Simple Magnetic Train

How do you take copper wire, a battery and magnets and make electric train? In this simple but awesome Instructable I'm going to show you that!

Video tutorial

When you combine magnets, a conductor and movement you get electricity and when you combine electricity and a conductor you get a magnetic field. When you combine this magnetic field, with another magnetic field (provided by the magnets) you get movement! In step 2 I will first explain how the "train" works.

Copper wire (non-insulated).

AA Battery

Neodymium magnets

When the battery is placed inside the coil and both magnets are touching the coil it produces a closed circuit between the two magnets, and current flows. As the current flows through the conductive copper wire a magnetic field is created around the wire. This magnetic field interacts with the magnetic field created by the neodymium magnets in a way that repels the magnets on one end, and attracts the magnet on the other pushing the battery through the coil.

As the train moves, the process repeats in the section of the track between the two magnets, making it run until the battery has no juice left! The coiled bare copper wire acts as the conductor. It is important that the wire is bare (not enameled) and is coiled as tightly as possible only just wider than the diameter of the magnets being used, which in turn should be the same diameter or slightly larger than the battery being used. Next, you need to take your battery and add a magnet on each end. Follow the next steps of this Instructable to make this simple electromagnetic train.

To start, we're going to make the coil that the magnetic train goes through. To make these you need a tube with a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the magnets. I was lucky and had a plastic pipe in the shed that was suitable for this.

Twist the copper wire tightly around the tube. The twists should also be tight against each other.

To make it a bit easier I put the plastic pipe in a bearing and powered it with the cordless drill. Mat the hand also works, but this way is much faster!

Carefully remove the coil from the tube and gently pull the coils apart. The gaps between the turns must not exceed the thickness of the magnets.

Place three magnets on either end of the battery. You need to make sure the north poles (or the south poles) are facing each other when the magnets are attached to the battery. At the + side I have placed an iron ring in between for stability. This is not necessary.

Note: The batteries are very strong and can cause good pinch blisters! Don't let your fingers get in between them.

Slide the battery inside your coil and watch it go! If the battery is being forced out of the end of the coil, turn it around.

Now both magnets are touching the coil and producing a closed circuit between the two magnets, and current flows. As the current flows through the conductive copper wire a magnetic field is created around the wire. This magnetic field interacts with the magnetic field created by the neodymium magnets in a way that repels the magnets on one end, and attracts the magnet on the other pushing the battery through the coil.

Note: Be careful, if the battery is allowed to run continuously for more than a few seconds it will begin to get hot. Handle with care and never leave children unsupervised with magnets.