Lionel Parts

read somewhere an article that a fellow railroader used

bobby pins to make handrail stanchions. they were quite

believable and were easy to make.

Is there another loco that has available stanchions/handrails that you can use? Really, the important parts are the plastic stanchions; you can use any bent/shaped

wire for the handrail.

If not:

1 - you can portray handrails and stanchions quite well using cotter pins and plain wire (brass is easy); there may be drilling involved, maybe not. Not complicated in either case.

Paint with a brush. (Use a photo of the a real PRR 2-8-0 for reference.)

These will not do as an antenna, of course, so step 2:

2 - the handrails do not need to be the antenna; use the method that is typical in the after-market upgrade world. Use the tender body, insulated from the chassis with tape and nylon screws. Trace the wire in the tether that goes to the handrails and attach it to the now insulated tender body. Plastic coal loads are the truly easy way - no insulating involved; just stick the antenna to the load (like a diesel body) and you're done. Unfortunately there is a real prejudice against plastic coal loads in this hobby - even though they can look better, in scale, than those often too-shiny "real" loads.

3 - other ways to do it, certainly - but all you are trying to do is get that antenna insulated and in the air. 

There are cotter pins made of plastic. They would work if you could find them small enough.

Having said that, Lionel has been making insulated hand rail standoffs for steam locos for over 15 years. Perhaps the ones for your specific loco are out of stock, but how much different can standoffs for another TMCC loco be?

Lionel has dozens of plastic stanchions. The part number you have will give you the size. Then search on stanchions. You should find something close that will work. Post war handrails are usually mostly straight with one bend. You could probably use one for a 726 berk or 773 hudson for the wire or use brass wire and paint it.

Pete