fun with feeders

To improve reliability on a sectional layout that gets dismantled and reassembled annually I figure you can never have too many feeders, so I aim for one on every piece of rail. I have access to cheap labor, and kids are fascinated (for a while) when using tools and materials that are new to them. Cutting very small (22ga solid core) wire to length, stripping the insulation at one end and flattening the core was a productive and satisfying task for this student.

Not pictured are the next two steps: bending the wire 90 degrees at the flat to create a spike-like form, then squaring off about half the flat so the “spike head” will nestle right up against the web of the rail when soldered into place.

Jeff Allen

Another crew started cutting

Another crew started cutting section framing parts for the Day Branch extension. There are eight framing panels planned for this extension and this one, Section 19, is the most straightforward.

Students were given this diagram and asked to do a “material take-off,” calculating the lengths and quantities of each piece of 1x2 material. So far we’ve managed to figure out how long pieces A and C are, so a couple of students took on the task of learning to measure using a tape, mark using a combination square, and cut using a miter box and back saw.

We now have the 6 piece Cs, but curiously when I stack them they’re not all quite the same length. Oh, well, the learning continues.

Jeff Allen

rolling stock screening

A fourth crew took on the task of screening rolling stock for coupler and trip pin height compliance. Almost all of our rolling stock is second hand, picked up at auctions, on eBay and at estate sales, so condition varies widely. At the end of last year we conducted rolling tests to screen out cars that needed new trucks or wheels (those have been set aside in the “car shop”). The cars that passed that test are now being inspected and tested with a go/no go height gauge.

I’d show you a picture but today I was like one of those guys on the Ed Sullivan show with the plates spinning on top of sticks, trying to keep everyone’s questions answered and fingers intact, so I didn’t get pictures of everything going on.

Jeff Allen

homework

At the end of the class I handed out this worksheet as tonight’s homework. I adapted it from a Bob Hayden puzzle in an 80s era Model Railroader. I’m delighted to see the return of these puzzles in Model Railroad Hobbyist!

Jeff Allen

Any way some of us could help?

Jeff- I just love what you are doing with your students and am glad you are providing us with these posts.  I was wondering if you have any ideas as to how some of us might add some help?  I live about 2000 miles from your school, so in person volunteering is not an option.  Besides things like maybe a gift certificate for rolling stock and supplies at a retailer, can you think of any other ways we might be able to assist you?

Keep up the good work- the future depends on it.

Dennis

awesome job

Just a fantastic job.  Keep it up.

How to help

Wow, Dennis, what a nice thing to ponder, thanks for the kind words. My current ambition is to develop a "kit" that teachers could use to capture some of the potential that a very simple model railroad layout can provide. The hardware is available from off-the-shelf products, but lesson plans that make explicit connections to grade level curricular standards are missing. I've done a few dozen lesson plans that could be adapted by just about anybody for classroom use, but it'll be a while before I've got enough to constitute a coherent package. 

If you or anybody else has an idea for a connecting a particular topic in math, science, or virtually any other academic field to an activity that can be simulated on a simple shelf switching layout, I'd love to hear about it and would be happy to incorporate it into the kit materials that I'm working towards.  

Through the connections that I've been cultivating at regional and national NMRA events as well as through educational organizations that I've spoken to, I'm encouraged about the potential for expanding the awareness of model railroading as a highly motivating vehicle for engaging students in productive learning experiences. If more teachers become aware of how effective a model railroad in the classroom can be I have no doubt that the future of the hobby will be dramatically affected!

Jeff Allen

SketchUp & Laser Cutters

Jeff: If Dennis is 2,000 miles away then I’m about 5,000 miles but only a Skype call away. A short tutorial on SketchUp would introduce perspective, scale, and many other things that need to be considered when drawing objects to be printed, cut, or produces in three dimensions. It is an introduction to architecture and engineering. PhotMatch also allows re-creation of buildings long gone and the importance of preservation and protection of our historic buildings. 

Most schools have their own maker shops, or access to them, so that your railroad can serve the industries that might be long gone or simply those imagined by bright young minds. It would be fun to introduce these things to the students. Many here have a lot of talent and experience to share. I’d be honored to help. 

This is so awesome!

Man, this is so awesome! keep posting updates!

The mind reels...

Thanks Matt, I'm determined to find time to post updates. I fell behind last year and regretted it. 

Neil, the work you've been doing (and sharing!) really sparks my interest in figuring out how to leverage all of the creative knowledge and generous spirit on this forum. I'm particularly interested in the landform experiments you described last June: heightening students' awareness of natural geologic processes and the intentionality of human  modifications of the landscape is a central theme of my work with them. Certainly, manipulating 3D architectural structures via polyhedron nets is one of the lessons in my quiver, but as I'm sure you can imagine there is so much opportunity there. Do you have any recommendations for browser-based 3D tools? I'm a SketchUp user myself, but my students have Chromebooks so their options are more limited. 

Jeff Allen

Free to students

Autodesk offers a lot of products free to students:  https://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/featured

I still use the free version of SketchUp and export to acad for more in-depth work. Many people use these tools online although I haven’t tried this. Have fun! 

Thanks for the nice comments about my modeling. That layout just came down in the last week to make way for a new Hawaiian based railroad. Hope you’ll follow along.