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A railing system includes spacers for spacing apart railing pickets, and a rail which engages the spacers and secures the railing pickets. The spacers are made up of a planar top member, side members extending from longitudinal edges of the top member, and wings extending outwardly from a central po

A railing system includes spacers for spacing apart railing pickets, and a rail which engages the spacers and secures the railing pickets. The spacers are made up of a planar top member, side members extending from longitudinal edges of the top member, and wings extending outwardly from a central position of the side members. The rail comprises a substantially elongated planar member and first and second substantially parallel elongated side-walls perpendicularly connected to the planar member. The side-walls each comprise first and second groove members, which are spaced apart to form grooves running substantially parallel to the elongated planar member. The grooves are adapted to receive the plurality of spacers such that the wings of the spacers abut against the first and second groove members when the spacers are assembled in the railing system.

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1. A railing system, the railing system comprising: a top rail comprising: a first elongated channel defined at least in part by substantially parallel, longitudinally extending first and second sidewalls, the first and second sidewalls connected by a longitudinally extending substantially flat chan

1. A railing system, the railing system comprising: a top rail comprising: a first elongated channel defined at least in part by substantially parallel, longitudinally extending first and second sidewalls, the first and second sidewalls connected by a longitudinally extending substantially flat channel base;an elongated handgrip portion extending longitudinally along the channel, the handgrip portion comprising: a first longitudinally extending edge joined to the first sidewall and a second longitudinally extending edge joined to the second sidewall;first and second generally planar, longitudinally extending sections adjacent respectively to the first and second edges of the handgrip portion, the first and second sections respectively extending substantially perpendicularly to the first and second sidewalls of the first elongated channel;opposed first and second generally planar faces extending longitudinally along a length of the handgrip portion, substantially parallel to the first and second sidewalls, spaced outwardly from the first and second sidewalls respectively, and extending upwardly from outward ends of the first and second sections respectively;wherein the first and second planar faces extend vertically beyond the channel base; andlongitudinally extending first and second grooves located respectively on a first face of the first sidewall and a second face of the second sidewall, the first and second faces of the first and second sidewalls each facing inwardly into the first elongated channel and the first and second grooves each opening inwardly into the first elongated channel;wherein the first and second grooves are each defined between a lower surface of an upper groove member and an upper surface of a lower groove member, the lower surface of the upper groove member upwardly spaced apart from, and parallel to, the upper surface of the lower groove member, the groove members of the first groove extending longitudinally along the first sidewall and projecting inwardly into the first elongated channel from the first face of the first sidewall and the groove members of the second groove extending longitudinally along the second sidewall and projecting inwardly into the first elongated channel from the second face of the second sidewall;wherein the first longitudinally extending edge of the handgrip portion joins the first sidewall along a longitudinally extending location that is upwardly spaced apart from the first groove and the second longitudinally extending edge of the handgrip portion joins the second sidewall along a longitudinally extending location that is upwardly spaced apart from the second groove;a plurality of pickets having upper ends dimensioned for insertion into the first elongated channel between the first and second sidewalls; andone or more longitudinally extending spacers, each spacer comprising a first longitudinally extending wing extending in a first outward direction from a first longitudinally extending spacer sidewall for projection into, and extension along, the first inwardly opening groove and a second longitudinally extending wing extending in a second outward direction opposed to the first outward direction from a second longitudinally extending spacer sidewall transversely spaced apart from the first spacer sidewall, the second wing for projection into, and extension along, the inwardly opening second groove;each spacer also comprising a generally planar spacer member extending longitudinally and transversely between the lower edges of the first and second spacer sidewalls;wherein, for each of the longitudinally extending spacers, a transverse cross-section of the spacer is substantially uniform over its longitudinal dimension and the spacer sidewalls extend past the respective wings into the channel and abut the upper groove members when the spacers are inserted into the channel for supporting the spacer sidewalls;wherein the railing system comprises at least one post comprising an open-ended head, the open-ended head: rigidly attached to an upper face of the post;extending away from the post in a direction non-parallel to the post;having first and second generally planar vertically and longitudinally extending head sidewalls, the first and second head sidewalls connected to a head upper member at transversely spaced apart locations;having a uniform cross-sectional shape in its extension from the post to its opposing end, distal from the post, the uniform cross-sectional shape defined at least in part by the first and second generally planar vertically and longitudinally extending head sidewalls and the head upper member and the uniform cross-sectional shape shaped to substantially conform to longitudinally extending upper and side exterior surfaces of the handgrip portion;shaped to receive the top rail; andshaped to support the first and second longitudinally extending sections of the handgrip portion;wherein the lower groove member of the first groove has a first lower face that extends from the first face of the first sidewall along an entire inward extent of the lower groove member of the first groove and is co-planar with a lower edge of the first sidewall and the lower groove member of the second groove has a second lower face that extends from the second face of the second sidewall along an entire inward extent of the lower groove member of the second groove and is co-planar with a lower edge of the second sidewall. 2. The railing system according to claim 1 wherein once the first and second wings are inserted into the first and second grooves, the first wing is substantially constrained from upward or downward movement by the first and second groove members of the first groove and the second wing is substantially constrained from upward or downward movement by the first and second groove members of the second groove. 3. A railing system according to claim 2 wherein the first and second grooves are shaped to have rectangular cross-sections. 4. The railing system according to claim 1 wherein the first wing extends in the first outward direction from the first spacer sidewall along a first longitudinally extending location that is spaced upwardly from the lower edge of the first spacer sidewall and the second wing extends in the second outward direction from the second spacer sidewall along a second longitudinally extending location that is spaced apart from the lower edge of the second spacer sidewall. 5. The railing system according to claim 4 wherein the spacing between the first wing and the lower edge of the first spacer sidewall and the spacing between the second wing and the lower edge of the second spacer sidewall are dimensioned such that when the first and second wings are inserted into the first and second grooves, the first lower face of the first lower groove member, the second lower face of the second lower groove member and a lower face of the generally planar spacer member are co-planar with one another. 6. The railing system according to claim 1 wherein each spacer is shaped such that when the first and second wings are inserted into the first and second grooves, the first lower face of the first lower groove member, the second lower face of the second lower groove member and a lower face of the generally planar spacer member are co-planar with one another. 7. The railing system according to claim 1 wherein each spacer comprises a lower spacer face and wherein each spacer is shaped such that when the first and second wings are inserted into the first and second grooves, the first lower face of the first lower groove member, the second lower face of the second lower groove member and the lower spacer face are co-planar with one another. 8. A railing system according to claim 1 wherein the handgrip portion and the first elongated channel form an elongated bore extending longitudinally along the top rail. 9. A railing system according to claim 8 wherein the bore has an inverted U-shape in cross section. 10. A railing system according to claim 1 wherein the first and second sidewalls project downwardly past the first and second edges of the handgrip portion. 11. A railing system according to claim 10 wherein the first and second edges of the handgrip portion are joined to the first and second sidewalls at corresponding first and second locations spaced apart from vertical extremities of the first and second sidewalls. 12. A railing system according to claim 1 wherein the first elongated channel and handgrip portion are constituted by a unitary structure of aluminum. 13. A railing system according to claim 1 wherein a top of the first elongated channel is defined by a substantially planar member that extends between the first and second sidewalls and longitudinally therealong. 14. A railing system according to claim 13 wherein the first elongated channel defined by the first and second sidewalls and the substantially planar member is substantially square in cross section. 15. A railing system according to claim 1 comprising: a bottom rail comprising a second elongated channel;wherein the plurality of pickets each have lower ends dimensioned to be received in the second elongated channel; andthe plurality of spacers are adapted for engagement in the first and second elongated channels, the spacers configured to space apart the upper and lower ends of adjacent pickets in the first and second channels. 16. The railing system according to claim 15 wherein the spacers are configured to lie substantially flush with lower edges of the first and second sidewalls when engaged in the first elongated channel. 17. A railing system according to claim 1 wherein the top rail and the spacers are fabricated from the same material. 18. A railing system according to claim 1 wherein the first lower face of the first lower groove member is co-extensive with the lower edge of the first sidewall and wherein the second lower face of the second lower groove member is co-extensive with the lower edge of the second sidewall.