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Railway Themed K-12 Distance Learning Activities: Topics
This website presents the results of an FRA project to develop and document new rail-themed K-12 STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) distance learning activities The resulting guidebook of rail-themed K-12 STEM distance learning is available here for use by educators, industry practitioners and others interested in conducting rail-focused STEM activities as part of classroom or community outreach programs via distance learning or independent study at home.
There is a growing collection of railway-themed experiences currently available in online open-world sandbox video game platforms such as Roblox and Minecraft that are popular with youth, and already used by K-12 educators, to foster student interest in complex engineering systems and computer programming. While many of these railway-themed experiences are simple and may be appropriate for younger students, the most advanced of them offer a ready-made platform for students to explore elements of railway operations, mechanical engineering and civil engineering within a familiar interface.
The project team developed 14 different activities for inclusion in the guidebook. The activities cover different facets of railway transportation and include a mixture of digital activities and hands-on desktop activities that can be conducted synchronously or asynchronously. The activity descriptions are modeled after formats used by websites that are popular with educators for sharing STEM activity and curriculum components. Given this educator focus, each activity description includes a summary of necessary prerequisite knowledge, connections to STEM learning points, lesson closure questions, and a link to an interactive online quiz to assess student learning.
Several of the activities in the guidebook leverage 3-D printing to enhance student learning with unique physical models not available through any other means. The refined 3-D printing files library is available here under the 3-D Print Models tab. The library includes model files and printing processes along with several tips for successful printing.
The project team also remastered an outdated Flash game into a new Railcar Switching Puzzle that can be played through a web browser. An introduction to the puzzle and link to the web-based program is under the Interactive Train Puzzle tab. The puzzle includes levels related to classification yard sorting strategies and basic railway operating processes.
The activities in this guidebook cover a wide variety of railroad topics. The activities are intended to be hands‐on to provide students with knowledge through experiential learning that also increases their awareness of railway transportation technology. Although the following chapters provide a step‐by‐step guide to each activity, we encourage you to experiment with modifications to each activity and to create your own activities on other facets of the railroad industry and STEM topics.
| Title and Link | Description |
Introduction and Acknowledgements | ||
1 | Using cardboard cutouts to create a train of rail cars and the commodities that go in them | |
2 | Railcar Size and Weight for Different Freight Shipment Density | Demonstrating how density affects the load that can be placed in a rail car. |
3 | Using readily available materials to create conical shapes that show how railcar wheels stay on the track | |
4 | Using a spring scale to measure the resistance of a rail car in two situations: Steel wheel on steel rail and rubber tire on “pavement” | |
5 | Using a commercially available train simulator to demonstrate train handling and to show the typical rail environment | |
6 | Building a scale model railroad track section using sand, fine gravel or crushed stone, and wood or metal “track” pieces | |
7 | Building a “scale” model track with edible materials | |
8 | Demonstrating railroad operations using Brio track and trains | |
9 | Demonstration of railcar sorting techniques on a Brio track railyard. Can also use a simulated paper yard diagram with paper railcar cutouts. | |
10 | Demonstration of the effectiveness of intermodal operations vs trucking only. Uses a printed or painted track/road surface and a variety of options for railcars and trucks | |
11 | Railroad Safety, and Potential Collaborators, Educational Opportunities, and Resources for Additional Learning | Methods to discuss railroad safety with k-12 students. Also discussion of opportunities to collaborate with rail industry professionals to help with K-12 activities. |
Contains the Intro and all 11 chapters. Approximately 10.2 Mb |
The Distance Learning Activities includes three sections; a guidebook with 13 activities and a chapter on Railroads in Open World Sandbox Games and another chapter on Implementation Considerations, a set of 3D printing models, and a railcar shunting game that can be played in a web browser or downloaded for local use.
Welcome to the Guidebook for Railway‐themed K‐12 STEM Distance Learning Activities! Here you will find descriptions of educational activities designed to introduce students to the railroad transportation mode through the lens of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) concepts.
The activities in this guidebook cover a wide variety of railroad topics. These “distance learning” activities are intended to be interactive and hands‐on to provide students with knowledge through experiential learning that also increases their awareness of railway transportation technology. The interactive activities are primarily computer-based and use various online resources to explore railroads through real-worlds maps and data, and online gaming activities. The hands-on activities are designed to be conducted on a table or desktop using printed paper and simple materials, but some may involve more complex parts and pieces prepared as a 3-D printed kit. Since most students do not have access to 3-D printers at home, the paper-based options may be preferred unless facilitators are able to print and mail 3-D printed kits in advance.
Some of the activities can be completed by a student alone through independent learning, but most can also be implemented in an online group setting with a facilitator. Despite the focus of this guidebook on distance learning for students who cannot travel to rail-focused STEM camps, the desktop activities can also be adapted to in-person classroom use, while the interactive computer-based activities can also be conducted by students on classroom computers or as a homework assignment on a school-provided tablet or notebook computer.
To help evaluate student learning, every chapter concludes with an online assessment using the Quizaline platform, as described in Chapter 1.
Although the following chapters provide a step‐by‐step guide to each activity, we encourage you to experiment with modifications to each activity and to create your own activities on other facets of the railroad industry and STEM topics.
We hope you find the activities in this guidebook to be informative and entertaining!
Chapter | Title | Description |
1 | An introduction to the Quizalize assessment tools | |
2 | A paper-based puzzle for students to assemble and discuss | |
3 | Guided written discussion with pictures and descriptions | |
4 | – Inquiry based lesson, with interactive exploration using 3D-printed “axles” and G-scale track. Print files for the axles are in the 3D Print Models tab of this website. | |
5 | Guided discussion for parts of a railcar and discussion of wheel sets. Instructions for use of the 3-D printed Boggie set. Print files for the bogie parts are in the 3D Print Models tab of this website. | |
6 | Guided discussion with interactive exercise using the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) ALTRIOS-Lite Train Simulator | |
7 | Background movie. Internet based exploration and analysis of rail freight movements. Includes worksheets for recording results | |
8 | Guided discussion with hands-on sorting activity | |
9 | Internet based exploration of a variety of rail terminals, with recording sheet for terminal data | |
10 | Guided discussion with hands-on railcar sorting activity | |
11 | Internet planning session comparing time and cost for a trip from Chicago to Detroit using four different travel modes. Work sheets for recording information provided | |
12 | Guided discussion of HSR in the US and around the world. Includes an activity comparing two similar corridors, one in China the other in the US | |
13 | Short background discussion and internet exploration and comparison of a variety of rail systems across the US | |
14 | Internet exploration of an on-line railcar “shunting” game with multiple levels of increasing difficulty | |
15 | Introduction to rail related games in a variety of different on-line game environments, including Roblox and Minecraft | |
16 | Activity Implementation, Rail Safety and Additional Resources | Ideas on mentoring for K-12 students and a short introduction to rail safety on an around railroad tracks |
Contains the Introduction and all 16 Actvities. Approximately 10.3 Mb |
The models shown here are some we have developed over the years for use in our classrooms. All of our models have .stl files, some also have .obj files.
The Bogie Assembly is used in Chapter 5 of the Guidebook, the Tapered Axles are used in Chapter 4.
Bogie Assembly The bogie assembly is a 13 piece model of a railroad bogie, or truck. The model has functioning wheel sets once they are assembled into the To create the model you will need : 4 – Wheels 4 – Journals 2 – Axles 1 – Bogie bolster 2 – Bogie Frames | ||
Axle | ||
Journal | ||
Wheel | ||
Bolster | ||
Frame | ||
| ||
Locomotive – this is a small 7 piece model, with no moving parts | ||
Alternator | ||
Frame | ||
Engine | ||
Bogie | ||
Front | ||
Middle | ||
Back | ||
| ||
Rail Cross Sections – These are short sections of the most common rail sizes. In the US the rail size is determined by the weight per yard – 136# is 136 pounds per yard. | ||
85# | ||
90# | ||
100# | ||
115# | ||
132# | ||
136# | ||
141# | ||
Small Rail Demo - ??? | ||
Tapered Axle Demo – These profiles are used with G-Scale track for the Wheel Dynamics exercise in the Guidebook, Chapt 4 | ||
Axle | ||
This is the train puzzle described in Chapter 14 of the Guidebook. This online train activity allows you to control your locomotive and navigate various cars to their destination on time. This game is a remaster of the original puzzle game, Railroad Shunting Puzzle. It will require problem-solving skills in order to complete 20 levels where you must guide train cars into their respective train station. Additional levels illustrate specific railway operating procedures required to sort and position railcars at specific shipper sidings.
This game is a remaster of the original puzzle game, Railroad Shunting Puzzle. The original game used Flash, which is no longer supported. We remade this game by using Unity so that it could be played again.
Instructions are included in the game landing page.
- Railroad Shunting Puzzle. The game can be played from the website in your browser, it is also available to download and play off-line.
Download a Zipped file: TrainShuntingRemaster.zip About 35 MB.