TSO-E Day 3: Persistence Pays Off

The tasks at hand for Tinkerers seemed daunting for some during the second day of building Tuesday, but great successes were achieved in both the junior and senior camps.

Building a functional looping railway was great in theory, but getting down to exact measurements was definitely overwhelming as senior Tinkerers realized they would need 222’ of railway with support piers of varying heights to stake into the ground of a steeply sloping build site.

Senior Tinkerer, Isabella, extends a measure tape across the upper portion of the build site to determine part of the roller coaster railway.

“We should have a few more people helping with the measurements,” a skeptical senior Tinkerer, Deniz, said as teams created a punch list of steps to be taken for construction of the adjoining rail segments.

However, as rails were linked together, rotated and placed, the crews could see their way to making the loop. Senior Tinkerers also built the first model car that will travel along the 222’ of rails.

Senior Tinkerers, Isaac and Isabella, and collaborators, Claire and P.K., examine possible pier supports for their section of the roller coaster rail.

“I think it’s going to go really, really fast,” senior Tinkerer, Lucy, excitedly said, and the can-do attitude followed.

“Okay, let’s actually make some tracks,” Charlotte, a senior Tinkerer, prompted as all teams jumped into the build.

In the junior camp, the merry-go-round team built a support and structural framing for their design as well as placed 24 casters on one octagonal frame, which will serve as the runners for the top platform framing. The zip line endured several test runs successfully with a few modifications to improve the ride while the adjoining tree house platform was hoisted up into the trees by nightfall. It will serve as the landing for the zip line as well.

Junior Tinkerers, Scarlett and Ella, set their casters around the bottom framing of their merry-go-round.

“It was pretty stable and very high. I think it will definitely hold us though,” Daniel, a junior Tinkerer, said through a glowing smile following the very first test run of the zip line he helped to build.

Junior Tinkerer, Daniel, reaches the end of the zip line he helped build.

Summing up the day’s progress, Issac, a senior Tinkerer said it best.

“We’re really starting to make progress. [We’re] getting into the rhythm,” Daniel said with confidence.

Check out the photo slideshow of our Tinkerers’ second day of collaborative building and an afternoon visit with UC Elkus Ranch’s farm animals.