A staple of old movies featuring railways, many handcars – also called pump trolleys or pump cars – feature the characteristic seesawing beam. Requiring at least two people, the motion of this beam is subsequently converted into the rotating motion of the wheels, propelling it at a leisurely pace across the tracks. As a fun and yet functional mechanical contraption it also makes for an entertaining 3D printable project, which is what [Sam Barker] and [Tom] did.
You can find the entire project over at Printables if you are feeling the itch as well, though as of writing details on the required bolts and shafts are still pending.
Since the entire assembly had to be lugged over to the Open Sauce event in the US, they had to design it to be small enough to fit into check-in luggage and easy enough to reassemble in a hotel room. Naturally this put some constraints on the full size of the contraption, with it omitting compatibility with standard gauge railways and also being decidedly fun-sized.
That said, it seems to have left an impression on the folk over at Open Sauce, and it’s hard to argue with the sheer fun factor of such a co-op mode of transportation. Even if bicycle-style handcars are more popular these days, especially for tourist purposes, the old seesaw-style has that certain charm to it.
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