from one
scantling to the other to serve as seats.

THE RAILWAY TRACK.

[Illustration: Fig. 301. The Inclined Trestle.]

[Illustration: Fig. 302. Joints of the Track.]

The trestle was now begun. First we erected a level platform, which was
to be the starting point of the railway. This was made very substantial
by planting the corner posts firmly in the ground and then bracing them
together with diagonal braces. A couple of planks leaning against the
platform at one side provided a convenient means for mounting to the
top. From the platform the trestle ran down at an easy incline to the
ground. It was made of 2 x 4-inch scantlings supported at intervals on
posts driven into the ground. The opposite posts were firmly braced with
boards fastened diagonally across them. The scantlings were to serve as
rails, and so we fastened them at the proper distance apart with ties
nailed to the under side. But to be sure that the rails were not too far
apart or too close together, the car was rolled over the track and the
rails were set to keep the tread disks of the wheels on them and the
flange disks just clear of their inner edges. The ends of the rails were
cut off at an angle, making a slanting joint, as shown in Figs. 301 and
302. They were fastened firmly together by nailing a piece of board on
the bottom and also on the outer side.

THE CARPENTER'S MITER BOX.

[Illustration: Fig. 303. Carpenter's Miter Box.]

To make sure that the ends were all cut to the same angle, we made a
carpenter's "miter box." Two sideboards were nailed to a baseboard,
making a trough large enough for the scantling to be set in it. Then we
sawed through the sides of the trough at an angle of 45 degrees. When we
wanted to cut the end of the scantling at an angle it was placed in the
trough, and with the saw set in the saw cuts, as a guide, we were sure
that they would all be cut at the same angle.

LAYING THE TRACK.

[Illustration: Fig. 304. How the Track was Anchored.]

From the bottom of the inclined trestleway we continued the track down
the slope to the river; but for the sake of economy, instead of using 2
x 4-inch scantlings for the rails, we bought a number of 2-inch planks
at Lumberville, and had them sawed up into strips 2 inches wide. These
2-inch square rails were fastened together with slabs nailed on at
frequent intervals. To maintain the proper gauge the car was rolled over
each pair of rails, which were nailed first at