Good beginning. I'd take Kevin's comments to heart. I'm sure Bill has anticipated trouble when his guide wheels hit a switch ? Perhaps the bike could lean just a bit toward the outrigger, for added stability . . .
First we had rail trucks, now we have rail bicycles? Imagine a rail airplane :P Taking off on a straight track would be easy, but the landing would be the most difficult thing in the world.
Nice video. I've been building railbikes for 25+ years. It never ceases to amaze me. Everyone comes up with their own design. Also amazing is that most of them work. I'm about to begin making my 8th totally different design. Each one has been safer, faster and more able to deal with track debris and overgrowth. I'm in touch with Hal. I like his bike but I want to be able to ride on the road to the rails, deploy the device and go. My past two designs did so. Enjoy!
As for a three wheeled "rail bike" .. YEP -- I had one of those too .. it was called a PULL_PULL trolley, two wheels on one frame .. and a "flanged" outrigger single wheel (I bought it for $5NZ and sold it -- 20 yrs later (broken) for $250NZ. It went to Te Anua & the Rodgers K restoration project.. (I don't know where it is now.. but their Rodgers K is in Manderville beside the Croydon Aircraft Museum, near Gore, Southland, NZ)
you should put some guide wheels on the non-operator side to maintain that the outrigger wheel stays on that track. That could also help stabilize the bike when the operator-side runs into track interference
This is neat. I recall, many moons back, finding a "trove" of Popular Science/Mechanics or some such. One ofthe images was a GI riding a similar device along the tracks in Europe.The purpose was to check that the gauge of the tracks was consistent. Cheap, easy to run, pretty safe, and very effective. I would NOT mind doing this myself, but most traffic is CSX and I have no desire to be roadkill.
Whjich is EXACTLY what the NZR did themselves.. when they made their 4wheeled 12" Pneumatic tyred Inspecting Ganger Motor trolley's .. in the 1970's .. (I know.. I worked for the NZR as an Ispecting Grade two ganger.. (operating a rubber tyred trolley every day - between Alexandra at the 236km peg to Auripo at the 163.16 Km peg AND BACK) and never did I have any problems except flat tyres.. then the idler wheel "bounced" over the fishplates - YOU KNOW.. "that which joins each rail to another)
Those tracks are used. Its the Cape May Seashore Lines' Cape May Branch. Last use was in 2010. Due to a theft of spikes and tie plates on the tracks, trains havent been able to run on it since. Trains should begin running again once it is repaired.
There was a fellow in Eugene,OR that had a simpler set up he had a triangular frame w/a dryer hub attached to it on one end & the bike on the other. He evidently had the width of hub to bike correct because the tire stayed on the rail w/o guides on the bike tires. That's what i remember about it.
I wouldn't say that. Bikes on rails is a neat idea because rails generally build on low grades and there's no steering necessary; you could just sit back in a recumbant bike and watch a movie on your phone until you got to your destination. They just need to figure out a way to make the outrigger lighter, or, get rid of it completely and allow the gyroscopic effect of the wheels to keep the bike upright.
The point? a guy does this is because they can. The view, the fun, the challenge of building something 'else' I AM amazed that, while draisines have been around for over a century, that a better and long existing set of construction plans was not used. 2 x 4s and 4 wheeled rail guides? Learn welding. Learn to BUILD IN balance and stability.
My advice: place a bit of weight and maybe a blade or small plow on the front guard to help move brush and stuff out of the way. And obviously, don't go over switches or road crossings. That'll put you over the handlebars in a hurry.
Okay, seems you need to discard the guide wheels, on both sides, discard the 2nd rail guide wheel, However, keeping the front and 2nd rail outrigger, and you need to weight the 2nd rail outrigger to off set the riders weight and movement. As for keeping the outriggers.... Then, you need to make the front and rear wheel forks wider, then, you need on the inside of all wheels,(inner rail side) including the 2nd rail outrigger, and the front outrigger wheels that will take the top and side shape of the rails. Not going below the top of the T rail shape. This alone will guide the front forked wheel, and the rear will follow. The 2nd rail outrigger, will also follow, but it's mostly for balance that's why you need to weight the 2nd rail outrigger. You also need to disconnect the handlebars from the front forks. Let the rails guide the bike through the turns and absolute straights, while your using the handle bars as a handle so you can peddle the bike and as you ped, your moving back and forth and the front wheel won't even know it. After you get that perfected, its time to add a small briggs gasoline engine. With that idea, you can use a centrifugal clutch on the front wheel. (not the rear). This is because as you apply the gas, the front pulls the bike, if it was on the rear, the front would want to spring up. There are several motors available for bikes, however, if your going to build a rail bike, be best to build a mount that's all your own. One added note: While the wheels take the T shape of the rail, you will now be able to ride the bike across RR crossings without being stopped by the side wheels not making the sides. If you noticed, RR crossings have a inch or so of space between the rail and the street, this is to accommodate the trains wheels, as the inner flange of the wheel keeps the train from skewing from side to side, and as such is the guide for keeping the train on the tracks.
They tried to restart that line but never got the funding then the bridge went out just north of Cape May. NARCOA had a run on there a while back. Good you got on it before the growth takes over. Your guide in the front is the problem would be better to have a frame that puts it under the front wheel or even replaces the front wheel.
Nice mechanical/analog solution, now all we need to do is hook up a self balancing electric motor like a Segway. Wouldn't need an out rigger then, just the one rail.
Not bad, wondering what the silver wheel is for on right side. I have wanted something like this forever, these days I'd want to rig my ebike. Some comments seem to think this runs on active track.. Not a good idea! A bit of weight on front guide system would make sense, what about a rare earth magnet pulling it down to the track? I think the outrigger could be a lot thinner and lighter if there were a brace from the top of a rear bike rack to near track height. Also a very slight tilt of the bike to the left would put a few (dozen?) lbs of weight over onto the outrigger. Another cute trick would be rigging it so the booms etc could become a trailer, pulled behind the bike to travel to the RR and back.
I did that using ball bearings for guide wheels wich got caught in switches. later on I used regular flaanged wheels in front & behind the bike wheels with only one flanged wheel on the other track in 1982
Probably would be better when encountering overgrowth if you make the front guide an Aframe with guide just in front and just behind the front wheel. WIth the guide that far in front of the wheel it flexes to easily when encountering. If you can find them get a pair of double flanged wheels for that. You can make a double flanged wheel with a harbor freight wheel and two flanges cut from a corian cutting board sandwiched together.
Of course at any time that you come to a turnout (switch) you WILL have a major problem as the toe of the switch has a second rail as a blade, that will attempt to "spread" those two horizontal wheels as wide as possible the furthur towards the frog that you go, however when U reach the frog the flange guide rails will drastically entrap the wheels in the minimal gap reserved to KEEP the flange of normal railway wheels from drifting away from the frog .. and thus YOU will find yourself "flying"
aubreyaub And, don't forget safety glasses, a mouth piece, gloves, ear plugs, steel toe shoes, shin guards and elbow pads, and a condom too! Can never be too safe when taking a ride on one of those high injury risk two wheelers! You're the kind of paranoid, yuppie moron that dresses his kid up like the Michelin Man before he jumps on his Big Wheel! No wonder he doesn't want to ride the fucking thing!
All that you "had" to do .. was install ONE vertical wheel .. that was set at about 5* off true vertical .. on the inside of every top running wheel .. ie: ONE vertical wheel .. beside the front wheel, one beside the back wheel & one beside the outrigger wheel (just as if they were the flange .. and as these have a 5* tilt - they don't scuff when turning.. nor do they "catch" on any flange retaining rails or do any "spreading" on turnout switch-blades .. JUST LIKE REAL FLANGED WHEELS OPERATE.
Why not retrofit a go-cart with mine cart or vehicular track wheels like we did when I was younger. Worked awesomely until a train comes through and you have to remove your cart from the tracks. Today I do not think this would be wise with the computerized signalling and such. You could trip a block signal and cause a train to become delayed unless one wheel is insulated somehow.
Here we have a system called biclinha and not let this happen I saw this video. But still excellent initiative. So if I want to type the name and I left here on youtube and good use
G.Sarjos - Well, maybe after the poop hits the fan and we can't drive cars anymore? Some people could get to and from family via railroads in their area.
Great first attempt... I went through at least three failures before my first success... I made a couple newer designs... one was very fast... and dangerous... because it was fast... The next one worked very well. I spent a whole summer designing and making it... testing, improving... then I took an 80 mile ride on the Adirondack Railway... what a great adventure. therbfamily.homestead.com/adirondack.html Keep at it... I found that rear wheel guides are unnecessary. The rear wheel follows the front perfectly on a properly aligned bicycle. Enjoy! I can't wait to build the next one...
What about building the rail bike so the rider is in the center. Have an Axel that attcahea to the rear sprocket that way you wouldn't have to worry about tipping and you could haul gear easier.
Would have worked better with two bikes, one on each rail, with support poles across axles and guide wheels on the outside edges. :) (and possibly two people pedaling)
"Almost matching Amtrak speed..."
Take that, Amtrak!!!
Good beginning. I'd take Kevin's comments to heart. I'm sure Bill has anticipated trouble when his guide wheels hit a switch ?
Perhaps the bike could lean just a bit toward the outrigger, for added stability . . .
First we had rail trucks, now we have rail bicycles? Imagine a rail airplane :P Taking off on a straight track would be easy, but the landing would be the most difficult thing in the world.
It would have to be so incredibly precise where the plane lands so it won't derail itself on initial contact.
Nice video. I've been building railbikes for 25+ years. It never ceases to amaze me. Everyone comes up with their own design. Also amazing is that most of them work. I'm about to begin making my 8th totally different design. Each one has been safer, faster and more able to deal with track debris and overgrowth. I'm in touch with Hal. I like his bike but I want to be able to ride on the road to the rails, deploy the device and go. My past two designs did so. Enjoy!
Now put a 80cc engine kit on it
This video strikes terror into the hearts of rail industry lawyers.
I Love it! So innovative and American!
As for a three wheeled "rail bike" .. YEP -- I had one of those too .. it was called a PULL_PULL trolley, two wheels on one frame .. and a "flanged" outrigger single wheel (I bought it for $5NZ and sold it -- 20 yrs later (broken) for $250NZ. It went to Te Anua & the Rodgers K restoration project.. (I don't know where it is now.. but their Rodgers K is in Manderville beside the Croydon Aircraft Museum, near Gore, Southland, NZ)
you should put some guide wheels on the non-operator side to maintain that the outrigger wheel stays on that track. That could also help stabilize the bike when the operator-side runs into track interference
This is neat. I recall, many moons back, finding a "trove" of Popular Science/Mechanics or some such. One ofthe images was a GI riding a similar device along the tracks in Europe.The purpose was to check that the gauge of the tracks was consistent. Cheap, easy to run, pretty safe, and very effective.
I would NOT mind doing this myself, but most traffic is CSX and I have no desire to be roadkill.
I think this is very creative work! Well done!
I liked the humor in your narrative as well as the demo of the rail bike and the excellent videography : )
Whjich is EXACTLY what the NZR did themselves.. when they made their 4wheeled 12" Pneumatic tyred Inspecting Ganger Motor trolley's .. in the 1970's .. (I know.. I worked for the NZR as an Ispecting Grade two ganger.. (operating a rubber tyred trolley every day - between Alexandra at the 236km peg to Auripo at the 163.16 Km peg AND BACK) and never did I have any problems except flat tyres.. then the idler wheel "bounced" over the fishplates - YOU KNOW.. "that which joins each rail to another)
Those tracks are used. Its the Cape May Seashore Lines' Cape May Branch. Last use was in 2010. Due to a theft of spikes and tie plates on the tracks, trains havent been able to run on it since. Trains should begin running again once it is repaired.
True, but its not completely abandoned.
anyone else get here from clicking around? I went from welding videos to this. ????
Great effort keep it up!
There was a fellow in Eugene,OR that had a simpler set up he had a triangular frame w/a dryer hub attached to it on one end & the bike on the other. He evidently had the width of hub to bike correct because the tire stayed on the rail w/o guides on the bike tires. That's what i remember about it.
Glad to hear you only use it on abandoned tracks.
Seems like a lot of fun! Thanks!
That commentary is great! "taking it down to its components" STUNTS! bwahaha
I think this would be a really cool way to make use of our abandoned tracks here in CB.
Love the Amtrak joke!
I love Amtrak [ well, it's potential if allowed to operate at European standards ] and I do agree with you, it was funny. :'D
love this keep up the good work!
Looks like something out of Mad Max. Very cool indeed!
I wouldn't say that. Bikes on rails is a neat idea because rails generally build on low grades and there's no steering necessary; you could just sit back in a recumbant bike and watch a movie on your phone until you got to your destination. They just need to figure out a way to make the outrigger lighter, or, get rid of it completely and allow the gyroscopic effect of the wheels to keep the bike upright.
The point? a guy does this is because they can. The view, the fun, the challenge of building something 'else' I AM amazed that, while draisines have been around for over a century, that a better and long existing set of construction plans was not used. 2 x 4s and 4 wheeled rail guides? Learn welding. Learn to BUILD IN balance and stability.
Learn grammar.
Years & years ago the RR's had these for rail inspection
They were powered by a set of handles that were pumped back and forth.
My advice: place a bit of weight and maybe a blade or small plow on the front guard to help move brush and stuff out of the way. And obviously, don't go over switches or road crossings. That'll put you over the handlebars in a hurry.
Good Idea! but with more work it could be a fast transportation way to save on traffic jams ! Special Track for bike!
Maybe the addition of a 5lb weight to the front guide would help it stay on track a little better.
Okay, seems you need to discard the guide wheels, on both sides, discard
the 2nd rail guide wheel, However, keeping the front and 2nd rail
outrigger, and you need to weight the 2nd rail outrigger to off set the
riders weight and movement. As for keeping the outriggers....
Then,
you need to make the front and rear wheel forks wider, then, you need
on the inside of all wheels,(inner rail side) including the 2nd rail
outrigger, and the front outrigger wheels that will take the top and
side shape of the rails. Not going below the top of the T rail shape.
This
alone will guide the front forked wheel, and the rear will follow. The
2nd rail outrigger, will also follow, but it's mostly for balance that's
why you need to weight the 2nd rail outrigger.
You also need to
disconnect the handlebars from the front forks. Let the rails guide the
bike through the turns and absolute straights, while your using the
handle bars as a handle so you can peddle the bike and as you ped, your
moving back and forth and the front wheel won't even know it.
After
you get that perfected, its time to add a small briggs gasoline engine.
With that idea, you can use a centrifugal clutch on the front wheel.
(not the rear). This is because as you apply the gas, the front pulls
the bike, if it was on the rear, the front would want to spring up.
There are several motors available for bikes, however, if your going to
build a rail bike, be best to build a mount that's all your own.
One
added note: While the wheels take the T shape of the rail, you will now
be able to ride the bike across RR crossings without being stopped by
the side wheels not making the sides. If you noticed, RR crossings have a
inch or so of space between the rail and the street, this is to
accommodate the trains wheels, as the inner flange of the wheel keeps
the train from skewing from side to side, and as such is the guide for
keeping the train on the tracks.
They tried to restart that line but never got the funding then the bridge went out just north of Cape May. NARCOA had a run on there a while back. Good you got on it before the growth takes over. Your guide in the front is the problem would be better to have a frame that puts it under the front wheel or even replaces the front wheel.
Nice mechanical/analog solution, now all we need to do is hook up a self balancing electric motor like a Segway. Wouldn't need an out rigger then, just the one rail.
Food for thought. Thanks. What do you do if you meet a rail biker coming the other way? Stop and wave? Or dodge him if he's going faster?
Not bad, wondering what the silver wheel is for on right side.
I have wanted something like this forever, these days I'd want to rig my ebike.
Some comments seem to think this runs on active track.. Not a good idea!
A bit of weight on front guide system would make sense, what about a rare earth
magnet pulling it down to the track? I think the outrigger could be a lot thinner and
lighter if there were a brace from the top of a rear bike rack to near track height.
Also a very slight tilt of the bike to the left would put a few (dozen?) lbs of weight
over onto the outrigger. Another cute trick would be rigging it so the booms etc
could become a trailer, pulled behind the bike to travel to the RR and back.
I did that using ball bearings for guide wheels wich got caught in switches. later on I used regular flaanged wheels in front & behind the bike wheels with only one flanged wheel on the other track in 1982
Probably would be better when encountering overgrowth if you make the front guide an Aframe with guide just in front and just behind the front wheel. WIth the guide that far in front of the wheel it flexes to easily when encountering. If you can find them get a pair of double flanged wheels for that. You can make a double flanged wheel with a harbor freight wheel and two flanges cut from a corian cutting board sandwiched together.
That sure beats the lump, bump ride you get by pedaling between the rails.
Twice the bikes, twice the power
"Almost reaching Amtrak speed." That made me laugh.
Of course at any time that you come to a turnout (switch) you WILL have a major problem as the toe of the switch has a second rail as a blade, that will attempt to "spread" those two horizontal wheels as wide as possible the furthur towards the frog that you go, however when U reach the frog the flange guide rails will drastically entrap the wheels in the minimal gap reserved to KEEP the flange of normal railway wheels from drifting away from the frog .. and thus YOU will find yourself "flying"
People are so innovative..
p.s.. if all you do -- is "lean" the bike slightly (inwards) towards the outrigger.. & then you WILL NOT have the overbalancing "outwards" problem.!
how quickly can it be snatched off the track when a train approaches? :)
That's the real question ain't it.
***** limits one's travel a bit :)
Not very quickly according to these weaklings. A regular man could snatch it off in about 0.2 seconds.
Axe 0.2 sec is pretty good i think
It said abandoned
Where's the nephew, Harold? - "If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy."
great fun :-) thanks for this share
Very nice invention. But the only problem I have, is will it have any problems going over points?
"Those heavy pieces of metal that hold the rails together" are called "fishplates".
Cool !
I'd like to see construction details, especially bike to outrigger attachments.
Rube Goldberg, but good show fellas.
I noticed a railroad crossing at the end of the line. Did you set it off when you got closer to it?
ride that thing in a tunnel about a half mile in while a ghost train comes and see what happens
you sure do have good video coverage.
Ah, abandoned tracks.....that makes more sense.
I guess an understanding of train timetables is essential when using one of these?
typically(as you see in the video) the use of abandoned tracks is used.
You might be able to do this without an outrigger if you either hung low weights on the sides or fashoin a gyroscope?
I had this idea when I was a kid, and also the magnetically levitated trains, but of course some other genius has to get all the credit,,,lol
People asking Why? It's a bit of fun...
Guys this is cool... I'm going to have a go at this...
I recognize that line, its the Cape May Seashore Lines.
How cool!
That was cool, but will it go through switches or diamonds? Because the side wheels that blocks you from going through it.
you could put the bike in the middle and two wheels reaching the two track to ride
Ingenuity at its best. However, are you riding abandoned rails or rails that in use?Dangerous endeavor.
if the head of the rail SHINES-don't try this!-it is an ACTIVE track!!!
I want to make one that could go threw a switch or grade crossing. With that setup you would have to carry the bike over a switch or grade crossing
As cautious as you seem, lack of a bike helmet is surprising.
As is a kevlar vest, safety boots, gas detector........... Get a life sport.!
aubreyaub And, don't forget safety glasses, a mouth piece, gloves, ear plugs, steel toe shoes, shin guards and elbow pads, and a condom too! Can never be too safe when taking a ride on one of those high injury risk two wheelers! You're the kind of paranoid, yuppie moron that dresses his kid up like the Michelin Man before he jumps on his Big Wheel! No wonder he doesn't want to ride the fucking thing!
All that you "had" to do .. was install ONE vertical wheel .. that was set at about 5* off true vertical .. on the inside of every top running wheel .. ie: ONE vertical wheel .. beside the front wheel, one beside the back wheel & one beside the outrigger wheel (just as if they were the flange .. and as these have a 5* tilt - they don't scuff when turning.. nor do they "catch" on any flange retaining rails or do any "spreading" on turnout switch-blades .. JUST LIKE REAL FLANGED WHEELS OPERATE.
Check out an old Sears catalog from the late 50's or early 60's they have a lot better design
Why not retrofit a go-cart with mine cart or vehicular track wheels like we did when I was younger. Worked awesomely until a train comes through and you have to remove your cart from the tracks. Today I do not think this would be wise with the computerized signalling and such. You could trip a block signal and cause a train to become delayed unless one wheel is insulated somehow.
Nice engineering there.
Here we have a system called biclinha and not let this happen I saw this video. But still excellent initiative. So if I want to type the name and I left here on youtube and good use
what happens when you go over a point or x track section or a level crossing?
Where is this?
So this is really just training wheels, what's the point of this? at least slap a small engine on the thing and enjoy it
G.Sarjos - Well, maybe after the poop hits the fan and we can't drive cars anymore? Some people could get to and from family via railroads in their area.
If you step on the cross bar when climbing on to the bike there is less chance of you toppling over
¡Buenísimo!.
very nice
HAHA, Amtrak speed.
Great first attempt... I went through at least three failures before my first success... I made a couple newer designs... one was very fast... and dangerous... because it was fast...
The next one worked very well. I spent a whole summer designing and making it... testing, improving... then I took an 80 mile ride on the Adirondack Railway... what a great adventure.
therbfamily.homestead.com/adirondack.html
Keep at it... I found that rear wheel guides are unnecessary. The rear wheel follows the front perfectly on a properly aligned bicycle. Enjoy! I can't wait to build the next one...
it's 2019 whats happening with the rail bikes?
I would love to have this to explore the rail near be neighborhood quicker
I'm pretty sure its trespassing to do this. I bet the Somers Fire Department is proud to have a transient on their department.
Will it trigger crossing signals?? LOL all the double takes when gates go down
Do this with a moped. I did it in Colorado 30 years ago.
por que tiene alineadores la rueda trasera? solo necesita l rueda delantera!
If you get another bicycle on the other track you could have more balance and more speed ;) Many even taking one or two passengers ;)
Wouldnt you get less friction if you did not use dirt tires?
ie: without the aid of the bike .. to arrest your fall -- before your face eats ballast.
That is one dangerous bit of equipment... no good when you get to a set of points...!!!
Nice...put a 15 hp Honda motor on the bike.. that'll make things interesting
You guys are on track! LOL
What about building the rail bike so the rider is in the center. Have an Axel that attcahea to the rear sprocket that way you wouldn't have to worry about tipping and you could haul gear easier.
That's when you make one using the 4-wheeler bikes. 4.bp.blogspot.com/-uwuGHeg87HY/TVMqD3hnMxI/AAAAAAAADf4/I5bMLgYqcv0/s1600/4w1pqs1.jpg
Would have worked better with two bikes, one on each rail, with support poles across axles and guide wheels on the outside edges. :) (and possibly two people pedaling)
@DeserTBoB93535 You didn't bust anyone's bubbles read the description! And FYI they checked with the railroad!
anyone ever see the movie office space? this is the jump to conclusions mat.
Great. What happens if you need to go thru points?
+David Millsom you stop
How about two bikes, one on either side with a broad seat spanning across the two bicycles for passengers to sit.
How do you know when a train may be coming? Looks a great idea. Saw something like this in a Sears catalogue from 1906.
Im a huge railfan! and I love the idea, but whats the point?
dude, theres this thing that the romans created... its called... A Road....