Don’t forget that the wheels need to be on a fixed shared axel where they both rotate as a connected pair which is what really takes advantage of the sloped wheel shape
I was under the impression that train wheels weren’t rubber because the train would either destroy the rubber instantly, or wear extremely fast. It makes sense that they would have to have some slip.
@@squishycrab6330 that is also very true. While there are many different materials they could use, it doesn’t change the fact that those materials will need a way to be replaced often and easily. They were experimented with on some trolleys and single unit rail vehicles but for trains they really are not worth it.
At the very least I would make a thick aluminum backplate for your wheels, the rubber may wear down and then you're screwed again. Making metal wheels would probably be better, but this is not my area of expertise. By the way, this was great fun, and your experience was infectious
"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.
S shows the difference between a new beginning channel and one coming from a rich family.. Most individuals takes years to learn how to GTAW .. he learn it in 1 night he says 😂😂😂 More then rich ..
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.
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...
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.
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!!! 🤠👍
The biggest thing people forget is that the wheels on a train aren’t actually connected to the train. The train sits on them and the weight of the cars keeps them in place along with the flange on the wheel.
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 :)
Absolutely sensational! I'm in Britain and in the late 60s, a lot of our railway infrastructure was closed and dismantled. Why not make them all available to the public so they can build their own vehicles? (well, saying that, it occurred to me that once health & safety get involved, that won't leave much freedom for hobbyists to experiment.. rules! Why?)
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
@@ownie6487 it is to allow them to go around curves, since the inner wheel will ride down on the cone, the outer will ride up therefore allowing them to roll different amounts (circumference) while both rigidly attached to the same axle (same 360 rotation).
Some suggestions - you can buy small steel rail wheels for factory trucks, they are the correct profile. You need some simple suspension with only 1-2" travel and where people make stuff like this they put all the weight on one side (like a motorcycle and sidecar) and put the rubber driving wheel on that side. It needs to be easy to reverse, go both ways or turn round or you have a long way back!
One of my favorite genres of video is people building rail carts, and I'm constantly amazed how common it is for people, even those sufficiently mechanically savvy and interested by rail to even attempt such a thing, to not really understand just how important the exact shape of rail wheels is to their performance and operation. Everyone seems to have to learn that one the hard way.
What I would do is get another one of those vehicles and put it back to back and get some better wheels for the job. Then you would have the ability to drive the vehicle in one direction and then just get into the other end to go the other direction. Get some good lights and in between both vehicles you would have a box to put your gear in so you could go on a few-day journey and you could have all of your food and other things to be comfortable. This looks cool and fun. We need to see a video where you go on a longer trip.
Word of advice for anyone using abrasive cutters.. DO NOT inhale the dust. Retired Fitter/Machinist here.. I found every job I was landing.. the previous Engineer had keeled over and died of a sudden Heart Attack. They had Steel Dust on their lungs.. that went into their blood stream.. and the tiny splinters of steel ripped up their heart valves so their blood stopped flowing.
When you're mixing things like eurethane, you should double mix it, meaning mix it in the container but then pour it into something else and mix again. The number one cause of a bad cast is unmixed residue clinging to the walls of the container
Fun fact, make a fullt welded "absolutely square" sub-chassis, that simply bolts onto the upper fibreglass superstructure. Forget about "having the ground down with angle grinder and belt grinder wheels and MAKE THEM AGAIN knowingthat yur friend has a lathe, do them ALL at the same time, with at least a 3/4 inch HEIGHT flange, slightly bevelled by about 3 - 5 degrees. The treads do NOT have to be as sloped as you had them before, allowing a deeper tread to top of flange distance, as (even though the theoru=y of a cambered wheel, keeps a train on the tracks) actual on-track rail conditions are that often there is a variance between true can and twists that allows the cant to vary enough, to throw you, if the only thing you are relying on, is the dual cambers of both wheels, which if not ABSOLUTELY PARRALEL with the back axle, the front won't stay on the track & visa versa with the rear wheels, especially in reverse. So, weld BOTH axle blocks to a subchassis of steel, bolt THAT to the fibreglass upper superstructure, and NEVER hava tracking problem, ever again. BUT YOU MUST HAVE PROPER FLANGES, as they are "not" there for good looks, they have a specific job, and THAT is to keep the rail wheels "at gauge", which they cannot do if the flange faces are uneven, out of round, or not identically parrallel between both axles, I mean both axles must be absolutely parrallel to each other. Rely on the weight of the drven rubber wheels, to ONLY drop down onto the rail to "drive", as they are NOT THERE NOW, for suspension of the car (which only works on a bumpy gravel road). THE CART absolutely must be running on all 4 rail wheels, not the fronts and rubber drivers The drivers will be held to the rail by suspension pressure only, and should my I say, have a retraction system, whereby you can raise them slightly, whenever you wish to hand push thecart (without the rubber wheels causing drag). Have fun after that, knowing that the FLANGES also have another expremely important job, that if they are NOT "just inside gauge" but not deep enough either, you will NOT get past the turnout frogs of any switches.. The flanges work on BOTH faces, to travel between the running rail and the check rails - holding the wheels to whichever way the turnouts are set, such that the gap at the frogs cannot derail you.
getting some good engagement on this one! you don't need me to tell you, but be thankful for the idiots that are just here to hate, and take the ACTUAL criticism into mind. all these comments helped get this vid into my recommended, this was a fun watch! looks fun as hell, keep doing cool shit!!
in the UK we tore up 1000s of miles of railway lines and sent them all to China and India, maybe the polymer wheels should have had a flange moulded onto them or maybe a steel flange retrofitted, keeping them as big as possible is best, America is great, you can go out into the wild and do just about anything and no one turns up to spoil your fun, great I love that
I don't think I've ever seen a more negative comment section holy shit. You guys did great and the fact you even got it working is fantastic! It looks fun, it's nice and compact, and it works, that's exactly what you set out to do, don't let these comments discourage you from making more crazy stuff! I love your sense of humor and your excitement and of course it's not like you're a crazy engineer so it's okay to make mistakes. The people in the comments may help but I definitely think some of them are some straight up assholes. Love it, keep up the work!
I don't get why there's so much hate in the comment section. I thought the video was great! Yes, real train wheels would have performed better with less work, but you altered your failed attempts into something that works! People seem to have missed the part of the video that you mentioned the wheels, and also seem to have missed the part where the vehicle isn't a 10,000 ton rail car. Really interested to see what comes next!
Sadly, people will take any excuse to throw hate. The guy is learning as he goes, in my opinion, that makes the best videos, you get to see how not do parts, as well as the success.
I believe if you would have used something to vibrate the plaster immediately after pouring, or used a hammer to rapidly beat on the side of the bucket, you can get most of the air bubbles to shimmy up to the top of the mixture, and leave. Next, are you making your wheels conical? If you want your car/cart to roll smoothly, especially around bends, and you want it to quite literally correct itself automatically to stay on those rails! The cone shape of the wheels will serve as a differential when turning. For when you turn, the outer wheels will travel a greater distance through the entirety of a turn than the distance traversed by the inner wheels, and because they both will spend the same amount of time turning, the outer wheels will be rotating at a greater speed than the inner wheels, and that is the purpose of a differential in vehicles, it allows the wheels on the same axle to independently travel at different speeds from each other. Differentials are some incredibly clever mechanisms, but I believe the conical wheels of a train is even more clever! The cone shape of the wheels create a range of different sized circumference, and this is how two wheels attached to the same axle that will always rotate at the same speed as the other. However, as it rotates around a turn, the wheel on the inside of the turn will follow the path of the least resistance, and it will naturally be pulled to rolling over the rail on the smaller end of that wheel, while the outer wheel will be pulled toward its bigger end, and in so doing, while both wheels are rotating at the exact same speed always, the outer wheel making contact with the rail at its thicker end translates into one rotation of the wheel traveling a farther distance than the distance that the inner wheel can travel in one rotation at its skinnier end. As for the physics behind how such shaped wheels can autocorrect the cart's direction of travel in relation to the track. However, I'll post a link to a short video that will explain it better than I can . . . that is if I can find it. Actually, take your pick: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XzgryPhtc1Y.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HeDuGWNTDPY.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DzdGKC344YI.html
So, maybe you already know this, but the taper of the wheels isn't really to center the car on the rails. It's how the outside wheels are able to turn faster than the inside wheels when cornering. So, if you get that angle right, your wheels won't wear as badly from going around the curves. And steel would definitely be a better choice, but skaters be skatin'...lol
Steel wheels are HELL to ride on. VERY bumpy, VERY noisy, UNLESS you fit a tyre of some sort. PU is best for that. It also gives some traction. Our rigs dont weigh 28 tons like a loco does. Bigger diameter definitely helps too.
Use the cart rims ,cut down centers so metal edges work as a guide to keep it on track. Use motorcycle spring shocks on rear guide wheel to keep tension. Rail wheels have a lip on inside edge to keep on track. Welding a steel plate on inside of rim and using rubber wheels will work.
At the 16 min mark, You mention train wheels being angled or convex which keeps them straight on track. The reason is actually to do with going around corners, One wheel travels a further distance.
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...
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!
I love how you say "Babe just mustered up the strength of a small giant".... You call her "babe" on video. That's so sweet and cool. Also, you are SO close with the tapered wheels. That's what trains have. But you need and inner flange to prevent derailment. For this non-steel wheel design, you would need to add a steel flange to the inside. The flange can't be made of that epoxy it would break off. The flange takes rare but large forces. But awesome video. I'm subbed.
This is super fun, from an engineering point of view i want to point out everything wrong, but also just enjoy how bad engineering still basically gets the job done😊
I was thinking his welds looked really good for learning TIG overnight, though he didn't go too close to them, but they seemed to hold up until the crash. I think TIG aluminum might have been to save the weight with the little cart
@@DonWRII some people are just mechanically gifted like that lol, i sharpen hockey skates and when I train new hires its clear who will take 1 hour to learn vs 10 hours to learn, probably exactly the same as welding.
If you did decide to buy a rail wheel, I suggest buying only one and then casting a mold in silicone. Then you can make replicas in your resin material for a more pleasant experience than metal on metal AND have a easy way to replace wheels that have been damaged.
Thats very cool, but looks a little heavy to pick up, and go around obstacles. At least need some large caster wheels on all 4 corners on jacks that can lift it off the tracks, and roll it around. Use steel guides to keep it centered to. They wont wear out after time.
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!
Engineering 101: Learn Murphy's Law. You have to have a backing plate on each of the wheels. Just watching others that've made rail carts would've shone you that.
New to this channel and I am hooked! What a cool thing to do. What better way to experience the wilderness than by the old rail system! The bridge was a great example of the beauty of our great country ❤ Matt you seem like a very grounded person and life is short enjoy all your time you have and the fact you are sharing your experiences is all the better ❤
For some reason these little rail car videos are popping up in my stream, the big question I have for all of them... why do they all avoid doing any research to understand how trains stay on a track, they have metal with designed flanges that let them turn and stay on tracks etc
I think if I were you, I wouldn't have cast the front wheels in resin and just used the rims to keep it on the track, OR put a plate behind each of the 4 wheels that are larger in diameter so that they can be the track guides. Would be interesting to see how it would do after that.
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 💯
The flanges are a belt-and-suspenders approach, but aren't the primary reason they stay on the rails. The tapered wheels are what keep trains on the rails, but also allow them to go around curves.
This editing is actually really good. Nice and concise, but still adding the bits and bobs that add humor and shows progress. Glad that algorithm steered me to ya!
you shouldn't rest the drive wheels on the track! Instead let them ride on the track wheels, so that your guided track wheels will have the complete weight and the driving wheels are on top of them.
Like yourself, everyone is entitled to state their opinion be it positive or negative; so as long as they aren't threatening to harm then all is acceptable.
One big problem is having rubber wheels instead of metal. Metal on metal has less friction and allows the wheels to slide on the rails and adjust the cart position to be centered. Ruber has the opposite effect instead of pushing the cart to the middle they pull it outwards. Your grooves managed to work but I wouldn't recommend it to others.
I waited patiently for you to figure out that you can't allow your rubber wheels to be load-baring because they won't slip to fit the metal tracks. There are many reasons why trains still use steel on steel today!
need to make the drive wheels wider and more rigid, you can see them trying to "fold over" under themselves when you were lifting it back onto the track, them rear wheels need to be braced better as well, the more rigid it is, the longer it will stay on the rails, proper rail wheels will solve alot of your issues with derailing, also, if you making the rail riding gear retract upwards when not being used, would be great, so when you want to turn around, find a road/rail crossing, raise the rail wheels, drive onto the road, turn around using the normal road wheels, line it back up, lower rails, off you go again, (check out ride on mowers for the idea on how to make it work, raise and lower cutting deck) will save having to bring a small squad with you just to get it turned around, and lastly, you will want the rear rail wheels to be able to turn with the corners of the train track, so a pivot point in the middle with spring holding it straight should do the job perfectly, they only need to turn like 10 degrees, maybe less than that, but ti will help when cornering on the railroad tracks, once you have done all the upgrades i have mentioned, you should be able to install a bigger motor and go much faster safer..... 👍👍
I have a picture of me sitting in that car from the St. Louis Motorcycle Show like 11 years ago... Never figured I'd see it on youtube going on train tracks, lol.
I love this build. One thought on the wheel, you can print a 3d model of a mini rail wheel and perhaps do some lost PLA casting. That'd be fascinating to watch!
