CHAPTER XVIII

A TRAIN AND RAILWAY STATION (PLATE VIII)

=A Train.= (1) _The Engine_ (Fig. 230). The body of the engine, A, is a long mantle-box or a piece of old curtain pole, about 4-1/2 inches long. The wooden bottom, B C, is 6-1/2 inches by 2-1/4 inches. A is glued to B C and kept in position by wooden blocks, E and F. The funnel and the dome are made from corks or pieces of round wood; their ends must be slightly concave, so that they may fit securely to A. A ring of cardboard is gummed to the top of the funnel, which may have a hole in it to take a piece of cotton-wool for smoke. The rim of the funnel and the dome are coloured yellow. The boiler can be covered with dark green or dark red paper. The buffers are pieces of round rod, to which cardboard discs are gummed.

The cab is made of cardboard, as shown in Fig. 231, and is coloured to match the engine. G K L M is gummed to the back of A (Fig. 230), and its sides are fastened to the footplate by the flanges.

Fig. 232 shows the roof of the cab; the length, N O, is equal to the arc, G H K.

The wheels should be about 1-1/2 inches in diameter and are fastened underneath B C, as described in Chapter XIII. Strips of cardboard, coloured black (D in Fig. 230), are glued to the wooden blocks behind the wheels.

(2) _The Tender_ (Fig. 233) can be made in various ways. The bottom is best made of wood, 4 inches by 2-1/4 inches. The sides may be made of wood, 4 inches by 1-1/2 inches; the back must be cut to fit exactly between the sides. When the back and the sides are glued in position two wedge-shaped blocks may be glued into the corners for strength. The buffers and the wheels as in the engine.

The sides of the tender may also be cut out of one piece of cardboard and fastened to the bottom by flanges. It should be coloured to match the engine. Pieces of cork dipped in ink make realistic coal.

(3) _A Cattle Truck_ (Fig. 234). The foundation is a piece of wood, 4 inches by 2-1/4 inches. The sides may be cut from one piece of cardboard (Fig. 235) and coloured to represent bars, as in Fig. 234. It may also be made of wood as follows: Cut eight thin strips of wood, 4-1/2 inches by 1/4 inch, A B C D, etc., and eight pieces 1-3/4 inches by 1/4, J K L M in Fig. 234. The pieces are glued together to form the sides, as in Fig. 236. The length of the cross-bar, X, can be obtained by measuring the distance between Y and Z. Glue the sides to the bottom and to each other. Wedges may be glued in the corners for strength.

(4) _A Carriage_ (Fig. 237). The bottom is of wood, 4-1/2 inches by 2-1/4 inches. The carriage is made of cardboard, on the same principle as the cattle truck, according to the measurements given in Fig. 237. The upper part of the door may be cut out and the lower part be made to open. The windows may be cut out or coloured with light blue pencil. The interior should be coloured or covered with paper to represent upholstering, etc. Before fastening the cardboard to the bottom, glue to the corners of the bottom small blocks of wood, 1 inch high, as supports for the cardboard seats, which should be gummed across them and be suitably coloured. Cut the cardboard for the top and leave flanges for fastening it to the ends of the carriage. The top and the ends are coloured black or dark brown. A little piece of round wood or cork, coloured black, is gummed to the top for a lamp. The step is made of stiff brown paper. Small screw eyes are screwed in the ends of the various parts of the train, which can be linked together by wire loops.

=A Railway Station.= This station is a suitable size for the train already described.

A (Fig. 238) is a piece of wood or cardboard, about 2 feet by 8 inches, standing on supports made of two match-boxes gummed together. B and C are pieces of cardboard fastened by flanges to A. D is a piece of cardboard gummed to supports E and F to cover the hollow in front; this and the platform may be suitably coloured. The railings are of cardboard and are fastened to a piece similar to D. Advertisements may be cut from papers and fastened to the posts behind the railings; also the name of the station in the same way (see Plate VIII).

The =Ticket-Office and Waiting-Room= is shown in Fig. 239. This may be made from a cardboard box of suitable size, or from cardboard (according to the measurements given). The bar before the ticket-office is made of match sticks. Tram tickets form good advertisements for the walls.

Additions to station:

(1) Porter's truck. See Chapter V.

(2) Milk-cans. Corks covered with silver paper. See Chapter V.

(3) Flower-pots. A cork filed the right shape and painted is used. The shrubs are cut out of cardboard, coloured and fastened into a slit in the cork (Fig. 240).

(4) Lamp-posts (Fig. 241). A piece of round rod is placed in a reel or a cork to make it stand. The lamp is cut out of stiff paper, coloured as in the diagram, and is inserted in a slit at the top of the rod. A small piece of cane is passed through a hole near the top for the cross bar.

(5) Benches and seats of various kinds may be made from cardboard.

(6) Figures of men, women, etc., may be cut from illustrated papers and a strip of cardboard gummed behind them to make them stand upright.

(7) Small boxes of various kinds may be placed on the platform for luggage.

In country districts, where the station buildings are of a simple design, the children may be encouraged to make sketches of these, and to bring to the models described above such modifications as are to be found in their own locality. In Part II (Chapter XII) models of working signals and a signal-box are described.