BUILD A WORK CAR FOR UNDER $25 May 30, 2010

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I needed something to transport ballast to the more remote locations on the railroad.  At first I was just going to use a wheelbarrow, but why not make a work car to do the same thing with a lot more fun!  The whole project cost under $25 because I used PVC pipe for the wheels and axles, and the lumber comes from the cull bin at Home Depot, where you can get a 4-foot piece of 2x4 or 1x6 for 51 cents if you're lucky!

WHAT'S THIS? - To a plumber it's a PVC 4-inch-to-2-inch adapter.  To a railroader it's a four inch flanged wheel!

MAKING ADAPTERS- Now we need a 2-inch-to-3/8-inch adapter.  Here we're using a 2-inch hole saw on 3/4 inch plywood, saving the plug as our adapter.

DUCT TAPE COMES IN HANDY - This time we're using it to make the plug fit nice and tight.  Three turns worked just fine.

DON'T LOSE THAT PLUG - To prevent the plugs from sliding into the hollow axle, we cut a piece of 1.5 inch PVC pipe 8.25 inches long.

PLUG INSTALLED - a nice tight fit.  The wheelset is now ready for an axle.

AXLES INSTALLED - They slide into holes in 2x4's.  The base is 16x24.

FINISHED - It's  painted black now, the body with latex paint, the wheels with spray paint.  I tapered the frame's 2x4's and added a drawbar.

ALMOST DONE - The sides are built of 1x6 pine.  One piece didn't seem high enough so I added another 3 inch piece.  Charlotte wants it painted ASAP!