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GP-7 Handrail Stanchions General discussion
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Regular poster 402 posts john holt Regular poster 402 posts
john holt

Is Smokey Valley products still in business? Seems it was not that long ago the website was still up and listed a phone number.
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blindog10 Prolific poster 3,329 posts
blindog10

I don't think so

But I could be wrong.

Scott Chatfield 
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Prof_Klyzlr Moderator 7,961 posts
Prof_Klyzlr

Smokey Valley redirects to...

Dear John,

http://www.SmokeyValley.com website redirects to https://trainreadyproducts.com/,

who appear to list most, if not all, of the (ex?) Smokey Valley handrail kits...

https://trainreadyproducts.com/products/brass-hand-rails-and-stanchions/

https://trainreadyproducts.com/products/brass-hand-rails-and-stanchions/hand-rail-and-stanchions-for-gp7/

Proceed with caution (YMMV, not involved, Caveat Emptor, you know the drill...),
but a quick Google of the (new?) name brings some references on known Model RR forum sites and FB,
with no obvious "warning signs"...

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

PS as an alternative, you could always pickup a pack of etched staunchions from http://kvmodels.com/
and team with basic brass wire from K&S or similar...
http://kvmodels.com/emd-gp-and-sd-detail-parts/

 http://kvmodels.com/emd-gp7-gp9/
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john holt Regular poster 402 posts
john holt
I sent an e-mail to trainreadyproducts.com using the e-mail address they provide. That was four days ago and still no reply. I can only assume the Smokey Valley items are now history.
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Prof_Klyzlr Moderator 7,961 posts
Prof_Klyzlr
john holt wrote:
I sent an e-mail to trainreadyproducts.com using the e-mail address they provide. That was four days ago and still no reply. I can only assume the Smokey Valley items are now history.


4 days ago, in the lead up to Christmas, Inc over a weekend? I'd personally be inclined to give them a bit more grace-period... If they are any level of "cottage industry",  I'd be expecting a response sometime after Christmas dinner has settled... ;-)  

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

PS if you need a solution Right Now, the KVModels stanchions and brass wire are available on eBay for immediate order/ship... ;-)
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john holt Regular poster 402 posts
john holt
Thanks Prof.

I ordered some Precision Scale hand rail stanchions from e-bay yesterday.  I have used the KV Products for other applications and find them to be a quality item.
If I hear back from trainreadyproducts in the future, I will post it on the forum. The website does not look like it has been touched since 2014.

Thanks....John
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blindog10 Prolific poster 3,329 posts
blindog10
I wasn't aware that KV did GP7-style pipe stanchions.  I've only seen their channel stanchions, which came into use about six months into GP9 production. 

IIRC, the PSC GP7 stanchions, which are the old Kemtron parts, are several inches too tall.  You might have to redrill the mounting holes in your model.

I used the old Smokey Valley GP7 stanchions but found the tops of the casting didn't always fill in.  The solution was to solder them to the brass railing and file down the blob.  Have fun!

Scott Chatfield 
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john holt Regular poster 402 posts
john holt
Well Prof, you were right again.
I received an e-mail from Larry Burt, the owner of Smokey Valley Products. As per his e-mail ,"I'm still here very slow".

I used the old Smokey Valley GP7 stanchions but found the tops of the casting didn't always fill in.  The solution was to solder them to the brass railing and file down the blob.  Have fun!

Scott.....The GP-7 handrails listed at Smokey Valley say they are for an Atlas model. I need these for a P2K, GP-7. Since you have used these, would you say that the SV item will work on the P2K model?  I hate to blow $22 plus shipping for an item that won't work for my application.

For those interested, e-mail is:  larry@smokeyvalley.com. He takes PayPal. Items available are listed at ... https://trainreadyproducts.com/

Thanks....John
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blindog10 Prolific poster 3,329 posts
blindog10
The size of the mounting pins is probably larger on the SV stanchions, but I can't think of anything else that would prevent their use.

Scott Chatfield 
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