Building the world's fastest trains WITH HAMMERS

[bill937ca]

October 2011 Trains magazine has a four page article on these craftsmen and asks what happens when they retire? Now I'm going to settle back and enjoy the article.

[disturbman]

 

Could you be more obscure?  What are you talking about?

[bill937ca]

Shinkansen noses are hand built by craftsmen with hammers.  

 

See this thread.     http://www.jnsforum.com/index.php/topic,2795.0.html

[marknewton]

I recently got a Gakken book which deals with the design, construction and maintenance of Japanese trains. Although I was mainly interested in it for the steam loco chapters, it has a rather fascinating section that shows some old blokes making the noses for Series 300 cars. It's all done with just a small selection of hammers, flatters, and a bloody big anvil! 

 

As a boilermaker I'm hugely impressed by the craftsmanship involved.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[cteno4]

its happening in a lot of fields these days. amazing how many artists, designers, and architects these days cant draw... no kidding! its the downside of computers, some of the basic hand shaping and feeling that needs to go into the starting points of design is no longer being done. computers are great, but in the design process its better downstream than upstream.

 

jeff

[bill937ca]

How many write these days?  When was the last time you wrote someone a handwritten note? Most of us use a keyboard or a calculator to do what was done by hand for centuries.

[KenS]

One of the points made in the article is that the volume of Shinkansens made doesn't justify the set-up costs for automated manufacturing, and hence the craftsmen can do it cheaper.  That's also because the Japanese railways want them made out of metal, because it's lighter than an equivalent plastic of similar strength would be (which was an interesting bit of info I wouldn't have expected).  I'm surprised they don't use something like carbon fiber, as I'd expect that to be both light and rigid, but I'm not really very knowledgeable about that.

[Martijn Meerts]

Carbon fiber isn't always the best option. If it should break at higher speeds, the fibers will go all over the place. Carbon fiber shards are also incredibly sharp, so if an accident should happen at a station, the flying shards could easily cause a lot more damage.

 

 

As for architects not being able to draw.. When I start designing a web page, I always start with rough sketches on paper to get a quick look of whether an idea works or not. Even when coding, I often make a concept sketch on paper of some complicated bit of code/code loops, makes things much easier for me :)

[bikkuri bahn]

Here's an E4 nose being fashioned into shape:

[marknewton]

That's beautiful to watch!

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[cteno4]

Wonderful!

 

Reminds me of watching a friend of mine that makes jewelry by hammering out silver and gold. Beautiful to watch her.of course the size was two or three magnitudes smaller!

 

Jeff

[scott]

When I was a kid, I got to visit the shop of a guy who restored antique race cars. When the cars had missing or unsalvageable body parts, he would build replacements. Which involved forming complex curves, rounded noses, curved radiator shrouds, etc.--by eye and with just a hammer and a block of wood. And they were perfect replacements. It's one of those things you watch somebody do and still be completely mystified by it.