[Illustration:  Fig. 299.  Car Body with Axles in Place.]

Mounting the Wheels.

First a washer was placed on the axle, then the wheel was applied, with the larger or flange disk against the face block, after which another washer was slipped on.  A nut was screwed against this washer just tightly enough to keep the wheel snugly in place, and yet let it turn freely on its axle.  Then to keep this nut from shaking loose a second nut was screwed on against it.  While one fellow held the first nut from turning, another screwed the second nut against it as tightly as he could.  The second nut is technically known as a “jam nut,” or “lock nut.”  The car was completed by laying a couple of boards across from one scantling to the other to serve as seats.

[Illustration:  Fig. 300.  Section Showing How to Fasten on the Wheel.]

The Railway Track.

[Illustration:  Fig. 301.  The Inclined Trestle.]

The trestle was now begun.  First we erected a level platform, which was to be the starting point of the railway.  This was made very substantial by planting the corner posts firmly in the ground and then bracing them together with diagonal braces.  A couple of planks leaning against the platform at one side provided a convenient means for mounting to the top.  From the platform the trestle ran down at an easy incline to the ground.  It was made of 2x4-inch scantlings supported at intervals on posts driven into the ground.  The opposite posts were firmly braced with boards fastened diagonally across them.  The scantlings were to serve as rails, and so we fastened them at the proper distance apart with ties nailed to the under side.  But to be sure that the rails were not too far apart or too close together, the car was rolled over the track and the rails were set to keep the tread disks of the wheels on them and the flange disks just clear of their inner edges.  The ends of the rails were cut off at an angle, making a slanting joint, as shown in Figs. 301 and 302.  They were fastened firmly together by nailing a piece of board on the bottom and also on the outer side.

[Illustration:  Fig. 302.  Joints of the Track.]

The Carpenter’s Miter Box.

To make sure that the ends were all cut to the same angle, we made a carpenter’s “miter box.”  Two sideboards were nailed to a baseboard, making a trough large enough for the scantling to be set in it.  Then we sawed through the sides of the trough at an angle of 45 degrees.  When we wanted to cut the end of the scantling at an angle it was placed in the trough, and with the saw set in the saw cuts, as a guide, we were sure that they would all be cut at the same angle.

[Illustration:  Fig. 303.  Carpenter’s Miter Box.]

Laying the Track.

[Illustration:  Fig. 304.  How the Track was Anchored.]