This is the very odd scale of 1-285 yep never heard of it myself either, still, being a cheep and fast build, you can allow yourself to paint and weather in places you wouldn't normally bother if you were paying out big bucks.

I should have cut away the solid hand-rails, but what would I have replaced them with ? This is just a little project and basically wanted to know what you would have done with it - any answer good or bad.

I think that is what they used to call "box scale." Whatever fit into the box that was the scale.

Boy this is a blast from the past.