The United States contains an entire web of abandoned railroad tracks, left to rust in all kinds of beautiful locales as industries dried up and new railways were built. You sometimes see them in urban areas, but those in the wilderness are much more intriguing. They often traverse landscapes that aren’t accessible by any other means. To explore them, Matt Spears rebuilt his odd electric railcar made of foam.
Understanding the current incarnation of this vehicle requires understand what it originally was: a Spira electric “car.” That word is in quotes there, because it wasn’t classified as car in most places. It was usually considered an electric motorcycle or even a scooter. And in fact, most of its suspension, wheels, and drivetrain parts were made for scooters. The body and “frame” are particularly interesting, as they’re really just corrugated plastic and foam panels. The whole thing is about as rigid as a wet noodle experiencing stage fright.
Last year, Spears converted it to run on train tracks by adding big polyurethane wheels. Like normal train wheels, they were conical to keep the vehicle centered on the tracks. The original drive wheels made contact with the tops of the tracks for propulsion. But Spears still crashed it and damaged the vehicle.
In his most recent video, he completely rebuilt the Spira rail car. That included making new wheels using a more robust design. Spears also eliminated the original drive wheels entirely. A differential isn’t necessary for this, so he simply put a solid axle across. That got a drive sprocket (cut on a Waser waterjet) and the new wheels.
On the electronic and electrical front, this new iteration relies mostly on original Spira components. Spira used a small electric motor and batteries, counting on the ultra-low overall vehicle weight to keep power requirements down. Spears replaced that with a new 5000W electric scooter drive motor at the back, with a chain going to the sprocket. That has a gear reduction, resulting in more torque at the expense of speed.
The fabrication is fascinating to watch, but the real show starts when Spears takes it out for a test spin. Riding along abandoned rails is mostly smooth sailing, as the vehicle doesn’t weigh enough to tax even the longest-neglected tracks. But there are lots of obstacles, including fallen trees, that Spears has to clear to keep moving.
Even if you don’t care about quirky electric cars or questionable engineering, the exploration alone is worth the watch.
