A scale model reconstruction of trains found at the Pacific Southwest Railroad Museum.
Introduction
You have just begun hiking the Pacific Crest Trail at the Southern Terminus in California. You have barely covered 3 miles of the trail when you cross a train track and notice a sign, "Pacific Southwest Railroad
Museum, Campo, California - MODEL RAILROAD DESIGNERS WANTED!"
Half remembering a line from "The Great Race," you turn to your hiking buddy and say, "You know professor, if we follow the tracks, we could save 15 miles."
Intrigued, you and your buddy decide to check it out; after all the museum is located right here in Campo and less than a mile off the trail.
(If you want to take a virtual hike of the trail click here and enjoy the hike.)
Task
The staff at the Pacific Southwest Railroad Museum notice you right away, "Can we help you?"
"Well, yes. We were just beginning our hike of the Pacific Crest Trail and noticed your sign where the trail crosses the railroad tracks and thought we would take a break from hiking and see if we could help you out," you respond.
"Sure we can use your help. As you can see, we have several trains and railroad artifacts located here at the museum," a kindly gentleman dressed in an old-time engineer's outfit states. "The museum even offers train rides on weekends and special holidays. Our problem is we have so many people here on weekends waiting for train rides we would like to provide them with something else to do and look at after they have walked through the museum. We want them to be able to build an HO-scale train modeled after the trains we have here. We want you to design a train using 2-dimensional geometric shapes. If you make each shape a different color, it will be easy for people to follow your pattern(s) to make their own train. Feel free to look around and decide which train you will build the blueprint for. Are there any questions?"
Your hand shoots up, "Yes, I have two questions. What is HO scale? and, can you make a list of exactly what you want from us?" you ask.
"Let me answer the HO question first. HO stands for half of "O" scale. Now, before you ask another question, that works out to 1 foot for every 87 feet of real train. So, the dimensions of a typical 40-foot boxcar would be 5.75 feet long, 1.5 feet wide and 2 feet high. You will be designing a two dimensional train, so you are only worried about the length and height. If you have paper and pencil ready, here is your list. Just copy it in your notebooks."
1.
You will be given a sheet of geometric shapes. Label as many as you can and color code them as well.
2.
Decide which engine, tender (if necessary), freight or passenger cars and caboose you want to create by looking at our inventory.
3.
Summarize a brief history of your chosen train including its measurements.

4.
List the geometric shapes you will use to recreate your train after converting them to HO scale.
5.
Build a 2- dimensional train on poster board or other non-flexible surface using your color-coded,
HO-scale geometric shapes.
6.
When you are all done, maybe you can convince the "engineer" to let you take a train ride, or at least visit a train station.
"One last thing," the manager intoned. "Have fun and feel free to look around. "
Process
1.
Go to Pacific Southwest Railway Museum website at https://www.psrm.org. a.
Research their inventory and choose which train you want to make a blueprint for. b.
Research history of that train and prepare written summary. c.
Determine height and length of train you have chosen.
2.
Obtain printed geometric shape page from teacher. a.
Label minimum of 4 shapes. b.
Color code those shapes.
3.
Train blueprint. a.
Each train must have an engine and a caboose. b.
Choose additional cars as desired to complete your train. c.
Look at photo of your train and make a list of the geometric shapes needed to construct that train. (If these shapes were not the ones you labeled in #2 above, add them to your list of labeled and color-coded shapes.) d.
Use the list in 3c. (above) to make a table that shows each shape, its color, original train measurements, HO measurement conversions in inches for each shape and number of times the shape is used. (Note: Each shape has only one color code irrespective of its size, i.e.,
You may be using several circles for things like wheels, lights and so on, that are different sizes – each will have the same color code.) e.
Cut out each shape needed to build your 2-dimensional train and either color it or cut out of colored paper according to your color code in 2b. (above)
4.
Build your train. a.
On poster board or other stiff paper draw an outline of your train, including all cars. b.
c.
Mount your shapes on the poster board to create your train.
Evaluation
This is how your work will be evaluated.
Trail Angel
1
Day
2
Hiker Section Hiker
3
Thru
4
Hiker
Score
Identifying
Geometric
Shapes
4 shapes are named and color coded.
Some are spelled correctly.
More than 4 shapes named and color coded; most are spelled correctly.
All shapes are named and color coded and most are spelled correctly.
All shapes are named, color coded and spelled correctly.

Train Choice and
History
1 engine and caboose with minimal history with only one source. Report shows many grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.
1 engine and
1 engine and caboose with 1 additional car.
History is limited with one source. Report shows a few grammatical spelling, or punctuation
1 engine and caboose with 2 or caboose with 3 or more additional more additional cars. History is cars. correct with two or more sources. Report
History informative with two or more sources. Report shows almost no shows no grammatical, grammatical, spelling or spelling or punctuation errors. punctuation errors. errors.
Train
Measurements
The train is not measured correctly and is not close.
The train is not measured correctly but it is close.
The train is measured correctly and not labeled.
The train is measured correctly and labeled in inches.
HO Conversion of
Some shapes are measured
Geometric Shapes correctly and
Measurements some are labeled.
Shape Usage
Train Design
Use of 1 shape repeatedly.
Sloppy but has the correct shapes and colors.
Most shapes are measured correctly and labeled.
All shapes are measured correctly in inches either vertical or horizontal and labeled.
All shapes are measured correctly both vertical and horizontal in inches and labeled.
Use of multiple shapes.
Use of multiple shapes with at least one shape both vertical and horizontal.
Use of multiple shapes in vertical and horizontal positions.
Neat and colorful Neat and colorful with lots of eraser marks. with few errors.
Neat and colorful with clean, straight lines.
Stated Objective or Performance Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting a beginning level of performance. This would be a "Trail Angel" - a Trail Angel has a knowledge of the trail and often lends assistance to Thru hikers, Section Hikers and Day Hikers alike, and sometimes can create a little trail magic of their own.
Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting development and movement toward mastery of performance. This would be a "Day Hiker." A Day Hiker is a person who has acquired some hiking skills, but does not take any hike requiring a backpacking or camping experience.
Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting mastery of performance. This would be a "Section Hiker." A Section Hiker is a person who has acquired most of the skills necessary to hike the entire PCT, but takes several hiking seasons to complete it.

Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting the highest level of performance. This would be a"Thru Hiker." A Thru Hiker is A Thru Hiker is a person who has acquired all the skills necessary to hike the entire PCT in one season.
Conclusion
You have just built a two-dimensional model railroad of a train currently located at the Pacific Southwest
Railroad Museum in Campo, California. If you live in the San Diego area, take the opportunity to visit the museum and learn more. As a bonus the museum is always looking for volunteers to help them out with the preservation of a great era in American history. Also in San Diego is the model railroader's museum in Balboa Park, open to the public. Go and check out their awesome displays and learn a little more about model railroading.
If you don't live in the San Diego area, every major city in the United States has had or has a railroad running thru it, check out the history of trains in your city.
If you want to learn more about trains and the Pacific Crest Trail, look at a map of the entire trail from
Mexico to Canada and see what other rail lines have come close to or intersect the trail.
One last item, get outside and hike. Enjoy the synergism of this great world we live in. There is always something new to learn.
TEACHER PAGE
This web quest is a scale model reconstruction of trains found at the Pacific Southwest Railroad Museum in Campo, CA.
Teacher Introduction
Trains are almost universally enjoyed by both boys and girls. The colorful construction of a twodimensional scale model train will incorporates addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, geometric shapes, labeling, and designing as well as linguistic skills. It is a fun and creative way to make math realistic. And while a trip to the local railroad museum or model railroad display is not necessary it would be well worth the time and effort.
Learners
This web quest is designed for 5th-6th grade math students, however it can easily be adapted to lower grade levels. To do this, have the students identify the shapes and color code them as well. Give the students the measurements for a basic train in inches or centimeters. Have them measure and cut the shapes to the given measurements, cut the shapes, color the shapes and use the shapes to make a train. This would make the quest suitable for 2nd-3rd grade math.
Teacher Process
Teachers/parents will need to print out the geometric shape page for each student and make sure each student has a ruler, pencil, scissors, colored paper or colored pencils or crayons.
Students can be divided into groups to work on the project with each one designing a different car for their train.

If students are working in a group, one student could design the train, another measure, another gather information for the history of the train and another make the presentation board. Alternatively, have one student in charge of one of the tasks.
This quest should take one day for research, one day for train design and measurement, one day for historical write up, one day for presentation board and one for presentation of project.
Three Multiple Intelligence Used:
Verbal/Linguistic i. applying written word to problem solve ii. explaining the solution to the class, peer evaluation, or teacher
Mathematical/Logical i. reasoning & problem solving ii. following sequential instruction
Visual/Spatial i. organizing ideas ii. applying visual ideas to gain understanding
Resources
Teacher resources listed by process.
Process 1
Initially, the students will go to the Pacific Southwest Railroad Museum website - https://www.psrm.org.
This website will provide a majority of the information needed to complete the project. The students will have to navigate through several pages to find all the information they need.
Process 2
You will need to print the following geometric shape page for each student found at this site
- http://www.mathworksheetsland.com/k/recognizeshapes/labelshape.pdf
The shapes can be labeled and colored on this sheet.
Process 3
If it is allowed, it would be ideal for the students to download and print a photo of their selected train from the website listed in Process 1.
Provide each student with ruler, pencil and paper.
Process 4
If students need ideas for using shapes to make a train go to http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~jmi22/Worksheets.htm
Additionally, they will need colored paper and/or colored pencils or crayons, scissors and a presentation board to complete the project.
Standards
Convert like measurement units within a given measurement system.
CCSS.Math.Content.5.MD.A.1
Convert among different-sized standard measurement units within a given measurement system (e.g., convert 5 cm to 0.05 m), and use these conversions in solving multi-step, real world problems.
Represent and interpret data.

CCSS.Math.Content.5.MD.B.2
Make a line plot to display a data set of measurements in fractions of a unit (1/2, 1/4, 1/8). Use operations on fractions for this grade to solve problems involving information presented in line plots. For example, given different measurements of liquid in identical beakers, find the amount of liquid each beaker would contain if the total amount in all the beakers were redistributed equally .
Classify two-dimensional figures into categories based on their properties.
CCSS.Math.Content.5.G.B.3
Understand that attributes belonging to a category of two-dimensional figures also belong to all subcategories of that category. For example, all rectangles have four right angles and squares are rectangles, so all squares have four right angles.
CCSS.Math.Content.5.G.B.4
Classify two-dimensional figures in a hierarchy based on properties.