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Frequent poster 700 posts sunacres Frequent poster 700 posts
sunacres

If you give a kid some sectional track, a power pack, an engine and some cars of course the first thing most of them will do is make a circle of track and see how fast the train will go. That’s the natural order of things.

My intention with the Inglenook was to disrupt the natural order enough so that the kids would sense that there’s something else going on.

I set it up in the classroom one morning on some spare low tables that were surplus from a kindergarten room. I regret that I didn’t make more of an effort to find a way to set it up much higher, closer to the kids’ eye level. It was a matter of choosing between a higher viewpoint, which helps to understand the schematic aspect of the puzzle, and a lower viewpoint, which is more immersive. It was also a matter of using what was close at hand.

I had the cars randomly distributed at the spots and the engine idling on the lead as the kids entered the classroom. Students pick up very quickly on tiny changes in the room so a miniature railroad was quite arresting, and the clanking and hissing coming from the engine, though pretty quiet, really left them speechless. That’s unusual.

So, here’s a data point: not one of my students (about 80 in all) had ever heard of, much less heard, a model engine with digital sound. The attractive power of this relatively new element of modeling has only just begun to make an impact, I think.

One other thing about the setup: front and center on the Inglenook I had placed a tent-card made from a sheet of copy paper with the sentence “No.” in thick black ink. Some people, especially when young, have difficulty resisting the impulse to explore things with their hands. I liked the combination of subtle and not subtle that the sign conveyed, and everyone understood it perfectly.

Much to everyone’s dismay, we didn’t actually even move the engine during that first session. Everyone gathered around and I introduced all of the components and explained how the puzzle worked. I had a set of calling card-sized photographs of each of the eight freight cars. The deck gets shuffled and five cards are dealt onto the table in a sequence from left to right. The object of the puzzle is to build that train.

The kids were mystified. That’s it? Absurdly easy!

Heh-heh. 

nglenook.jpg 

Jeff Allen

My MRH Blog Index
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tommypelley Regular poster 226 posts
tommypelley

great idea

I have recently been toying with the idea of a time saver to take to scout meetings and such. Using one in class is a great way to get kids interested in problem solving. And that's a life skill they'll use from now on. Keep up the good work and thanks for helping educate the leaders of tomorrow.
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jeffshultz MRH Staff 7,967 posts
jeffshultz

I think you just called my Dad a kid...

...which at times would be quite accurate. 

My parent bought me a Tyco set when I was about 15 or so and we laid it out on the carpet - and wouldn't you know my dad wanted to know how fast it would go. 

I call it Daytona syndrome. 

Looks like you're teaching those kids problem solving and analysis skills - those will serve them well in life. 

orange70.jpg
Jeff Shultz - MRH Technical Assistant
DCC Features Matrix/My blog index
Modeling a fictional GWI shortline combining three separate areas into one freelance-ish railroad.
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Bill Brillinger Moderator 4,902 posts
Bill Brillinger

Conductors Hat?

Is the girl with the hat in charge of the moves?

Bill Brillinger

Modeling the BNML in HO Scale, Admin for the RailPro User Group, and owner of Precision Design Co.
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Jim at BSME Prolific poster 2,076 posts
Jim at BSME

A way to get kids invovled at train shows

Our club takes a John Armstongs timesaver layout to our local train shows, and I find it over complicated for the younger crowd

This inglenook looks to be less complicated, anyone operated both have an opinion on that?

This is great getting students interested in a class room, Train clubs/module groups that exhibit at train shows could have these with them to get the kids involved in the hobby, not just looking at the hobby.
- Jim B.
Baltimore Society of Model Engineers, Estd. 1932
O & HO Scale model railroading
Check out BSME on: Facebook, Instagram
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sunacres Frequent poster 700 posts
sunacres

conductor's hat

Good catch, yes she is.

This photo is actually not from the "first day" described in my post (I'm hoping that keeping this blog up to date provokes a more consistent habit of photo journalism). It's actually from a few weeks later. In this shot, one group of students is teaching another group how to run the Inglenook. At the far right you might even detect the bill of an engineer's hat. 

I intend to describe those hats in a future post, but you get the idea!

Jeff

Jeff Allen

My MRH Blog Index
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Prof_Klyzlr Moderator 7,942 posts
Prof_Klyzlr

'Nook VS Timesaver RE "walk up and run" comfort level

Dear Jim B,

Quote:

Our club takes a John Armstongs timesaver layout to our local train shows, and I find it over complicated for the younger crowd

This inglenook looks to be less complicated, anyone operated both have an opinion on that?

Short answer, Yes, you're completely correct.

- The cannonical Timesaver has 1 perscribed starting-position, 1 perscribed end combination,
and a metric boxcar-load of "no-win combinations" to muddle thru in-between.
("No-win" = punter gets frustrated/bored, and doesn't want to play any more)

- The cannonical Inglenook has many 100s of possible starting conditions,

a significant (limited but significant) number of possible end-positions, 
(which the punter can feel they have an active role in choosing).

and is impossible to "no-win"/combination-lockup in between.
(Punter succeeds at "solving" a 'nook, usually = they immediately "want to have another go"...
Result? A smooth-operating 'nook in public-show "step up and have a go" conditions may well never be operated by the owner/modeller, as the crowd "waiting to have a go" never ends... ).

- The 'Nook can be recast in both "game mode" and "Proto operation" mode with nowt but a change in the User's approach to the process. (IE can "chameleon" easily accross railroads, states, industries, even continents!)

- As the OP noted, the appearance of a 'Nook is deceptively simple, and thus "feels comfy".
There's nothing "tricky" or complex, it's literally just 3 tracks, how hard can that be?

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

PS use the MRH search box for:
"Ladysmith siding"
"Chicago Fork"

I've personally witnessed "Ladysmith" in particular keeping operators from 7-thru-97 engrossed for literally hours of continuous switching under "general public" show conditions...
(truth be told, I've been one of the "willing victims" too, more times than I care to admit ).

PPS When you have parents literally having to drag their kids away from the layout,
kids screaming "just one more game, one more...",  
(after continuously switching those self-same 8 cars for a few hours non-stop),

you know that a 'nook can easily hold it's own in the "longer than a 30 sec attention span" general-public-show appeal stakes...
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Graeme Nitz OKGraeme Prolific poster 1,695 posts
Graeme Nitz OKGraeme

Ladysmith Siding

Prof,

I looked after Ladysmith Siding many times when Adrian had a "Call of Nature". I think it was the first Inglenook I ever operated and the worst part of manning the layout was having to chase off the public so I could have a go!

Adrian is sorely missed,

Graeme Nitz

An Aussie living in Owasso OK

K NO W Trains

K NO W Fun

 

There are 10 types of people in this world,

Those that understand Binary and those that Don't!
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dreesthomas Regular poster 495 posts
dreesthomas

Ladysmith Siding

Not finding it using MRH search box.  Chicago Fork turns up fine.

David
David Rees-Thomas
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Kevin Rowbotham Prolific poster 2,336 posts
Kevin Rowbotham

This is...

One of my favorite blogs on MRH.  Just fantastic what you are doing with your students!

Please keep sharing.

Best regards,

~Kevin

Appreciating Modeling In All Scales but majoring in HO!

Not everybody likes me, luckily not everybody matters.
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