end of the stanchion wire with a hammer and wrapping it around the railing really makes for a strong solder joint, and with a little flux, they turned out without too much solder clumped on them. I messed up a few stanchions by flattening them too much, but I quickly got the hang of it and made 4 good ones. Thanks again.
> 
> ...


Never Get Old;

You're quite welcome. Yes, you are correct about the size of some "N-scale" handrails. Some of the older ones look like they were made of 12" diameter pipe! There is a reason though. Conventional plastic has practical limits on how thin it can be made and not fall apart when you pick up the locomotive. Many newer locos have thinner handrails made of more flexible, and stronger, plastic that can tolerate handling better.
See. It wasn't as hard as you feared.:laugh:

regards;

Traction Fan:smilie_daumenpos:


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