Lara Smith says it best in her opening paragraph below, "Trains are loved by children and adults all over the world." This is a fun and exciting pastime that brings families together. What an awesome family tradition to past down through the generations.I always remember a train under the Christmas tree;maybe this year it will have to be one I make with the kids.

Select this link to go directly to the article; How to Make a Wooden Train.

As always have fun and happy crafting!
Andie
Make it!, Buy it!, Sell it! all in one place. Tiger and Lily Boutique.

Article written by: Lara Smith

Trains are loved by children and adults all over the world. They never seem to go out of style. The train has made its way off the tracks and into our jewelry, our toys, and our lives. There are cartoon characters that are trains and there are books about living and talking trains. It may be the distinctive sounds that the train makes or the classic beauty of the older style, coal burning trains, but something about them has made them classics to have as toys and as decorations around the house. Some train sets even sell for thousands of dollars.

Wooden trains bring together the classic beauty of trains and combine it with the eloquence of wood. These trains tend to be bigger than the track models that various companies have made over the years. These trains are no less valuable or beautiful though. They can be both played with or kept as heirloom decorations. No matter what the intended use of the wooden train set is, the result will be a treasured work of art.

The most common style for a wooden train set it is the old style coal burning trains. The complexity of the trains depends greatly upon the function of the train. If the train is meant to be a piece of decoration, spending more time on the small details like the areas at the chimney of the train and the edging around the train is a good idea. If the train is destined to be a toy, these details can be over looked.

The standard idea for the train is to take a cylinder block, and attach a square block to the end of the cylinder. This creates the engine and the engineer's location. A chimney is typically designated as a second cylinder, attached to the first cylinder and going strait up. This is typically done by drilling a hole for the second cylinder in the first cylinder and then inserting and gluing the second cylinder in place. Again, the complexity of the details can be individualized. This is just a brief description. The whole thing can then be set on a second square block and wheels can be added to the train. A hook or eye can be attached to the back of the engine to allow one to attach the next car.

Most train cars are simple squares. The squares can be hollowed out or can be very shallow to allow for railings or such and the transport of different items. Each of these cars should have a hook on one side and an eye on the other to allow them to be attached to the other cars. Be sure to get the hooks and eyes lined up properly other wise the cars will not fit properly.

Painting of the train set can be done in a variety of manners. One can either paint each individual piece separately before assembling or one can paint the train once it is assembled. Another idea for the wooden train is to simply varnish the train to maintain the woods integrity while keeping it looking like wood. No matter how one decides to paint or decorate the train, it will be one of those beautiful works of wood crafting that will be treasured for years to come.

Lara Smith works for Woodworks, LTD, a wholesale craft parts supplier near Fort Worth, TX, offering wood products such as wooden toy wheels, toy parts, buttons and plugs. To learn more about wooden train, check out http://www.craftparts.com

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