This might be more of a ‘U-Turn’ than a workaround: 
If I were in your position, I’d use the built-in Modeling Tools to create my own railings.
Using the existing rails as a guide will help the process.
A tricky part might be getting that stylized ‘bend/curve’ in the wood, if working with basic shapes, you can use PolyGroupEdit mode to add an edge loop, and then shrink(scale)/move the edges. (Also try out the Lattice tool if you’re going for a higher-poly look)