Handcar Regatta

Facts, Figures, and Counsel Section for Railcar Guidelines and Specifications, etcetera

Regatta Racers: We are scheming ways to continue our beloved Regatta. Stay tuned…

Manifestation of Contraptions & Teams

• PARTICIPATION
  Racers and builders are one. Those who would ascend a contraption upon the rails to compete shall too be the builders of said vehicle.
• TEAM MATES
  Teams are comprised of one to four individuals who may operate a vehicle during a race. All builders of a team are not required to race as well. A team may be comprised of multiple builders for which between 1 to 4 of that building crew actually race the vehicle.
• AGE
  Preferably, participants are older than 18. Exceptions allowed in advance within reason.
• PANACHE
  Race teams or individuals are encouraged to embody a theme in contraption and dress, but are NOT required to do so. Enhanced style and thematic cohesiveness are, however, highly influential for certain categories (see MYRIAD STYLE and Race Prize Categories below). While we embrace our turn-of-last-century railroad past, no era or theme is imposed upon participants. Your creative style is king!

Vehicular Specifications

• HUMAN-POWERED
  Rail-bound vehicles for competition shall be human-powered. Contraptions with certain methods of mechanical assist may be acceptable in limited categories to be determined on a case-by-case basis.
  NOTE: Strange mechanical notions and cleverness are more important here. A machine with some assist designed to game the system for a speed win is likely frowned upon in favor of a bizarre creation that glorifies the muse and tickles the fancy.
• MYRIAD STYLE
  Speed is not necessarily of utmost value in a Handcar Regatta race. Ostentation, bewilderment, whimsy, beauty, ridiculousness, and capturing the fancy of a seven-year-old girl are all reasons to build calamitous contraptions upon the rails (see the Darling Award and Race Prize Categories below).
• SAFETY
  All mechanisms shall be subject to rigorous inspection prior to racing for determining the safe passage of both racers and spectators. Vehicles found unfit for safe racing shall be summarily rejected. DO NOT attempt to build any contraption that has not been tested on standard tracks beforehand. Please note that live tracks are dangerous and illegal for individual use for any reason. See the SMART section at the bottom of this page for more information. You have been warned.

Racers’ Oath

All racers shall, with gusto and enunciation on race day, repeat the following stately Racers’ Oath:

“I, ______ do solemnly affirm that I will faithfully, virtuously, and stylishly perform to the highest level and spirit of vigorous, fair sportsmanship to the best of my abilities, that I will uphold a healthy respect toward teammates and my competitors, that I will bear true faith and obsequious reverence to the judges and their stopwatches, graciously acquiescing to their pronouncements, that I will endeavor to present the most dashing repose possible under the circumstances, and that most notably, I will refrain from taunting unless it is exceptionally droll and delivered with excellent comedic timing at a pleasant volume.”

Race Prize Categories

• The Zephyr Award (blinding speed) trophy by Scott Johnson
• The Showboatin’ Award (most spirited) trophy by Joey Castor
• The MAKE Award trophy by MAKE Magazine
• The Fantastical Pants Award (most aesthetic) trophy by Todd and Djuna Barricklow
• The Underdog Award (come up from behind) trophy by Jacquie Smith
• The Erasmus P Kitty Award (Best in Show) trophy by Skye Barnett

Prior Handcar Regatta prize race results and categories are recounted herein.

Engineering Tips

Guide wheels are by far the most important part (and the least understood) part of a rail contraption. Good guide wheels will make the difference between the glory of victory and catastrophic failure. After many spend many hours on the rails figuring this stuff out and want to share what I think are the best kinds.

SPEEDER WHEELS
Speeders are small rail vehicles that were used to inspect tracks up to the 1980s. Replaced by Hi-Rail Trucks, they are used recreationally…a great hobby, if you can afford it anyway. They use small steel train-like wheels that are hard to find. A good source for used wheels is Rail Speeders. Anyone can place a wanted ad for free.

GUIDE WHEELS (Horizontal Rollerblade wheel method)
The horizontal guide-wheel system is by far the best way to secure your rig to the rails. Rollerblade, scooter (Razor), or similar-shaped polyurethane wheels work great as long as you mount them a certain way. A beefer version of the rollerblade wheel (shown) is available at McMaster-Carr.

The point where your guide wheel touches the rail is called the indexing surface. It needs to be at the most constant surface of the rail without being too close to any obstructions like rail joints, etc. Generally, the best indexing surface on a rail is on the inside of the rail head, one-half-inch down from the top.

When mounted to take advantage of this ‘sweet spot’ of the rail, the top of the guide wheel should be level with the top of the rail head.

SPRING-LOADING THE WHEEL
In a perfect world, there would be no need to do this, but because the distance between the rails varies up to 3/4 inch at times, the guide wheels really need to have some “play” in them. The best way I found to do this is to spring-load the wheels. This can be done several ways. One way is to create a simple pivot arm, allowing the wheel to flex in and out 1”.

BRAKES
Brakes can be made a number of ways. Of course, the best way is to get something pre-made, like a car disc or drum brake. Much cheaper, and equally effective is to get a disc brake made for a go-cart. Go Kart Supply is a good source.

BAND BRAKES
Another inexpensive design is the band brake. Band brakes can be made fairly easily using a metal strap wrapped around a cylinder.

You would have to make this type of brake large enough to handle the weight of your rig (or use multiples).

IMPORTANT: The band must be pulled in the opposite direction of the rotation of the drum or it will lock-up!

Track Measurements

62″ outer rail edge*
56 1/2″ inner rail edge*
2 3/4″ wide rail surface
1 1/2″ index vertical clearance (meaning guide wheels should not exceed 1 1/2″ in the lip that overhangs and keeps the wheel on track, click on photo #1)
* approximate within 3/4″ variation, give or take

WARNING:
Recent track improvements have led to application of grounding wires and other soldered metal parts that MAY CAUSE PROBLEMS WITH NON-STANDARD INDEX GUIDE WHEELS, especially wheels with outer guides (click on photos #2 and #3). Avoid outer guide wheels!

See more information about rail safety and the wisdom of rail transit from our esteemed ally: SMART (Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit)

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