Annoying plastic handrails ....

trammayo

trammayo

Interested in vintage commercial vehicle, trams, t
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I just hate it when those on the boiler become droopy, saggy, and twisted. One such loco - and it is the Big haulers I'm describing - showed just how bad it can get ...

Chassis mods for BH (12).JPG
So, yesterday, as I set about servicing my stock, I finally tackled it...

I cut all the sections of rail out using side cutters, then trimmed the mountings with a sharp blade (so I could centre the drill bit - 2mm OD).

New hand rails (2).JPG

Then It was a just a case of drilling out the mounting brackets to take the 1.83mm brass rods (K&S - approx 300mm long before trimming to suit). ...

Nearside completed..
New hand rails (4).JPG

New hand rails (5).JPG

The other side was tackled in the same way. The plastic is rather soft and tends to clog the flutes of the drill bit as well as distorting - so the sharp blade is needed yet again. The result is a tightish hole which, if it had been metal, would have resulted in a sloppy fit! So of the three pieces supplied, I managed to make the cut bar for the front, plus four grab rails for the other "re-chassied" (RGS) loco.

More pics to follow (when I take them!).
 
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Really nice job, Mick, and very well executed!

I've mentioned here before that the previous owner of my Heidi had done a similar job, replacing the nasty bendy black plastic rails round the tank tops with some very finely made brass ones:

Ts3 & Heidi side2.jpg

It makes a world of difference to the appearance of any loco!

Jon.
 
trammayo said:
I just hate it when those on the boiler become droopy, saggy, and twisted. One such loco - and it is the Big haulers I'm describing - showed just how bad it can get ...

View attachment 221436
So, yesterday, as I set about servicing my stock, I finally tackled it...

I cut all the sections of rail out using side cutters, then trimmed the mountings with a sharp blade (so I could centre the drill bit - 2mm OD).

View attachment 221437

Then It was a just a case of drilling out the mounting brackets to take the 1.83mm brass rods (K&S - approx 300mm long before trimming to suit). ...

Nearside completed..
View attachment 221438

View attachment 221439

The other side was tackled in the same way. The plastic is rather soft and tends to clog the flutes of the drill bit as well as distorting - so the sharp blade is needed yet again. The result is a tightish hole which, if it had been metal, would have resulted in a sloppy fit! So of the three pieces supplied, I managed to make the cut bar for the front, plus four grab rails for the other "re-chassied" (RGS) loco.

More pics to follow (when I take them!).
Click to expand...
:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:

The other thing that I have copied from my Connie for both of my Bug Mauler / Annie based locos, is to use a thin piece of wire (piano wire or thin brass) and make a rod for the bell. Connie has some black string, but you could argue a thin wire, I think I bent a bow into one. It's a similar challenge drilling out the bell arm - and I think you're probably better at it than I am.

It looks as if I also did one for the whistle on the 10-wheeler :rolleyes::rolleyes:

PICT0002.JPG
 
A 2mm drill, now how many of those have I snapped?
Smart job and as Zerogee says, it does make a world of difference. :clap:
 
Rhinochugger said:
:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:

The other thing that I have copied from my Connie for both of my Bug Mauler / Annie based locos, is to use a thin piece of wire (piano wire or thin brass) and make a rod for the bell. Connie has some black string, but you could argue a thin wire, I think I bent a bow into one. It's a similar challenge drilling out the bell arm - and I think you're probably better at it than I am.

It looks as if I also did one for the whistle on the 10-wheeler :rolleyes::rolleyes:

View attachment 221448
Click to expand...

My Li'l Hauler bash has the same. But there was no drilling apart from the cab - I had to cut the bell from the the crown of the boiler and then used copper wire to mount it and a piece of plated steel wire for the pull.

Bash (73).JPG

As for being better at it, I can assure you that I'm good at mutilating my fingers trying to keep drill bits in place!
 
playmofire said:
Snap them in the right place, and you have a shorter 2mm drill which is less likely to break.
Click to expand...

Yep - you're right! Plus. waste not, want not!
 
Rhinochugger said:
I've kept most of my 2mm drills - it's the 3mm ones that seem to have kamikaze instincts when I get going :punch::punch::punch::punch:
Click to expand...

I buy the 3mm ones in bulk (well, 20 or 30 a time). Best thing is they seem to break and you've one heck of ajob to extract the broken bit!
 
trammayo said:
My Li'l Hauler bash has the same. But there was no drilling apart from the cab - I had to cut the bell from the the crown of the boiler and then used copper wire to mount it and a piece of plated steel wire for the pull.

View attachment 221451

As for being better at it, I can assure you that I'm good at mutilating my fingers trying to keep drill bits in place!
Click to expand...
I then had to think what to do with my Banta crewcab - I thought it needed a bell, but how would it be operated from either driving end :wondering::wondering::wondering:

The black tripods (which are only two legged - must be Irish tripods :D:D ) are meant to be supports, and it is imagined that there is some sort of a pulley for the wire to run through an down through the cab roof :nerd::nerd::nerd:

PICT0002.JPG
 
Thanks for your kind words everybody. Now it's back out there because I've extracted the trailer from the barn and it's parked on the drive. Need to start making brackets and fitting brackets for the gas struts. More of that later.
 
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Did I get that right, Mick ? You drilled out each stanchion ?
 
Madman said:
Did I get that right, Mick ? You drilled out each stanchion ?
Click to expand...

Yes - in situ (couldn't extricate the flipping things from the boiler!).
 
This morning I fit the grab handles to RGS loco - now need a few more hours for the glue to harden before painting tomorrow.

I also turned a couple of brass dummy safety valves for - one each for the SF & RGS. Pictures to usual standard:)

Handrails and cut bar...
Hand rails (1).JPG
and the safety valve in front of the whistle...
Hand rails (2).JPG
and the grab rails (2 for the tender and 2 for the cab)...

Notice the road name is not parallel to the lines of the tender (somebody must have tampered with the tampo? :wasntme:
Hand rails (3).JPG
Hand rails (5).JPG

So that's them more or less finished.

And just a couple of pics on how I store and transport them ...

Storage & Transporting (1).JPG
Storage & Transporting (2).JPG

It pays to eat loads of veg;)
 
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