A handcar is a vehicle that, like the name suggests, can be operated by hand, and travels by rail. This device and its deviations are known by several different names according to the country in which they are used, including the pump trolley, the pump car, the draisine, the velocipede in North America and the Kalamazoo in Australia. In the past, the handcar was used for various tasks. These included railway inspection and maintenance, mining (handcars were used as mining cars to carry out coal and other materials) and even the transport of passengers in some areas. Of course, today the existence of motor-powered vehicles and advanced technology and communications links has made the handcar obsolete. Nonetheless this device is still enjoyed by many who see it as an interesting antique and a reservoir of the past.
The standard handcar consists of a platform held on the railroad tracks by four wheels containing grooves that fit onto the tracks. The platform is what people stand on when they operate the vehicle. The platform also contains an arm that pivots around a base. This arm forms a fulcrum with the base and is alternately pushed and pulled by the passenger to make the device move. The railcar breaking system is a simple rod held in place by a spring, that when depressed by the operator’s foot engages two bars pinned at its center that sends a steel brake against the front and rear truck wheel face. Handcars and therefore relatively simple vehicles for those who have learned the mechanics of such a device. Given the handcar’s small size and light weight (usually between 700 and 900 pounds), it was an ideal vehicle to use for railroad maintenance and repair work, as it could easily be moved off the tracks and out of the path of an oncoming train.
However, many different models have been used as handcars. Apart from the standard handcar that that moves from the action of a hand-powered pump, world-wide variations have different uses and require different methods of operation. For example, the bamboo cart used in Cambodia was been constructed and used for centuries by villagers and merchants to transport goods from one place to the other. Another instance is the human car tramway, which was used widely in the early 1900s in Japan. These vehicles were also used to transport goods and people, though operators pushed them along the tracks from the back instead of using a pump. The tracks for these handcars were never very long, and this method of transport soon succumbed to more efficient vehicles such as animal-driven carts and motor vehicles. However, several rail tracks remain in Japan today, the largest numbers being in areas such as Tochigi and Ibaraki. Other versions around the world include bicycle-powered cars and even some designs that resemble rickshaws in certain countries of Southeast Asia such as Pakistan.
The handcar’s characteristic design and its wide use in the past have made it a well-known device around the world. It has often been featured in old films and cartoons. Today vintage handcars are treasured by collectors and even raced in some countries. In this way, the handcar has lived on through the ages to preserve much of the traditions that are now long forgotten.
The standard handcar consists of a platform held on the railroad tracks by four wheels containing grooves that fit onto the tracks. The platform is what people stand on when they operate the vehicle. The platform also contains an arm that pivots around a base. This arm forms a fulcrum with the base and is alternately pushed and pulled by the passenger to make the device move. The railcar breaking system is a simple rod held in place by a spring, that when depressed by the operator’s foot engages two bars pinned at its center that sends a steel brake against the front and rear truck wheel face. Handcars and therefore relatively simple vehicles for those who have learned the mechanics of such a device. Given the handcar’s small size and light weight (usually between 700 and 900 pounds), it was an ideal vehicle to use for railroad maintenance and repair work, as it could easily be moved off the tracks and out of the path of an oncoming train.
However, many different models have been used as handcars. Apart from the standard handcar that that moves from the action of a hand-powered pump, world-wide variations have different uses and require different methods of operation. For example, the bamboo cart used in Cambodia was been constructed and used for centuries by villagers and merchants to transport goods from one place to the other. Another instance is the human car tramway, which was used widely in the early 1900s in Japan. These vehicles were also used to transport goods and people, though operators pushed them along the tracks from the back instead of using a pump. The tracks for these handcars were never very long, and this method of transport soon succumbed to more efficient vehicles such as animal-driven carts and motor vehicles. However, several rail tracks remain in Japan today, the largest numbers being in areas such as Tochigi and Ibaraki. Other versions around the world include bicycle-powered cars and even some designs that resemble rickshaws in certain countries of Southeast Asia such as Pakistan.
The handcar’s characteristic design and its wide use in the past have made it a well-known device around the world. It has often been featured in old films and cartoons. Today vintage handcars are treasured by collectors and even raced in some countries. In this way, the handcar has lived on through the ages to preserve much of the traditions that are now long forgotten.