Model Train Hobby Collection Guide

Archive for January, 2009

Kevin knew from experience how to change the oil in his car. He knew how to remove the drain plug on the oil pan, empty the crankcase, replace the plug, and tighten it. But one time as Kevin pushed firmly on his wrench, it slipped off the bolt head. Kevin’s hand smashed into a sharp piece of metal, slashing his palm badly enough to require several stitches.

LIKE Kevin, many people routinely work on their own car—some simply because it cuts costs. But learning the basics of maintenance and repair can have other benefits as well. “Once, during a long road trip, my car developed a problem,” says a woman named Kathy. “Because I had learned to work on my car, I was able to fix it myself and continue the journey.”

Perhaps you too would like to be able to maintain and repair your car. But how can you do so safely?

Think Ahead!

Your first priority should be safety. As Kevin’s injury illustrates, it is easy to hurt yourself when working in tight spaces or when exerting force with a tool. How can you avoid injury? When fastening a bolt with a wrench, make sure that the tool is properly seated over it. Ask yourself, ‘If the tool slips, where will my hand go?’ Wearing gloves or wrapping a rag around your hand can provide a measure of protection. To help control the force you are exerting, if possible, pull the tool toward you instead of pushing it away. Likewise, when freeing a stuck bolt, your goal should be to move it just a quarter of a turn at a time. These principles of foresight and control always apply. Never let haste cause you to neglect them!

Accidents often occur when a person tries to use a tool for something other than its intended purpose. Tom, for instance, was having a difficult time changing the spark plugs in his car. Why? His socket was too short, and it kept slipping off the first plug. Finally, Tom attached an extension between the socket and the ratchet. He then changed the five remaining plugs in the same time that it took him to change the first one—and he did it safely! The lesson? Having the right tool is essential.

Foreign matter can get into your eyes while you are working under the car or looking up under the dashboard. How can this be prevented? “Wear some kind of eye protection, such as goggles,” says Sean, who has worked as a mechanic for over ten years. “In the shop where I work,” he adds, “using such safety equipment is mandatory.” You should also wear eye protection when working near hazardous liquids, such as battery acid.

When working under your car, always use a properly designed jack stand, a professional lift, or a reinforced repair dugout. Never get under a vehicle that is supported only by a jack. The owner’s manual of some cars indicates where jacks and jack stands should be placed to give the car adequate support. Be aware, however, that a sudden force—such as the kind that is exerted when breaking a stubborn bolt loose—could cause the car to shift and slip off its supports.

Preventing Hazardous Surprises

Some parts of your car can get quite hot and burn you if you touch them. For example, the water inside the radiator remains hot for some time after the engine has been turned off. So do not remove the radiator cap until it is cool enough to touch with your bare hand. On some cars, the radiator fan is electrically driven and comes on automatically—even after the engine has been turned off. To avoid injury, disconnect the ground wire from the battery before starting your work.

Accidents often occur when a person tries to use a tool for something other than its intended purpose

When working on your car, remove rings and jewelry, especially if the engine is running. Besides catching on protruding parts, metal jewelry can cause an electrical short circuit and turn red-hot! Loose sleeves as well as ties, scarves, and even long hair can become entangled in moving parts.

Even when you think that your work is completed, there is one last rule to follow. “Always double-check your work,” says Dirk, a service adviser for a busy repair shop. “Once,” he continues, “a mechanic forgot to do this after working on brakes. The brakes failed, and the car ran right into my desk!”

Handling Emergencies

One day Tom noticed that his car was overheating. A hose had burst, and radiator water had escaped. Using a roll of duct tape that he kept in the car, Tom was able to perform a temporary repair by taping the hose and pouring a mixture of antifreeze and water into the radiator. Then, he drove to an auto parts store to buy a new hose. Tom’s experience illustrates the need to be prepared by keeping repair items in your car.

While driving, be alert to any strange noises or smells. Yvonne noticed a strange smell coming from the engine of the car. Her husband opened the hood and saw a miniature geyser of antifreeze squirting up from a tiny hole in the upper part of the radiator hose. Because the problem was detected before the car overheated, Yvonne and her husband were able to drive to a repair shop.

What should you do if your car breaks down on the highway? First, try to get the car as far off the road as possible. Passengers, especially children, should stay inside the car with seat belts fastened. If you must be outside the car, stand as far away from traffic as possible. Turn on the emergency lights. Leave the hood up to signal that you are having car trouble. Carefully set out flares or other warning signs.

If your car’s battery is dead, you may choose to jump the battery with the help of another vehicle. But be aware that car batteries produce highly flammable gas. A spark can ignite this gas, producing an explosion that could shower you with corrosive acid. Therefore, if you or the person who is helping you is in doubt about how to jump the battery, wait for assistance.

As we have seen, maintaining a car is a serious responsibility. Whether you work on your car to care for an emergency or simply to perform routine maintenance, always remember: Being safety conscious is a must!

If you are performing a task for the first time, try to obtain a copy of a repair manual for your car or ask an experienced friend for help. If your car has computerized or other high-tech components, it might be better to take your vehicle to a mechanic who has the necessary equipment and experience to make repairs.

Items to Keep in Your Car:

Spare tire and jack
Jumper cables
Flares or reflectors
Tools and goggles
Flashlight
Extra containers of fluids
(oil, water, antifreeze, brake fluid)
Duct tape
Spare fuses
Tow rope
(Note: In some places it may be legal only for a licensed wrecker to tow your car)
Box to keep tools neat and containers upright

You may wish to carry additional repair items. However, some automobile clubs that provide emergency roadside service are reluctant to work on a broken-down car if the owner has begun making certain repairs himself. If you belong to an automobile club, find out what type of repairs are permitted.

“I have a good driving record, so I don’t need to worry about having an automobile accident.” “Accidents happen only to young and reckless drivers.” Many think that an automobile accident will never happen to them. Is that the way you feel? When it comes to automobile accidents, are you invulnerable?

STATISTICS suggest that if you live in a developed country, you are quite likely to be injured in a traffic accident at least once during your lifetime. For many, such accidents prove fatal. Worldwide, there are now more than half a million traffic fatalities each year. Perhaps many of those who were killed this past year felt that it would never happen to them. What can you do to reduce your own risk? Prevention is the key. Consider how you can prevent accidents caused by drowsiness and by the effects of aging.
  
Make sure that your body is “fueled” with a good night’s sleep
 
The Drowsy DriverSome experts say that a drowsy driver may be as dangerous as a drunk driver. Reports indicate that drowsiness causes an increasing number of accidents. Fleet Maintenance & Safety Report recently stated that during a single year, 1 out of every 12 motorists in Norway reported falling asleep while driving. According to The Star of Johannesburg, South Africa, driver fatigue causes up to one third of all vehicular collisions in that country. Reports from other lands reveal that fatigue is affecting drivers everywhere. Why are there so many sleepy drivers?

Today’s hectic life-style contributes to the problem. Newsweek magazine reported recently that Americans may be “sleeping as much as an hour and a half less per night than [they] did at the turn of the century—and the problem is likely to get worse.” Why? The magazine quoted sleep expert Terry Young as saying: “People have regarded sleep as a commodity that they could shortchange. It’s been considered a mark of very hard work and upward mobility to get very little sleep.”

It is said that the average person needs between six and a half and nine hours of sleep per night. When deprived, people develop a “sleep debt.” A report distributed by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety states: “Even sleeping 30 or 40 minutes less than needed each night during a normal work week can result in a 3- to 4-hour sleep debt by the weekend, enough to significantly increase levels of daytime sleepiness.”

At times, you may miss out on a good night’s rest. Insomnia, caring for a sick child, or other factors beyond your control can rob you of sleep. The next day you may well find yourself becoming sleepy behind the wheel. What should you do if this happens?

A brief nap may cause a slight delay, but it could save lives
 

Popular remedies such as drinking caffeine, opening the window, chewing gum, or eating something spicy may not keep you awake. None of these so-called remedies address the real problem. What you need is sleep. So why not try taking a brief nap? The New York Times suggested: “The reviving workday nap should not be longer than 30 minutes; any more and the body lapses into a deep sleep, from which it is difficult to awake.” Taking a nap might delay your arrival at your destination, but it can extend your life.

Your pattern of life can make you more susceptible to becoming a drowsy driver. Do you spend long hours on the Internet, or do you stay up late at night watching television? Do you go to social gatherings that last into the early hours of the morning? Don’t allow such practices to rob you of your sleep. Wise King Solomon once emphasized the value of even “a handful of rest.”—Ecclesiastes 4:6. Read more articles

BILLETS, s’il vous plaît!” Clad in a navy-blue uniform and wearing a smart cap, the ticket inspector asks to see your ticket. His presence reminds you that you are not on a plane but on France’ Train à Grande Vitesse, or TGV (High-Speed Train), the world’s fastest. Once you are well outside Paris you will cruise along at 260 kilometers (160 mi) an hour on the way to Lyons, France’ third largest city and the main stop on the line to the Alps and Italy or Marseilles and the Riviera.

But in these days of supersonic flight and space shuttles, what is the advantage of developing a revolutionary new form of railroad transport? Why did the French National Railways decide to embark on this new venture?

A New Trunk Line

The Paris-Lyons rail link has always been one of France’ busiest. Even though four-tracked over a third of the distance and double-tracked the rest of the way, it was no longer adequate to deal with peak traffic periods. Having considered progress abroad—especially Japan’s successful “bullet” train on the Tokaïdo line—an entirely new track was decided upon.

From the start it was decided that the new line from Paris to Lyons would be exclusively for passenger traffic, with appropriate rolling stock designed for high-speed performances. The most surprising thing about this new line is the total absence of tunnels. But you may ask, How do the trains get across the hills?

This brings us to a most important feature of the TGV—it’s a featherweight, much lighter than a regular train. Each group of eight cars has very powerful electric engines, enabling the train to take much steeper grades than a heavy freight train or even a regular passenger train could do. Gradients reach 3.5 percent, whereas they do not exceed 1 percent on ordinary tracks. This is especially noticeable when the train plunges down a slope. Why, you feel as if you were on a plane about to land rather than on a train. Due to its high speed the train for the most part is carried uphill by its own momentum. As you can also imagine, a track without tunnels is much cheaper to build.

The Train and the Track

This orange-and-charcoal-colored train, with its long sleek nose, is low-slung in comparison with standard models. This is because the bogies are situated between the cars, not under each end. Thus no passengers are seated above the wheels, which makes for a quieter and more comfortable journey. Moreover, it is easier to get in and out of the train.

Other factors concerning the actual track also contribute to a comfortable ride. Rails are welded into very long sections and sit on thick rubber cushions in the clips that are anchored to the cross-ties, or sleepers. Furthermore, the ballast is considerably deeper than usual.

Don’t Forget to Reserve Your Seat!

For security reasons no standing is allowed on the TGV, so reserving your seat is a must. The ticket reservation system was already computerized several years ago in France and now is slightly modified for the new train. Of course, you can still reserve your seat at a station or a travel agency, but for the TGV it is also possible to do so at the entrance to the platform.

You can even “talk” with automatic distributors that inform you if there is an available seat on the train you wish to take, if a peak-traffic supplement is due and (if the train is full) the time of the next TGV. Seats may be reserved up until five minutes before departure time. However, with this last-minute booking there is no way of choosing a preferred no-smoking car.

All Aboard!

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Sit down and make yourself comfortable. Judging by the blue or green upholstery we are in a second-class car, for in first class the seats are either orange or brown. The individual lighting, separate seats and central aisle make you think you are aboard a plane, and the illusion would be perfect were it not for the countryside flashing past at 260 kilometers an hour.

Are you hungry? Depending on what time you travel, in first class hot meals may be ordered from stewards and hostesses. Remember, you are on your way to Lyons, a Mecca of French gastronomy! Second-class passengers may go to a snack bar situated in the middle of each group of eight cars.

Security

Computers are used not only to reserve seats; the one at the Gare de Lyons, the terminal where you board the TGV in Paris, has the general oversight and management of the network. In the normal traffic periods, the PAR (Poste d’Aiguillage et de Régulation, Switching and Control System) regulates the spacing of trains and transmits instructions to the engineer, either by automatic remote-controlled transmission or, if necessary, by telephone and radio. At such high speeds it would be very difficult for the engineer to read signals placed along the track and respond to them.

You will see no grade crossings on this railroad. Also, every time a highway crosses overhead there is a wire-netting safety device that can detect any heavy object that may fall on the line. An alarm would sound and halt all approaching trains. The entire line is also protected by wire fencing along each side.

Air or Rail?

Traveling on the TGV is no more expensive than on the regular trains and it has many advantages. For example, its prices are highly competitive with short-distance air travel. Also, when the entire track is completed in 1983, passengers will be able to travel from the heart of Paris to the heart of Lyons (426 kilometers, or 265 miles) in just two hours. At present the trip is often longer by air, taking into account time needed to get to and from the airports.

Since the line is built on the same gauge as the overall European network, you are not obliged to limit your journey to Lyons but may go on to Geneva and, in the near future, Lausanne (both in Switzerland), Grenoble and even Nice, on the Riviera. For these destinations the TGV leaves Paris on the new line and later diverts onto an old one. It has to slow down, of course, but it still cuts down on the travel time between Paris and these other cities.

High-Speed Trains in Other Countries

According to research carried on in this field all over the world, it seems that rail transportation is far from being on the way out. The energy crisis has given the railways a new lease on life, for their fuel efficiency is higher than any other type of land transport. Germany is improving its mainline network, with some trains already traveling at 200 kilometers (125 mi) an hour. Italy, also, has a fast new line called the Direttissima, linking Rome and Florence.

In Great Britain the problem has been approached from a different angle, with the APT (Advanced Passenger Train) designed to run on existing standard tracks. British researchers have come up with a tilting train that inclines like a motorcycle on the curves, thus increasing maximum speed by 20 to 40 percent over the fastest trains now using these tracks.

The Japanese are by no means behind, for they plan to enlarge their network of Shinkansen high-speed trains, which already travel at 210 kilometers (130 mi) an hour. Having met up with climatic problems in the colder regions, they have even conceived a system for spraying the rails with hot water in order to maintain regular services.

But for the present, it is France that holds the blue ribbon for the fastest passenger train service. So if you come to France one day and wish to go down south, either on business or for pleasure, please do not forget that you can fly to Lyons—on wheels!