MRG Fixed Car Top Rails, Model TOC-F

What they are

MRG Fixed Car Top Rails (standard car top railings or permanent car top railing guards) are fixed-height guard rails for the top of passenger elevator cars and freight elevator cars. Some suppliers and inspectors call the same product a car top handrail, a top-of-car safety rail, or a car top guardrail. Where the car’s overhead clearance allows a railing at full standard height, a fixed rail is the straightforward, code-conforming choice: no moving parts, no position monitoring, no controller integration.

Every TOC-F rail is custom designed and engineered to fit the application. We work from survey dimensions, produce engineering drawings, and fabricate in-house. No catalog approximations, no field butchering to make a stock rail fit.

Also available as a collapsible configuration for low-overhead cars: MRG Collapsible Car Top Rails, Model TOC-C.

The height question: fixed or collapsible

This is the decision that determines what gets bolted to the car, and the overhead survey answers it.

ASME A17.1/CSA B44 requires a standard railing on the outside perimeter of the car top on every side where a 300 mm (12 in.) ball can pass between the car-top edge and the adjacent hoistway enclosure, and on sides where there is no hoistway enclosure at all (clause 2.14.1.7.1 in A17.1-2019/CSA B44:19, the edition Ontario and many US jurisdictions enforce). The standard railing itself is defined in clause 2.10.2: a top rail at 1070–1095 mm (42–43 in.), a midrail, and a toe board.

Path 1: Fixed rail. On new installations and on existing cars with adequate overhead, a fixed rail at standard height is the answer, with no moving parts, no switches, and no controller integration. It’s the TOC-F as most customers order it.

Path 2: Collapsible rail. Where existing overhead conditions make a conforming fixed railing impossible, the code’s alteration provisions permit a stowable design meeting specific conditions (TOC-C: permitted only where conformance with the standard railing requirement is not possible due to existing overhead conditions, 8.7.2.14.5.2).

Plain-language rule of thumb:

Confirm with your local jurisdiction. The edition enforced on your unit is the one your jurisdiction has adopted; confirm the adopted edition and any retroactive requirements with your local jurisdiction before ordering.

Code and standards context

Car top railings are fall protection under the elevator safety code. ASME A17.1/CSA B44 governs in both the United States and Canada. The current published edition is A17.1:2025/CSA B44:2025 (published January 2026), but the edition enforced on any given unit is the one adopted by that jurisdiction: state and municipal authorities having jurisdiction across the US (editions from 2010 forward), and TSSA in Ontario (currently A17.1-2019/CSA B44:19). Some jurisdictions also publish retroactive requirements for existing installations. Where the railing must sit back from the car-top edge, marking or striping of the exposed surface may also be required; confirm what applies to your unit with your local jurisdiction.

OSHA’s general industry fall protection requirements (29 CFR 1910 Subpart D) and the General Duty Clause apply to employers whose mechanics work on car tops. Our Compliance Guide covers the full standards landscape for elevator and machine guarding, including OSHA 1910.212, ANSI B11.19, CSA Z432, TSSA, and ASME A17.1.

MRG does not certify code compliance for your installation; your authority having jurisdiction does. What we do is engineer rails to your surveyed dimensions, to the standard-railing specifications and the requirements that apply to the unit, and build hardware that doesn’t become the reason a unit fails inspection.

Specifications

All specifications may vary by application. Every rail includes some amount of customization to fit the specific elevator.

How an order works

From first contact to delivery, the work happens in one shop:

Who this is for

Elevator OEM project engineers and independent elevator contractors across the United States and Canada order TOC-F rails for new installations, modernization projects, and inspection-driven retrofits where the overhead allows a fixed rail. On retrofit portfolios, fixed and collapsible rails are frequently ordered together; the survey decides which car gets which.

MRG car top rails are in service with major elevator OEMs and independent contractors across the United States and Canada.

Our engineers work with your people to get to the solution the car requires.

Send us what you have: survey dimensions, drawings, or photos from your mechanic’s site visit. We’ll confirm fixed versus collapsible, engineer the rail to the application, and quote it.

Frequently asked questions

What height does a fixed car top rail need to be?

The standard railing under ASME A17.1/CSA B44 (clause 2.10.2 in the 2019 edition) puts the top rail at 1070–1095 mm (42–43 in.), with a midrail and a toe board. That’s the height every TOC-F is built to. Confirm the adopted edition and any retroactive requirements with your local jurisdiction.

Can a fixed car top rail be installed at a lower height if the overhead is tight?

A fixed railing has to meet the code’s standard-railing height. Where existing overhead conditions make a conforming fixed railing impossible, the code’s alteration provisions permit a stowable design instead: a collapsible rail that deploys to full standard height for car-top access and folds flat in normal service. See MRG Collapsible Car Top Rails. Confirm the requirements that apply to your unit with your local jurisdiction.

When does a car top need striping?

Where the railing must sit inboard of the car-top edge, marking or striping of the exposed surface may also be required; confirm what applies to your unit with your local jurisdiction. MRG’s engineering drawings show where the rail lands relative to the edge, so any striping requirement is identified before installation.

Do fixed car top rails need safety switches?

No. Position-monitoring switches are a requirement of the code’s stowable-railing provisions: the rail’s stowed and deployed positions have to be monitored through the safety circuit. A fixed rail has no positions to monitor, which means no switches, no wiring, and no controller work. If your car needs a monitored stowable rail, see MRG Collapsible Car Top Rails.

Fixed or collapsible: which one does my car need?

The overhead survey decides. Adequate clearance for a 42–43 in. rail → fixed (TOC-F). Existing overhead that defeats a conforming fixed rail → collapsible (TOC-C), under the code’s alteration provisions. Not sure? Send survey dimensions with your quote request and we’ll confirm which one the car needs.

Are TOC-F rails custom-sized to the car?

Yes. Every rail is custom designed and engineered to fit the application, fabricated from survey dimensions to engineering drawings produced in-house. A letter of conformity is available on request. Typical construction is 1.5" × 1.5" HSS powder coated yellow; larger cabs may require different materials.

Does it ship to all locations in the United States and Canada?

Yes. MRG fixed car top rails ship to all locations in the United States and Canada, ready to install, with lead time quoted on each order.