Guard Rails

This what I use:

https://www.twtrainworxstore.c...oduct/r31-trussrail/

Scenic Express has flexible  26" girder bridge sections here. And, they are on sale!

WOW, you found them. TrainWorx.  Thanks Bruce.  John, those would great, but they wont bend around the curves like I need, but thanks for listing them. I have a use for those type elsewhere.

I used black track screws to attach the barriers to the edge of the 2nd-level plywood base:

Beware the clearances!  Some engines/cars might stick out beyond the edges.

@palallin posted:

Beware the clearances!  Some engines/cars might stick out beyond the edges.

Yes, absolutely. That's why I used spacers made out of several machine nuts to move the barrier away from the track around curves. Here is a top view showing the crude-but-not-visible spacer.

@Bruce Brown posted:

I used black track screws to attach the barriers to the edge of the 2nd-level plywood base:

I assume they only come in Black? That is what color I want anyway.

@NitroTim posted:

I assume they only come in Black? That is what color I want anyway.  I have 3 of the 5 tracks elevated, eventually I will do the railings for all of them, but that will be some major money.

Yes, only in black. Years ago they may have offered another color but now it's just black

@Bruce Brown posted:

Yes, only in black....

Perhaps TWTrainworx has taken a cue from Henry Ford's Model T: "Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants, so long as it is black."

In all seriousness,

@NitroTim posted:

WOW, you found them. TrainWorx.  Thanks Bruce.  John, those would great, but they wont bend around the curves like I need, but thanks for listing them. I have a use for those type elsewhere.

Quoting from the web page, since these are:

"O scale R31 TrussRail is 95″ Long by 2 3/8″ Wide truss rail cut from 1/8″ thick PVC"

In my experience, as long as PVC is warm, it's very flexible, and more so the thinner it is.  I would tend to think that if these guard truss rails were reluctant to bend around tighter turns, light use of a heat gun or maybe even a hair dryer would get them to comply.

A call to TWTrainworx would answer this question or maybe others here have tried this on tighter curves.

Take a look at a product called "metal tile trim."

@SteveH posted:

Perhaps TWTrainworx has taken a cue from Henry Ford's Model T: "Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants, so long as it is black."

In all seriousness,

Quoting from the web page, since these are:

"O scale R31 TrussRail is 95″ Long by 2 3/8″ Wide truss rail cut from 1/8″ thick PVC"

In my experience, as long as PVC is warm, it's very flexible, and more so the thinner it is.  I would tend to think that if these guard rails were reluctant to bend around tighter turns, light use of a heat gun or maybe even a hair dryer would get them to comply.

A call to TWTrainworx would answer this question or maybe others here have tried this on tighter curves.

I watched a video from that company and they will definitely bend the way I will need them to.

I was a little confused when I started reading this thread. You actually want handrails. Maybe they are used to keep trains from falling off the elevated section and that is why they are being called guard rails here. I don't know. I haven't heard of handrails being called guard rails before.

These are guard rails. I am not trying to nit-pick, just trying to put accurate info out there for those that don't know much about these sorts of things so they don't get confused about proper terminology.

I called them guard rails, wouldnt be hand rails going all the way around a track, the company actually calls them a Truss Rail. I didnt know what they called them until a member found a link to them.

Unless one is going to race their trains around tight curves they are not really that necessary on most of a layout.  In my experience the concern is primarily near turnouts at edges of the layout.

@Tom Tee posted:

Unless one is going to race their trains around tight curves they are not really that necessary on most of a layout.  In my experience the concern is primarily near turnouts at edges of the layout.

It has nothing to do with the Speed of the train. It is purely for creating the look i want, That was reason for my original post. Doesnt matter if it is necessary or not,

Tim,

Understood.  Thanks for your reminder.

Bruce's work displays the decorative effect very well.  I was only addressing the probability of need.

If truth be known, I have a need of railings along my concrete arches for decorative appearance.  It just adds to the presentation.

Not having much time to fabricate decore I would like to find a source for concrete railings.

Where I have a practical need of shielding engines from falling off the layout I use a 3 1/2" wall of clear acrylic.

Great thread !!!

Thanks to all posters !!!

@Arthur P. Bloom posted:

Take a look at a product called "metal tile trim."

I used this product for floating shelves. Both decorative and somewhat protective.

Bob