Electric Train
Modern electric trains are electrically powered locomotive run by large
electric motors. Power is supplied by overhead wires or electrified
tracks. The use of electric energy may result to high performance and
high speed electric trains.
Make it work
You can create an electric train which is similar to a real electric
train. The motor is on board and the power is supplied through power
lines overhead that passed through the motor upholstery pins.
You will need
- poster board
- balsa wood
- wooden dowels
- beads
- electric motor
- paper clips
- battery
- slices of cork
- copper wire
- upholstery pins
- screws, thin nails, and glue
- corrugated cardboard
- 7 plastic bottle tops
- 3 thin copper strips
Procedures:
- Ask for a help as you cut down the balsa-wood to be use as
the base of the engine. Glue and nail the two roof supports,
then stick the upholstery pins into the supports.
- Put a plastic bottle top to the spindle of the electric
motor to make it a wheel. Screw the motor to the base of the
train then pass two wires from the motor through the base and
clip them to the upholstery pins.
- Ask an adult to drill two holes into each copper strip and bend them
to make the axle holders. Drill the holes through the base and
screw the axle holders into place.
- Make the axles by feeding the dowels through the axle holders. Then
glue the beads and bottle tops to the ends of the axles to make the
wheels.
- Draw a pattern on the poster board make sure that line
x is
as long as the balsa-wood base and line y is the same width. Assemble the
body of the train and fit it over the base.
- Place three long strips of corrugated cardboard to create
two grooves for the train to run. Add balsa-wood arches overhead
and put a wire between them, threading it to the upholstery
pins. Connect the overhead wires to the battery and watch your
train run.
Extra cars
Try to create different cars for your train. No need to put motors or
wires but you can make wheels and bases just like what you did for the
engine. You can join them up with small door magnets.
Running backward and forward
If you want to make your train run the opposite way, just reverse the
battery connections.
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