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I ordered several (not all) stanchions for this loco and find that the replacements appear to all be "straight" out from the boiler, not angled like the originals. So, (probably) I will have to replace all of them, not just my broken ones. But, before I go to that expense, has anyone else noticed this? If I don't do this, then the rail will have a wave in it, and not be straight. One advantage of doing this is that the "new" ones appear to be more rugged that the fragile originals and also snug up to the boiler more like most Lionel locos. Whether this will effect the antenna workings I don't know as I don't have that equipment. Another problem is that the replacements are too large for the drilled holes and have to be trimmed down some. (Or, the holes reamed out some.) The items are only .80 a piece, so they aren't all that expensive, but I thought I'd see if anyone else has done this before proceeding and if the results look good. (I lack one to have enough for one complete side.) Thanks in advance. for any help. 

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If you choose to glue the stanchions in place, I have had bad luck using super glue.  The rear cab handrails on my new VL Niagara were broke off the body out of the box at the bottom connect points; tried using super glue to hold them in place; 2 things happened - that glue did not hold them well and the chemical vapor in the glue radiated outward from a drop and discolored the black paint on the body.  Wound up using epoxy (thick and easy to manage and held very well) and then repainting the discolored area with Tamiya black paint.

Suggesting that I might be picking up my model by the handrails ranks right up on the intelligence scale of those calls one gets offering refunds because Microsoft is closing. No, I don't do that. I usually place two fingers under the cab roof and two fingers from the other hand under the pilot. Failing that, I make sure that I am holding onto the underside of the catwalks along the middle of the boiler, not touching the handrails. 

Now, since no one seems to have gotten the reason that I started the thread at all, I will elucidate further...  

I had one stanchion broken in shipping, and another broke due to my hand slipping. Sorry, I did not have a box to get the #. Some of us have to purchase "used." Luckily, both were on the same side. Anyway, this is the larger O guage loco with electronics. One of you graciously looked up the Lionel part #s and I went to their site and found how to order. Hefty service charge for such a small item. So I ordered new tires for it as well to make the order more palatable.

They arrived yesterday and I was able to get the two broken ends out of the boiler casting. I tried lightly tapping the new ones into place, but there was too much extra on the part, so I shaved and filed the base end down and finally got them in place. However, they stood out straight from the boiler, not angled up as original. So, they were not going to line up as the original ones did. 

One good thing about the new ones is that they are far more sturdy than the original ones. but I ordered only four of one size and three of the other, thinking (since I don't pick the engine up by the rails) that I would be careful enough that I wouldn't need the whole set as spares. (When tapping them in, I inserted the wire so as not to mash the outer end.) 

Except now, with the different parts, to make the loco look right, I DO need two more for this side and a complete set for the other side. So, I am going to have to pay Lionel's hefty service charge once more for teeny tiny parts.

To preclude this happening to others who might be in the same position as me, and they too, might only order a "few" spares, then find out they needed a set, I started the thread. In essence, I was simply trying to save others with this loco some time, $$$, and frustration. 

Instead, I got answers that were well meaning...my bad... I knew there were umpteen versions of the 1225 loco, and one that was...(How can I say it "nicely"?) Heck, it was just plain insulting. 

To sum up. If you have broken stanchions on the Polar Express Berkshire (see picture)IMG_8364, you need "all" of them to do the job. Whether the original wire will work, I won't know until the job is done, sorry. I couldn't stand the original road # any longer and found that the P.& L.E. used Berkshires with a 9xxx road # which is the nearest road using them to my part of the PRR.

You need (3) of #610155200 and (4) of #610155250 for each side. You might get 4 of the shorter one as it's hard to tell which length is going to work better. Thanks for wading through my explanation and hope it saves you some time and $$$. (Hand rail is not attached in the picture.) 

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Vandalia Guy posted:
You need (3) of #610155200 and (4) of #610155250 for each side. You might get 4 of the shorter one as it's hard to tell which length is going to work better. Thanks for wading through my explanation and hope it saves you some time and $$$. (Hand rail is not attached in the picture.) 

As I half-suspected, there's your problem... you ordered the handrail stanchions for the scale Polar Express, not the 027 version that you have.

https://www.lionelsupport.com/...ON=productPartFilter

This is why we ask for catalog numbers.

TRW

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800-980-OGRR (6477)
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