# Routed HO Test Track



## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Just finished my test piece of routed track, as pictured below. I've used a type of wire called "stitching wire" here in Australia (not sure what Americans call it, or if it's available there) and it's pretty close to Tomy dimensions for wire.

I put more details on our local forum (under WA Routed - Test Track 1, last page): http://neophytte.mine.nu/forum/forum.pl?fid=05 but just wanted to show off here  

Cheers

Richard


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

*OT... but somewhat relevant.*

Looks great Neo! Hopefully you'll keep us up to date as you progress.

"Stitcher wire" is used in Binderies for holding documents together. Most magazines and periodicals are sewn with wire. Contrary to the common mis-conception that they are stapled.

I only know this because I was an equipment rigger for Xerox many moons ago. The "jogger-stitcher" was a seperate module that attached to the mainframe. It looked like a giant upside down sewing machine.  

The funny part was that the both the roll being used and the extra rolls were store below in a cabinet like a MIG welder. During transport/removal, if the cabinet was not locked or banded, the door would invariably fly open when crossing a bumpy threshold, or traversing stairs and the heavy, spare rolls would fly out and mash a toe. The veterans would howl with laughter when a rookie came back limping, "You've been jogged!...Do ya need stitches?" A painful right of passage and a valuable lesson for the dum dums who refused to wear proper foot attire.  

I still got a roll of it hanging around somewhere's. I kept it, like one would keep a game ball. It had a big chip out of the plastic spool where it landed on my steel toed boot. Could have been my toe!


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Hi Bill, thanks for that - some of us here in W.Aust were wondering what it was and how it was used ... I usually keep my website dedicated to the project up to date (but haven't added this success yet), you can see the progress here: http://routedtrack.hobby-site.com 

Cheers

Richard


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## wm_brant (Nov 21, 2004)

Richard --

Hello again, and I'm glad to see you working on your track again. I thought we had lost you to your wife <grin>. The 'stitching wire' looks like a good find; please keep us updated on how it works.

I looked for stitching wire vendors in the US last night, and found many of them. I see that stitching wire come in both galvanized and copper-coated versions, along with the plain mild steel. Does anyone have a recommendation on which one to use, or which ones to avoid?

Anyway, good luck on your track, and I'm glad to see you are back.

-- Bill


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Hi Bill,

Nah, it's just been damn cold down this way, and a mixture of wife, work and other weekend jobs have kept me busy for a while - I must admit I've been pondering on the 'rail' situation for a while as well, not really happy with the alternatives I had. 

I'm pretty happy with the results I've got so far - the next trick will be to finish off that damn test track that has been hanging around the garage for so long; I think it'll be a quick whip around the 4 rail tracks with the router set at the right depth, then add the stitching wire and locking wire. All sounds easy in theory ... just like astro-physics


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## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

Looks pretty good so far. Like the lane spacing change I see with some of the curves. Keep 'em coming. :thumbsup: rr


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Thanks roadrner - this pic is a view of the overall initial test track I started about a year ago, you can see the ongoing progress at http://routedtrack.hobby-site.com - check the "construction" page!

Cheers

Richard


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## SCJ (Jul 15, 1999)

Neo, looks like a cool track...but do yourself a favor!

Before you put all the time, blood, sweat & tears into measuring, routing, sanding, epoxying (is that a word?) etc. into the track, do a corrosion or "rust" test on the proposed rail material first.

While us slot car phoebes expect slot rails to have some corrosion resistance to them....the manufactures of the stitching (or staple) wire aren't so concerned with this and it often contains scrap or garbage metals) etc.. This works fine for stitching or stapling, but can rust in a heart beat!

Just an FYI......I didn't want you to learn the hard way.

:wave: 

-------------------------
www.SlotCarJohnnies.com


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## wm_brant (Nov 21, 2004)

SCJ --

Are you speaking from experience, or do you have a generalized concern?

I'm no expert, but I've been looking into stitching wire since Richard posted his message. There appears to be quite a focus on rust prevention in the stitching wires that I've looked at. One manufacturer -- not one of the largest -- sells stitching wire with the following anti-rust approaches:

* Galvanized
* Tinned
* Copper Coated
* Liquor Finish (lacquer?)
* Stainless Steel (lower magnetic downforce)
* Nylon Coated (not good for conductivity, but maybe you could remove the nylon from the top surface, and have rust-free sides)

Most 'stitching wire' is galvanized. I've even seen flat brass stitching wire.

I've run across rust testing for stitching wire on the web. The usual approach appears to by to put 10 short pieces under water. Leave it submerged for 72 hours. Then take it out and inspect wire. If there is any rust, the wire fails. I think that's pretty good. 

To test for a slot racing use, file the coating off the top of the wire, and repeat the test.

I want to look at the tinned and the copper coated wires more.

-- Bill


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## SCJ (Jul 15, 1999)

Speaking from experience  .........but I'm not saying it's not doable by any means, only that you need to take precautions.

In fact it's my best guestamation that several of the commercial routed track guys use stitching/staple wire, but if your finding manufactures touting the fact theirs doesn't rust you've proven my point. It can be a problem with this type material so check what your buying.

If you contact the manufacture and ask for a small sample they will probably send it to you for free (or at minimal cost) so you can test it before you buy it! In my track building scenario, the guy I built the track for found copper coated staple wire (not sure from whom) but that's what we built the second track with. Keep in mind, copper will still tarnish (just look in your pocket at a penny) and it is only a coating on most "wire" so in theory it could wear off.


----------------------------------------
www.SlotCarJohnnies.com


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## Rauncy (Sep 1, 1999)

*Fun Facts*

Here's a fun fact about the so called copper US penny...
In 1962, the cent's tin content, which was quite small, was removed. That made the metal composition of the cent 95 percent copper and 5 percent zinc. The alloy remained 95 percent copper and 5 percent zinc until 1982, when the composition was changed to 97.5 percent zinc and 2.5 percent copper (copper-plated zinc). It's now a zinc penny... Raunchy


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## rudykizuty (Aug 16, 2007)

Rauncy said:


> Here's a fun fact about the so called copper US penny...
> In 1962, the cent's tin content, which was quite small, was removed. That made the metal composition of the cent 95 percent copper and 5 percent zinc. The alloy remained 95 percent copper and 5 percent zinc until 1982, when the composition was changed to 97.5 percent zinc and 2.5 percent copper (copper-plated zinc). It's now a zinc penny... Raunchy


Yeah, some of us older slot hacks remember when they made that "change".


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Richard,
I read through your entire thread. Great.
I have a question - what is locking wire?

Thanks...Joe


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## wm_brant (Nov 21, 2004)

Joe --

Let me try fielding this for Richard who is probably sleeping at the moment.

Routed, railed tracks typically have a 1/16" wide rail slot. That's significantly wider than the rail, but 1/16" router bits are about as small as you can find.

'Locking wire', is the individual colored and insulated wires inside of what you and I call 'telephone wire'. Locking wire describes what the wire does when used to make an HO track, not what it is normally called. I know that spools of these wires can be purchased separately, but I have not tried to track them down myself.

The locking wire is used to hold the rail in place inside the over sized slot. The insulated wires are narrow, and create a friction fit with the rail when they are pressed into the slot next to the rail. The locking wire forces the rail against the other side of the slot. However, you also need to glue the lock wire in.

These wires do come in different diameters, so you will need to test a sample of the wire in a slot with a piece of rail before buying.

HO World has a video on installing the lock wire. You can view it here.

-- Bill


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Bill,
Thanks for that explaination. I thought that's what was meant by "locking wire", but I wanted to be sure.

Thanks...Joe


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Hi All,

Thanks for your thoughts on "rust testing" - I've cut up an old Life Like 9" curve to do some testing; 2 vials contain a test piece of Stitching Wire and Life Like rail, exposed normally (no water), 2 vials have "stock" Stitching Wire and Life Like rail, and 2 vials have sanded back Stitching Wire and Life Like rail - we've got a hot week coming up with most days in the 40's (Centigrade) so I'm hoping the water will evaporate and cause maximum damage to see what rusts and what doesn't.

Joe - what Bill said was spot on (including the sleeping part!!) 

I showed the other guys at the Perth slotcar meet, and they were impressed and excited, although the rails are sticking above the surface about 0.8mm and they should be around 0.4mm - but this is a test piece, so I'll be a bit more accurate on the test track (soon!). But first the rust test ... 

Cheers

Richard


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## SCJ (Jul 15, 1999)

Hey Neo-


If my math is correct (It's often wrong) we should be five days into the "rust test".....please share the results?


-------------------------
www.SlotCarJohnnies.com


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Hi,

Well the good news is that we've had some hot and dry weather down here, just the sort to lead to rust - the water evaporated and I refilled it a day later, I haven't inspected the pieces in detail as I was hoping to run the test until Sunday, but the Life Like track looks a bit worse out of the two; admittedly this was an older piece that had been sat in my study for a while and the other end of the 1/4 9" curve showed signs of rust (this was from an eBay buy that I got for the cars). The stitching wire is showing some deterioration where I sanded it back, but mostly on the flat side rather than the top - but I'll let this run until Sunday and post some pics up.

Cheers

Richard


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

I vendor I knew once kept boxes of 9" 1/4 curves on his back deck throughout the winter in Delaware. They were either Lifelike or Mattel, I can't remember. The boxes were uncovered, but the deck had a roof on it with three sides open.

After the winter, we were surprised at the lack of rust which seemed to be showing on the rails. The track never got wet, but was exposed to the climate. Doing something along these lines may be a more accurate and telling test than having the pieces sit in water. It is however a much longer time frame and maybe the "water test" is a way to quicken the testing period. However, since most of us do not dunk our track in water...

After all, the real reason for the test is to see how stiching wire holds up under normal conditions. However, if it passes your test, it should be more than good enough for normal conditions.

Joe


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

*Rust Test Results*

After 7 days here are the pics from the rust test. The Life Like track seemed to suffer more, as you can see visible rust on the sanded piece of track.

I also re-routed my test piece and got a better result, I wrote a fairly lengthy report on it in our local forum, so if you're interested please visit:

http://neophytte.mine.nu/forum/forum.pl?fid=05&topic_id=1162044390&page=8

Cheers

Richard


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## RickP (May 15, 2002)

May be I missed it, but what are the dimensions of the stitching wire? Also, what are the specifications, i.e. steel, copper coded, nickel coded, etc? Has anyone here in the states found a supplier?

Rick


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Hi Rick,

I may not have posted them here, as I generally keep all the tech stuff on my site, and the postings here are broad overviews - broad flat stitching wire is 2.5mm x 0.5mm, Tomy track is 2.4mm x 0.4mm, so the dimensions are very close. It's a galvanised steel wire, thus the rust tests above.

This is from the website where I ordered the test wire from:



> Bekaert Stitching wire - for the printing and book binding industry.
> 
> We sell Bekaert stitching wire as it is the highest quality wire due to the superior drawing and coating process - electro alloy plated with tin and zinc added.
> 
> We stock thirteen sizes of round, narrow flat and broad flat wire, wound on various spool sizes. Many other types of wires are available for various applications and we ask you to contact us for your particular requirements.


From:

http://www.conpack.com.au/ci/bekaert.htm

And this PDF is a one page overview:

http://www.conpack.com.au/ci/pdf/Stitching_wire.pdf

And you can visit my website to keep an eye on progress:

http://routedtrack.hobby-site.com/

or our local (Perth, Australia) forum:

http://neophytte.mine.nu/forum/

HTH!

Richard


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

*Rust Test*

After 14 days:


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## noddaz (Aug 6, 1999)

*So, how well does it work?*

How well does it work for building racetracks?
After all THAT is the important question.....

Scott


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Well, the straight test track is a running example, but at around 40cm it's hard to determine downpull, speed, etc. I've ordered some more stitching wire and this weekend changed the depths of my slots to accept it. Hopefully if the wire arrives this week I should have a working test track to have a play around with.

http://routedtrack.hobby-site.com/html/construction.html

Cheers

Richard


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## bobhch (Apr 22, 2007)

Richard,

Kool stuff....Track building you are. WOW!

Bob...zilla


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

*21 days*

After 21 days, the wire is starting to show some brown spots (this may also be that the water I used was from a bucket full of mulch!). I've ordered more wire (400 metres, I think that's around 1200ft) so hopefully the test track will be finished this weekend.

Cheers

Richard


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

*28 days*

Waiting on the wire ...


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Damn - got an email earlier today from the supplier saying he'd lost my address, looks like the stitching wire won't be here before xmas 

Richard


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

The wire has arrived - hopefully get the test track in a test state this weekend .. yay!!


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

For anyone interested, I've put a couple of videos on our local forum testing the test track with the stitching wire:

Routed track T-Jet test:

http://neophytte.mine.nu/forum/simpleforum_files/attachments/routed_tj.mov

Tomy Turbo test:

http://neophytte.mine.nu/forum/simpleforum_files/attachments/routed_turbo.mov

There are still a couple of high points in the track that need to be sorted, but it's all working in theory ... 

Cheers

Richard


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

And now both lanes are working with most problems sorted:

http://neophytte.mine.nu/forum/simpleforum_files/attachments/2cars_routed.MOV

This page in our forums goes into details:

http://neophytte.mine.nu/forum/forum.pl?fid=05&topic_id=1162044390&page=9

Cheers

Richard


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Having problems with the timing set up; what are other routed track makers using for triggers .. reeds or optical??

Thanks

Richard


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Richard,
I continue to follow your progress with great interest.

I noticed on your board you mention the problem you had with the tight turns. One thing I have noticed on my Tyco/Mattel track is that the 6" turns can give you a couple problems if you take them slowly.

The first is that you really need inside borders for a 6" curve. If you enter a 6" curve and do not fishtail at all (go very slow), on some chassis the inside tire will fall off the track. You need to fishtail slightly to keep all four tires on the track.

The second consideration, and something you ran into, is the fact that because of the severe tightness of the 6" curve, it is easy for the shoes to lose contact with the rails. If you fishtail around a 6" curve, you are fine. If you do not (again, take the curve very slowly), the car remains somewhat straight and the shoes can leave the rails while the pin is still in the slot. This is also when the tire can fall off the track.

And thirdly, if you take the curve too slow and do not fishtail, the traction magnets move out from directly over the rails. This has the effect of drastically reducing the magnetic downforce. On the old Aurora Super Magnatration chassis, the traction magnets move far enough off the rails to cause the pickup shoe springs to raise the chassis out of the slot. Without the magnetic downforce, the pickup shoe springs do not compress.

Joe


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Thanks for your input Joe, I think my problem was caused by the rail track being about 1.5mm over the width of the rail; I kinda put this down to not compensating for the width of the router bit - but as someone else said - "that's what test tracks are for!".

My routed track is on one sheet, so the need for inner borders isn't an issue yet, however I have found that the paint I used seems to be hell-slippy which means that as a car goes around the bend, if it looses magnetic grip, the tyres don't cling well and it zips into a large degree turn (ie it spins out) and looses electrical conductivity.

I've got some T-Jet's that I've been testing, but they don't work as well as magnet cars, probably for the above reason, and that the T-Jet pickups seem a lot more sensitive to the rail width. 

I actually haven't found too much of an issue with the cars de-slotting, generally they spin around or stop from lack of electrical conductivity - I think this is because my guide route was as deep as the router bit would let me go, so they stay on the track quite well.

I seem to remember in another post somewhere you were asking about whether routing a track was cheaper than buying plastic, and I seem to find that it is. This whole test track has cost me less than $au50 so far, with the most expensive part the wood that it sits on (2 sheets @ $au10 each). For anyone that is interested in making their own track I'd suggest for them to go ahead, although I think as a second or replacement track, rather than as a first track.

Cheers

Richard


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Richard,
As you mentioned, since this is a routed track, there is no need for borders. The other two issues are still present.

However, as I thought about this some more, it occured to me that it might not be a bad idea to use multiple rails on the small radius curves. Your problem stemmed from not having the rails at the correct width. But as I have discovered, even when they are at the correct width, you can still lose contact with the rail - both pickup shoes and traction magnets. This problem could be alleviated by making the rail wider on the tight curves. That would allow the car to maintain contact with the rails whether you fishtail slightly or take the curve slowly.

Maybe in the case of your routed track, you could use extra pieces of rail rather than the locking wire (plastic sleeve) to hold the rail in the slot on the tight curves. While the extra rail would create more downforce (maybe not a bad thing on tight curves??), it would also be possible to use non-magnetic rail for the extra pieces. Of course, T-Jets wouldn't care one way or the other. And non-magnetic rail would not solve the issue of the traction magnets moving off the main rail.

Just a thought.

Thanks...Joe


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Completed track pic attached.


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## RickP (May 15, 2002)

For those that might remember some of my previous status reports on my routed track, I have successfully competed one lane with power rails. I had decided to use the electrican fish tape for power rails. There was a lot of bending and fitting of this tape because of it "springyness". I tested the track successfully with both T Jets and magnatraction. Any of the other magnet cars, did operate so well. May be too much magnetic attraction or the rail height may be too high. But is seems to be working for what I need. I install the power rails on the middle of three lanes. I figured this would be the easiest because there are no real tight curves. Which ever I do next will require either more bending or cutting relief notches in the bottom of the rails for the curves. I did have two spots where the section of MDF top part separated from the bottom and squeezed the guide slot almost closed. I had to wedge the slot open, add a couple of 1/2" brads and even re-rout the guide slot. Hope to move on to another lane shortly.

Rick


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## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

Rick, you should stop by Mark's Model World in Canton to look at his latest wood HO track. He used welding wire but I'm sure he'd have some tips and advice about proper rail heights and ways to secure the wire into the grooves. 

824 12th Street, Canton, OH 44703
330-588-2167
Tu-Fr: 3-0 pm
Sa-Su: 11am-6pm


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

*rails*

Rick P, As you are laying your rails and you come to a tight turn, take something round ( a piece of 3" steel pipe, pvc pipe, etc. ) and prebend your curve by bending the rails around the piece of pipe. Use something round so you will not kink the rails. You'll find if you keep pre-bending the wire, you can create the same radius as your slot. This will take the pressure off the routed slots to keep from breaking them. I used stainless fishtape and it's harder than the regular steel fishtape. Worked for me...just a thought... RM


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## Crimnick (May 28, 2006)

AfxToo said:


> Rick, you should stop by Mark's Model World in Canton to look at his latest wood HO track. He used welding wire but I'm sure he'd have some tips and advice about proper rail heights and ways to secure the wire into the grooves.
> 
> 824 12th Street, Canton, OH 44703
> 330-588-2167
> ...


Edit:...wrong rick  

Nevermind


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

RickP said:


> For those that might remember some of my previous status reports on my routed track, I have successfully competed one lane with power rails.
> Rick


Hi Rick,

Long time no hear; do you have any pictures of your track?

Cheers

Richard


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## RickP (May 15, 2002)

Hopefully, attached to this message are a few pictures of my track in progress.


Rick


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## coach61 (Sep 6, 2004)

RickP said:


> Hopefully, attached to this message are a few pictures of my track in progress.
> 
> 
> Rick


Wow.. looks great.. busy this weekend?  


Dave


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Mate, that looks sweet!!!

Cheers

Richard


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

My 2nd routed HO track is under progress at the moment - rather than repeat everything I'll lead you over to our forums in Perth:

http://neophytte.mine.nu/forum/forum..._id=1201760868

Basically a 2400 x 1200 which is a comprimise between the track I wanted to build and the track the wife doesn't want me to build.

Cheers

Richard


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Some new pics at the other forum:

http://neophytte.mine.nu/forum/forum.pl?fid=05&topic_id=1201760868

Next is power rail routing 

Cheers

Richard


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

*Name?*

Any suggestions for a name for this track? It was going to be "Marathon Raceways" but that was the name for the bigger track, and I'm umming and ahhing about whether to use it ...

Cheers

Richard


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## jstudrawa (Mar 20, 2008)

Infinity Raceway?

Jump of Death? (hey, looks like a jump!)

What is marathon or infinity in your wife's native tongue? Give it a little flair.


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## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

Neodrome.


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

*Slowly*

Slowly getting there, attached is a pic from this weekend, details are over in our local forum for those interested in the fine print ....

Cheers

Richard


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Paint, and almost a bridge ...










http://neophytte.mine.nu/forum/forum.pl?fid=05&topic_id=1205668502

Cheers

Richard


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## jstudrawa (Mar 20, 2008)

neophytte said:


> Paint, and almost a bridge ...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Shoot, if you go fast enough you don't even need a bridge!

Looking good, decide on a name yet?


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

jstudrawa said:


> Shoot, if you go fast enough you don't even need a bridge!
> 
> Looking good, decide on a name yet?


Heh, that's true 

Kinda decided on "Dragon Raceway", as my wife was bon in the year of the Dragon, rejecting her suggestions of "Hello Kitty Raceway" (and painting it pink!) 

Cheers

Richard


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## JordanZ870 (Nov 25, 2004)

Nice! Had it gotten my TM to race more, I'd have painted it pink and named it anything she wanted! LOL

Looking good! :thumbsup:


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

joez870 said:


> Nice! Had it gotten my TM to race more, I'd have painted it pink and named it anything she wanted! LOL
> 
> Looking good! :thumbsup:


Yep, but I know it won't as I painted a few cars pink a few years ago, and she never showed any interest in them 

And thanks! :thumbsup:

Richard


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Well, after a long struggle with the bridge, I finally got the outside lane up and running, here is a quick (22 sec) video of a turbo running around at 6v by clipping the PSU onto the rails (don't try this at home, kids!):

Video of one lane running

The bridge battle is documented here:

http://neophytte.mine.nu/forum/forum.pl?fid=05&topic_id=1201760868&page=3

Cheers

Richard


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## tjd241 (Jan 25, 2004)

*Cool Richard.*

Took a while to load, but it finally did. Nice track. BTW... what's that background noise? Sounds like the spaceships from War Of The Worlds. lol 

nd


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

I've finished laying rails on two more lanes, so the local forum is updated. I should have mentioned that there is usually a big lag from the time people in America come to the server sat in my study, especially if traffic is high 

The movie was recorded in the evening, the background noise is the local crickets chirping, and maybe a squeak or two from the lovebirds that are just outside the garage door (to the right, in that video).

Cheers

Richard


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Another updated pic:










Cheers

Richard


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## tjd241 (Jan 25, 2004)

*Very nice Richard.*

Lotsa fun in a tidy package. Great Job!! Have you raced on it yet? nd


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Nope, a few issues to sort out with the rails before I put the reed switches in, then probably get a few people together 

Cheers

Richard


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## TUCKMASTER (Jun 16, 2008)

Good day everyone. My name is Dave. Back in 1992 I invented a new way to build HO tracks. I never could afford the patent thing, and I was to stupid to lfollow the advise from my peers. With that said, here we go. My tracks surface is completely made of a sheet if steel. The steel is glued to a sub-surface.The lanes are routered at 1-1/2" on center and an electrical break at .750. Draw any layout you want and it will be pos-neg. pos.-neg. and so on. Here comes the good part. Unlike a rail track it is a non issue when the car hangs out 25 to 35 degrees, it is actually the fast way around the track.You see the magnets in the car never loose effect. In addition the rear tires have no rails to deal with. I do not build HO tracks anymore I just wanted you to know there is something else out there. For a little read on my tracks go to freddieshobbies.com scroll down left side to forum, scroll to HO and enjoy. If anyone wants more info simply post on this sight and I'll be more than happy to respond.


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Got all the power sorted and timing working, although this picture doesn't show much change, it's fully functional now 










Had a couple of friends over to turn some 'test laps' and sink some brews - just need to add some board around the edges and a few more finishing touches.










As always, details are at our local forum, for those interested:

http://neophytte.mine.nu/forum/forum.pl?fid=05&topic_id=1201760868&page=4

Cheers

Richard


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Added some lights and fixed a few bits up:










Details and more pics are here:

http://neophytte.mine.nu/forum/forum.pl?fid=05&topic_id=1201760868&page=5

Cheers

Richard


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Finished off the drivers area and added a few finishing touches:










That pretty much finishes off the construction, racing takes place in another couple of weeks.

Cheers

Richard


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

*Racing Pics*

We raced on the track; some pics are here:

http://neophytte.mine.nu/photo/2008-08-09-HO_Slotcar_Racing/

Cheers

Richard


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## tossedman (Mar 19, 2006)

*Corrosion?*

Hi Richard,

You've had your track up and running for a bit now, any problems with corrosion on the rails? How's the wear and tear on the pick ups on the cars? It looks great, thanks for sharing. :thumbsup:

Todd


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Hi Todd,

Thanks for digging up my old post! Since the last time we ran in August last year, I've changed jobs and had a baby, which has meant that time for slot car racing is non-existent, unfortunately. 

But now he's four months, we'd planned to take him racing to introduce him to the concepts (much to my wife's chagrin )

I did pull the track down a week or two ago, and there was no apparent rust, and I guess the wear is minimal, due to minimal usage ...

Cheers

Richard


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Congrats, Daddy!!!!! :thumbsup;;thumbsup:


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Thanks 

I've already bought him his first slot set, a Jiada Wallop system ...










Cheers

Richard


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## tossedman (Mar 19, 2006)

Good on ya mate! My boy's now three and I'm just starting to get some time to get back into things. Good thing is, he wants me to make a track! Guess I'll have to get a variable power supply eh? Have fun with your little un.

Thanks for the bit about the corrosion. I'll give it a whirl. I've found a place that sells 0.5 mm router bits so that'll make things interesting.

Todd





neophytte said:


> Hi Todd,
> 
> Thanks for digging up my old post! Since the last time we ran in August last year, I've changed jobs and had a baby, which has meant that time for slot car racing is non-existent, unfortunately.
> 
> ...


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Hi Todd,

Yep, I'm enjoying the time with him already, and can't wait until he's a bit older for him to 'make' me build a track 

BTW, you may want to visit the site I put together for the whole build and a few other slot related projects: http://routedtrack.hobby-site.com/

Enjoy!

Cheers

Richard


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

neophytte said:


> I've already bought him his first slot set, a Jiada Wallop system ...
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Richard


 You bought HIM his first set, huh? So, daddy isn't going to play with that set, even a little? Just tucking it away for, oh I don't know, maybe about 6-7 years? You can send us a picture 6-7 years from now of your son taking off the shrink wrap.

Congradulations on the birth of your son. Good health to all.

Joe


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## Guidepin (Apr 25, 2009)

*Routed Track*

CONGRATS on your future RACER! :thumbsup: Love your ROUTED TRACK.Just saw it for the first time. The lighting effect is AWSUM,AND GREAT PICS TOO. GK


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Thanks 

"Hmmm, what's this, Dad?"










"Does it go this way up?"










"I'll taste it to make sure it's not food ...."












Cheers

Richard


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## tossedman (Mar 19, 2006)

Hey Richard,

His nibs looks good, starting to take an interest in cars too I see. Good news. He'll be making you build a track sooner than you think.

I found your site quite a while ago. Great site! I refer back to it fairly often as I'm in the process of planning a track with stitching wire as well. I found some 0.5 mm router bits and want to see if I can make it with no lock wire.

Keep smilin'

Todd



neophytte said:


> Hi Todd,
> 
> Yep, I'm enjoying the time with him already, and can't wait until he's a bit older for him to 'make' me build a track
> 
> ...


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Hey Todd,

Sounds good - have you got some pics up yet?

Cheers

Richard


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## tossedman (Mar 19, 2006)

Nope, no pics yet. Just about ready to get started though. Got the stitching wire this week. Ted (Tsooko) has a CNC router and he's willing to have a go at routing my track for me. He's just getting it up and running. Problem is, it's in an unheated garage. So? you say. He lives just outside of Edmonton, Alberta, a few hours drive north of here. It hit -46.1° C this morning. The wind made it feel like -54° C. Coldest place in Canada today. Yikes! I know, I know, you don't have to deal with wind chill in Oz! (I really like your winters better than ours). Needless to say, he's not to keen to go out and fire the thing up these days.

Here's the thread about designing my tracks. I'm going to make 2 if all works out. One for home and one for the school I teach at. Have a boo if you haven't already seen it.

Cheers,

Todd

ps It's a balmy -28° here! 



neophytte said:


> Hey Todd,
> 
> Sounds good - have you got some pics up yet?
> 
> ...


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

The design looks pretty good - one word of warning with CNC routing; the depths for rail pockets can be inaccurate - I was going to go this route for a while, but it's expensive in Australia to do CNC routing (I think I was quoted $au3000!!), and when I spoke to Kevin Shaw (from Full Tilt Speedway, which was also expensive to make and ship a track) he said he would only CNC route the guide lane, then hand route the rail routes. I noticed that Brad Bowman also mentions something similar on his site.

Cheers

Richard


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## tossedman (Mar 19, 2006)

Yup, I think that's the plan Richard. CNC the guide lane and hand route the rail slots. We'll probably try both and see what works.

It'll be a lot cheaper that $3000 to route this thing. I got a quote for a bigger 1/32 track at $575 Canadian. But my buddy Ted's got a CNC router and he's going to experiment with it on my track. I'll keep you posted.

Cheers,

Todd



neophytte said:


> The design looks pretty good - one word of warning with CNC routing; the depths for rail pockets can be inaccurate - I was going to go this route for a while, but it's expensive in Australia to do CNC routing (I think I was quoted !!), and when I spoke to Kevin Shaw (from Full Tilt Speedway, which was also expensive to make and ship a track) he said he would only CNC route the guide lane, then hand route the rail routes. I noticed that Brad Bowman also mentions something similar on his site.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Richard


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## twolff (May 11, 2007)

One of my neighbors has a CNC router @ his work, but the owners won't let him use it after hours. He was figuring on taking a skim cut on the entire surface of the edf before routing any slots to allow the slot depth to be better controlled.


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## Tsooko (Oct 15, 2009)

twolff said:


> One of my neighbors has a CNC router @ his work, but the owners won't let him use it after hours. He was figuring on taking a skim cut on the entire surface of the edf before routing any slots to allow the slot depth to be better controlled.


Not a good idea to take a skim cut off the top of a piece of mdf. The board is made so that the top of it is smoother than the middle, so if you take a skim cut off you expose the rougher part. Better to lay a sheet on the table and skim cut that then put your track piece on top of that to cut the slots. Of course it all has to be held down very well. That way the track piece is parrallel to the gantry. Mdf is very flat when made, not wavy. 
The big problem is that the router bit lifts the mdf up a little as it goes through the wood especially with an up cut bit. The thiner the piece the more it can lift. The other solution is to use a vaccum table which sucks the mdf down to the bed of the table and keeps it from lifting at all points but the table still has to be parrallel to the gantry. Those tables are over $160,000.00. A bit pricey for slot car tracks. And that is why guys who have them want the big bucks.
There is a video of a guy skim cutting a piece of mdf on you tube. It makes a big mess with the dust created but must be done for accurate depths of cuts on large flat pieces.
A good dust colletion system is a must!! And wearing a dust mask is mandetory. You don't want that in your lungs.
Of course Sintra ( plastic) is another ball of wax and requires differant solutions. Certianly not involving skim cuts.

If your friend does this please let me know how it turns out. Pm me, OK?
I have a cnc table and will be using it for cutting slot car tracks with Todd.

It amazes me how much cnc is playing a part in our lives on all fronts.

Congrates on the little guy! Good luck with your slot car projects!

Cheers Ted


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Yep, I'd be keen to see how it works out too ... I was saying to another guy in our group who was 'thinking' about building a routed track that, if I did it again, I'd:

1) Drop the 'squeeze' lanes
2) Use 'formwork' for the basis
3) Cut track routes on 9mm MDF
a) plan one lane, then use a lanespacing jig to cut the remaining 3
b) use a larger jig for gutter lanes
c) produce a template for the connections between parts
4) join it like sectional track

I think they use these types of techniques on Maxx Traxx - but it's been a while since I've looked at that site. And, of course, I don't have access to a CNC router, which would make a difference in my planning 



Tsooko said:


> Congrates on the little guy! Good luck with your slot car projects!
> Cheers Ted


Thanks mate - I'm currently casting a 1/32nd Ferrari 246GT. 

Cheers

Richard


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## tossedman (Mar 19, 2006)

Hey Richard,

A few questions and comments.

1) Drop the 'squeeze' lanes Makes sense
2) Use 'formwork' for the basis What is "formwork"? 
3) Cut track routes on 9mm MDF Also makes sense. What'd you use last time?
a) plan one lane, then use a lanespacing jig to cut the remaining That's how I draw 'em in Illustrator. If you used something like Luf's sintra strip (But narrower to fit in the HO slot) that'd make it easier.
 b) use a larger jig for gutter lanes Once again makes sense. You need a jig with multiple holes to put the pins in.
c) produce a template for the connections between parts Templates always make work easier.
4) join it like sectional track Why? Would you use stitching wire again? Would you use continuous rail even though you've got sectional track. Personally I like the idea of fewer joints so we're going to route in 4' x 4' sections (4' x 8' if we can make it work). My track's to be 4' x 16'.

Post some pics of the Ferrari of you've got 'em!

Cheers,

Todd




neophytte said:


> Yep, I'd be keen to see how it works out too ... I was saying to another guy in our group who was 'thinking' about building a routed track that, if I did it again, I'd:
> 
> 1) Drop the 'squeeze' lanes
> 2) Use 'formwork' for the basis
> ...


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## twolff (May 11, 2007)

My plan has been to just have the track routed into a single 4x8 sheet of mdf. I'm far from knowledgable on how a CAD file gets to a CNC router bit. I'd at least like to get the guide slots routed on two sheets and then have a crack at routing the braid reliefs with a spare board handy when I screw up the first one learning. I like the Banchi-style braided track. 1/8" slots and braid would allow a 4-lane HO track to serve as a 2-lane 1/43 or 1/32 scale cars. The braid being easy on pick-up shoes is a plus too.

I'll border the Tomy track one day and forget trying to get into a routed HO track. Always looking for that big commercial 1/24th scale track that is both close enough to transport and CHEAP. Found both, but never at the same time.


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## Tsooko (Oct 15, 2009)

Hey Richard:
Just went back over your thread. Very nice track. I can see why you might want to dump the squeeze lanes. It looks like the whole infield is a no pass zone with the two squeezes. One might have been better. I really like the lites!!! I have seen people do bridges out of clear pexiglass. Makes it easier to see the cars under. The bridge by itself could have been made out of a thicker mdf with a rabbet joint on each end where it joins the rest of the track, that way it may not have bowed down, but your solution worked good too. 6mm is pretty flexable.


I would like to see pics of the casting project too. It's something I have just started to do myself.

twolff:
I plan to do a build thread with the cnc shortly. Right now it is too cold to get out to the machine. That may help you decide on if you want to do that. Will post it here as this forum seems more friendly and more aimed at HO. I'm kinda leaning to a 1/43 - Ho hybred track too. But we'll see what happens. Once the machine is running it will be easier to route a track than by hand for sure.

Cheers Ted


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

twolff said:


> I like the Banchi-style braided track. 1/8" slots and braid would allow a 4-lane HO track to serve as a 2-lane 1/43 or 1/32 scale cars. The braid being easy on pick-up shoes is a plus too.


I experimented with a 1/8" slot. What I found is that skinny T-Jet tires can fall into the wider slot when fishtailing around a corner and one of the rear tires crosses over the slot. Wider rears, like those on the JL cars, would probably not have this problem.

When I get back to my test piece, I'll be trying out magnetic and non-magnetic braid, as well as the copper tape which is already laid down.

Joe


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

The form work looks like this: http://photos.hobbytalk.com/data/511/IMG_0045.JPG (from wm_brants thread), it's a lot lighter than having a flat piece of wood.

>What'd you use last time?

I routed directly into a 12mm (or 15mm) sheet of MDF. It worked OK, but with the form work it would create a light, but stable track and table combo.

> Why join it like sectional track?

I was talking about large sections  I think for the track I have on 1.2m x 2.4m it would probably be about 5 pieces, then fit together like a jigsaw; for instance if I was building your track, and hand routing, I'd probably break it like the attachment (with not much thought put into it).

> I would like to see pics of the casting project too. It's something I have just started to do myself.

I've got some pics on my site: http://routedtrack.hobby-site.com/?file=cars.html

Cheers

Richard


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## tossedman (Mar 19, 2006)

Gotcha! :thumbsup:

Thanks mate.

Todd



neophytte said:


> The form work looks like this: http://photos.hobbytalk.com/data/511/IMG_0045.JPG


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

No probs


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## neophytte (Sep 14, 2006)

Someone asked me about locking wire; I used 4 core telephone cable, and stripped out the internals for locking the rails in place. Because it's not 'high' enough, I put some nylon fishing wire in the route first, then used the telephone wire above that (because I used 4 core I have a 'black' lane, if you can find 6 core wire, this has the standard colours):










Cheers

Richard


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