Building a Rail Car for Abandoned Railroads

[kenmcneeley]

I'm 80 years old and have wanted to take an adventure like this forever. I had to smile during the entire journey.

[TheParkanyi]

I'm a transportation engineer from Hungary, and I thought I can give you some advises on how to make it better.

The first and most important thing is to forget any material for wheels except steel. The area of the wheel-rail contact point is equal to the size of a bean, and because of this, a lot of force is compressed into this area. A well used and cheap solution is to cut car steel rims in half and use them as rail wheels.

Secondly you may want to put brakes on the rail wheels, because if you hit a hill the braking power of the rear rubber tires might not be enough, as you are essentially rolling on polished bare metal.

The third thing is also important: even though the railway is or seems abandoned, regulations, laws may apply to them and you don't want to get in trouble with the authorities if the catch you (a phone call to your local authorities may seem to be a good idea)

Hope, I helped 🙂

[birdfeedersinparadise]

All the puppies worked really well together on that puppy.

[jcraigie]

"The batteries fully charged! We could potentially go a hundred miles."
"We've got one hour of daylight left."
LMAO
I love the enthusiasm. Cool contraption.

[hafunland]

Awesome ingenuity and fierce determination to overcome many hurdles. I'm an old man tinkerer and something maybe to think about perhaps use a good respiratory when mixing toxic chemicals and weld outside or with a good fan ESPECIALLY with aluminum, which is one hell of a neuro toxin. I battled cancer 7 years ago and should of taking better care on myself. Keep up your incredible project and keep being you, you're an inspiration!!!

[Wizardsfly]

It's your wheels!!! Rubber grips too much and walks off. Metal wheels allows to slip

[mrheart]

Build a trailer. Put it on the back so you will have sleeping quarters and a place to mount solar panels to recharge it.

[Wil_Liam]

Every where you bolted through that composite floorpan and body you really need to make sandwich plates for the inside... Make them as big as possible, use the widest fender type washers and bolt through them sandwiching the floorpan and body between the lower axles mounts and the inner sandwich plates to distribute the clamping force over as broad an area as possible...
It'll make for a much longer lived attachment point as well as spreading the stresses out over as much area as possible rather than right around each bolt hole..., also, grease those pillar bearings often, and the wheels too will lessen rolling resistance and help them live longer...getting that front motorsickle wheel way up and out of the way will make for a much smoother and quieter ride while lessing drag...LOCTITE, always use LOCTITE on any fastener that it important especially those through the floor and body and pillow bearings..

[rayvestrayvene]

When I was young I had a 1967 Plymouth and when I let some air out of the tires they would conform to the shape of the top of the rails. The width of the car was exactly the width of the rails. It was so fun we'd all get on top of the car. I only had to touch the steering wheel over road crossings.

[worldtraveler]

When I was a little kid my parents took a 1939 Ford Deluxe to the railroad tracks behind our house the Ford matched exactly so all you had to do is slightly let some air out of the tires and drive all the way into town and back having an sparkplug airpump to pump the tires backup it made a fun ride!!! 🤠👍

[superbmediacontentcreator]

This was a fantastic idea
Here are some engineering suggestions You needed to attach a drill with eccentric weight to vibrate the wheel mold as you poured. Other than a Lexan disk with a kitchen vacuum bag attachment these are the most accessible ways to get the bubbles out of your polyurethane pour.
Bolt thick oversized disks on the back of your wheels to keep the wheels on the track.
You need a power conversion system and chain drive to your train wheels with a jack system to put down and pull up the original wheels & tires, but they are great for just moving the car around. You struggle too much and need a pair of stakes at the back and go in the ground so you can pitch it over more easily.
A fold-up cow catcher to knock things off the track as you go would help.
Oh, and you need a puppy...

[Goigigandfriends]

It’s so funny I know so many people who just won’t do anything. They’ve never tried before and here you are in one video doing like 90 things for the first time ever and excelling at them. People really need to open and broaden their horizons.

[Consequator]

The cone shape of train wheels is mandatory. The lip will just grind away really quick in corners. The smooth non grip cone shape is what keeps the train from staying on the tracks instead of going straight when it should be making a turn.
As seen around 26:00 the cast rubber has enough grip to lift the vehicle up and over the track from friction against the ridge which is why it was derailing. That is also what your buddy is experiencing at 34:00
But like you said, you really need all metal wheels. You might be able to put like a rubber ring around them for a smoother ride but they are going to wear away really quick.
If its all metal you might also be able to set off railway crossings that are still active :)

[Quacks]

7:55 I love what he says regarding his feeling smugly happy when re-using recycled/leftover bolts --- I always experience the same self-satisfied glow whenever I am able to use already-on-hand fasteners instead of buying costly new ones at the hardware store, in that it kind of vindicates my hoarder instincts. :D

[wolffang]

Every single concern and thought I had about the wheels as you were making them you acknowledged at a later point. Well thought out and executed project especially for something experimental. I can't say I've seen a lot of rail car videos but this was the best of the ones I have!

[SteveH-TN]

Matt discovered your channel several months ago. I’m really enjoying watching your adventures, admire your can’ do spirit. I’m 75 years old recovering from multiple strokes and other traumatic injuries, not physically able to do many things.

[mobiltec]

I built 8 rail carts back in the late 70s. We first railed on Carrizo Gorge tracks. Then moved to the Eagle Mountain tracks. Back then there weren't many abandoned tracks to ride on so that's about all we did. Now there are abandoned tracks all over the country so I'm thinking of building another cart. I don't like the idea of battery power due to the weight involved. So it will again be a gas motor with a torque converter type of transmission. Just like the other ones I've built in the past. I see now that lots of people are building these things and there is even a kit out that you can purchase. I love the body on yours though...

[johnnyrotten]

Love the show. Some great ideas. Three things I noticed. Some Bearings to reduce axle heat. Wheels need a lip on them to keep them on the track. Track is not always straight, so Front suspension needs a central mounting bearing to allow for crack turns.
Looks like a lot of fun! Keep up the great work, and see you next time 💯

[alecfromminnenowhere]

Resilience is the sign of a good engineer. You weren't going to let little things get you down.

[Ipoetize]

What's not to love about this guy? Just this one example @7:57 - 8:02 should be enough, I mean come... How often do you see that level of joy emanate, rise up, and burst out of someone like that? That is a benchmark moment right there, for sure. So I say: Keep shining and smiling because the world needs more of it. Thank you for sharing and salute you I do!