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when we travel for a vacation or seeking new adventures in far away places, we tend to pick up souvenirs to 'preserve the moment'. but since most souvenirs are probably made in china and digital photos of almost every spot on earth are available online for all, how can you actually prove you have been there ?
this instructable is hopefully a start of a new movement for guerilla memorabilia attractions all around the world and starting with the wonderful city i reside in - Amsterdam !
almost everyone knows the joy of an elongated coin or in other words - putting a coin on the rails and waiting anxiously to see what happens (with the small fear that it might derail the train). sadly that ancient childish craft has been commercialized by fancy boxes in tourist attractions.
this is going to be a open source, DIY, reckless guerilla memorabilia you are sure to remember !
this instructable is hopefully a start of a new movement for guerilla memorabilia attractions all around the world and starting with the wonderful city i reside in - Amsterdam !
almost everyone knows the joy of an elongated coin or in other words - putting a coin on the rails and waiting anxiously to see what happens (with the small fear that it might derail the train). sadly that ancient childish craft has been commercialized by fancy boxes in tourist attractions.
this is going to be a open source, DIY, reckless guerilla memorabilia you are sure to remember !
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Signing UpStep 1Tools of the trade
you will need -
1. Coins- i chose the classic 5 euro cent coin (copper is rather soft) take more then one,
you might want to have another go or just to bring some 'trophies' back home for friends.
2. A wireless Dremel- unless you wanna go through the trouble of a very long cable.
despite my worries it might be too weak for the task it actually proved to be a nasty piece of machinery.
3. A Tungsten Carbide Cutter bit- there are a couple of different kinds, choose the one best fitting your graphics, from what i have tried out they all work great.
optional -
1. Sort of a ruler- i just took the first metal straight object i could get my hands on, a beer bottle opener in this case. it helped keep a straight line which in the case of my graphics was important.
2. Tissues- just an accessory to clean the rails before you start working, they tend to be a bit dirty :)
3.Duct tape- i found out that sometimes it helps keep the coin steady, but i was experimenting in the middle of the snow, in better weather you might not need it.
1. Coins- i chose the classic 5 euro cent coin (copper is rather soft) take more then one,
you might want to have another go or just to bring some 'trophies' back home for friends.
2. A wireless Dremel- unless you wanna go through the trouble of a very long cable.
despite my worries it might be too weak for the task it actually proved to be a nasty piece of machinery.
3. A Tungsten Carbide Cutter bit- there are a couple of different kinds, choose the one best fitting your graphics, from what i have tried out they all work great.
optional -
1. Sort of a ruler- i just took the first metal straight object i could get my hands on, a beer bottle opener in this case. it helped keep a straight line which in the case of my graphics was important.
2. Tissues- just an accessory to clean the rails before you start working, they tend to be a bit dirty :)
3.Duct tape- i found out that sometimes it helps keep the coin steady, but i was experimenting in the middle of the snow, in better weather you might not need it.
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Neither I nor the author has any idea of what kind of damage this may actually be doing to the rails you're engraving with the Dremel. Seems harmless enough, but then I'm not a metallurgist, and I'm guessing Saronpaz isn't either. A newspaper front page showing the train derailment you caused would really be a special souvenir.
And most importantly this also doesn't meet the stated claim of proving you've actually been somewhere. You wouldn't have to go any farther than the nearest railroad track to generate as many of these as you wanted.
It's quite the reflection of your maturity level, no doubt.
Hey, Potato Head!
(I just had to say that.)
Give elephant a break. If you want to mix it up, we could find a metallurgist in the group. Elephant is correct in that trains stay on tracks. It takes a lot to get them off those tracks. I live in Florida, USA and it is a sport to outrun trains to crossings, and the autos (including semis/lorrys) always loose. The trains will push the auto for a kilometer or so until it can stop. There was a show detailing the life of a train. They showed one train that had whacked an auto at speed, and what it took to repair it.
Always and Never weren't part of a scientific conversation here. Try not to peg someone so hard. It takes the flavor out of the conversation.
I think we all, except the author, feel that this behaviour is dubious, and one to be avoided for legal reasons rather than trains jumping tracks.
And I am sure that the local rail authorities would be most displeased if you were caught. Someone in a dark area of a tram line. With a power tool. Tapping small packages to the area of the track that was just drilled on.
Pure Genius. I'm sure the Nobel Committee is awaiting your nomination next year.
Do they have "The Netherlands Most Wanted" over there.
Saronpax, perhaps you could re-think your activities and what seems like very short term amusement. Sorry you don't amuse me one bit.
Just saying...your ordinary cop would pay attention to someone doing this. Not that this is legal (or even legal). It is the behavior that would garner attention. The worse part is that you don't even see how this would look poorly from an outside perspective.
i would imagine that you'd have to go back after some period of time and refresh your engraving on the track as the train/tram will surely eventually wear it back to flat. it would be interesting for you to go back every so often and check the status of your engraving to get a baseline for how long you think it would last.
as for the "safety issues". the primary safety issue is the possibility of you getting wraped up in your design and getting smashed by a train you didn't see coming.
the issue of derailment is so minimally probable that it should be listed as not possible. for you to derail a train (or a tram or any other heavy thing that goes on a rail) you have to do a lot of stuff.
the "thing" on the track would have to be "taller" than the flange on the wheels of the vehicle (not sure on how big those usually are but i'd say a minimum of 1/2 inch), it would have to be strong enough so as to not be crushed/flattened/smashed to bits by the train/tram wheel, of a shape that would wedge the wheel up instead of just having the wheel force it to the side or out the front. and it would have to be on the outside rail of a curve.
I have not heard of any specific law against this, the emporer of all trains might be irritated, but it does not cause any real damage. None. Your average train car weighs about 110 tons. To derail something that has 110 tons of downward force added to what ever speed it is heading is not easy to derail. A penny is no threat to it, nor a scratches on the rail. It's like an articulated lorry running over a segment of Danbo.
caleta olivia, santa cruz, Argentina
The only cure to damaged train wheels is to remove some matter all around the wheel, shortening its lifespan. As far as I know train wheel flats happen mainly because of fallen leaves greasing the rails in autumn (when the train slows, wheels lock).
No, we wouldn't appreciate someone drilling on the track, it's dangerous. Any playing on the track (which this virtually is) may encourage kids to go down there and muck about trying this out.. Part of my training involved standing with my back to a train whilst it travelled at 90mph towards us (we were in the cess, next to the track, not on it). I didn't hear the train until it had gone past us. The singing of the rails was the only clue.
But on the point regarding the surface of the track it wouldn't interfere with the train and we regularly reprofile tracks on bends etc with a track grinder as gradually they get worn down and replaced. You'd get similar sorts of scratches made if grit got onto the track and the weight of the train ground down on it. It'll probably be gone in a year.
but me being a little paranoid,
you only have shots of the track from above,
and carnt realy tell if there is a second track
except n the zoomed out one,
im a little sceptical,
(aka a vid would be wicked)
i dont have a wireless dremel tho
I wonder if using pre-Euro coins would make the story more believeable? I recently gave away a handful of aluminum (aluminium) 5 and 10-cent pieces with Queen Beatrix's likeness.
I might even have an old tram stub in my memento pile somewhere...
Oh look, I found a drink coaster from the Bulldog cafe...
You might be able to mark your coins without scratching the rails -- and possibly cutting through the surface hardening -- by using a sandwich of a really soft metal (copper, lead) and a slightly harder one (aluminum, bronze). Don't want to make the tram jump the track...
Will have to do sometime.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Cut-a-Royal-Seal/
Now, in regard to engraving the rail..... Have you ever used a glass cutter or cut ceramic tile by scoring and snapping it? Steel acts the same way when scored. It will fail structurally where it has been compromised.
I think that finding cool places that tourists normally don't go to sounds like a lot of fun, maybe you could try something like this instead. It still sounds like a fun experience, but is not as destructive (or potentially illegal).
I thought the same thing when saw the mischief done to the railroad. We argentines have a reputation for vandals, but I see we are not alone!