# Um, Ideas and may be help



## Andrij (Jan 30, 2004)

OK, so I have been in our new home now for 9 weeks now, and still don't have a track set up. I have a single car garage that the GM has given me permission to use as a Man/Teenage/Overgrown-kid Cave. I do have a 4 foot by 8 foot recycled trainboard which I found on the side of the road years ago. I have had that board for about 10 years now and started a track, but never finished it, because of working shift work, but times have now changed.

I like the idea of a 4 lane track, even if I don't know anyone in this small town yet, that would fit on a board size of 6 foot x 10 foot. I do like Suzuka, or something that would have an over pass, that I could detail like a racetrack. I did have multiple print-outs of track designs, but in the cleanup and move, have lost them all somewhere. I know the GM would not have thrown them out, as she is better than my first wife, she accepts that the man she married is an oversized kid who won't spend his money on alcohol or other women, etc. Yep, the GM is a keeper.

I was wondering if anyone out there could help me with a layout design or two to try and spark off my imagination for a layout. Primarily I will be running t-gets, magnatractions and other pancake style chassis more than the super fast cars. I do have a variable amp/volt power supply at least, from memory, 0-15AMPS, 0-30 Volts. It won't be a rush job, as I do see it moving to a larger location in about 5 or so years.

Any ideas, plans, and 0.02$ worth of ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance
Andrij


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## Black Oxxpurple (Jul 3, 2011)

Good start up ideas here>
HO Slot Car Racing - HO Slot Car Track Layouts - 2 and 4-Lane Race Tracks

Put your table up and layout some track see what strikes your fancy. A good mix between technical and fast would be good, so it is not boring. Make sure to have fun with it.

Rob


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## Rich Dumas (Sep 3, 2008)

For ideas on track layouts go to the HO Slot Car Racing site and click on Layouts. You mentioned that your power supply has variable amperage, you should always leave that control turned all the way up. To protect against shorts or a controller that is not hooked up correctly have a separate fast acting fuse or circuit breaker for each lane.


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## TomH (Jan 17, 2006)

If it was me and it isn't, I would run a two lane setup to start with. Over twice as easy to set up, maintain and to change/tweak the layout. More room for more of a layout also.


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## Andrij (Jan 30, 2004)

Thank you guys for the heads up. Will look at the site mentioned 

TomH, I know I am not you, 2 lanes sounded ideal, but the though of unexpected guests coming around and 4 lanes of mayhem makes me happier inside


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

Andrij said:


> I like the idea of a 4 lane track, even if I don't know anyone in this small town yet, that would fit on a board size of 6 foot x 10 foot.


Andrij,
I agree that a four lane would be better for informal racing with neighbors or new friends. To me, there's a huge difference between having people waiting to race, and allowing them all to race together. Also the races are more exciting, since the leader will often have someone pushing him for the whole race even if one or two drivers spin out or are left behind. 

For friendly informal racing, I'd recommend not going to a 6-ft wide table. 3 feet is about as far as an average individual can reach over a 30-inch-high table to do anything. Clubs or groups of serious slotters will have enough experienced people to spread around the table to marshall corners. When it's just you, your wife and a neighbor couple racing or fun-running after dinner, it's a really good thing to be able to reach across without walking to the other side of the table to put a spun-out car back on the track or give a nudge to a stalled one.



> *I do like Suzuka*, or something that would have an over pass, that I could detail like a racetrack.


Tomy's Super International set includes a sheet showing layouts from the set pieces that represent various world GP courses. It shows a plan for Suzuka (Round 15, Japan at lower left) that might be a good takeoff point for you. If not, maybe some of the others will provide some inspiration. 










By my quick calculations, their version of Suzuka would take 11'5" x 4'7" if put at an angle on a rectangular table, and because of the course's spread-out, V-shape, there would be a *lot* of unused table space to be reaching over. It would be much better built on a 3'x8' table joined at an angle to a 5'x30" table.

You might want to start with a simpler 4-lane on a smaller board, rather than tackling the grand project right off the bat. The compact temporary layout below was built for a Sunday-afternoon slot party for non-slotter friends.



















It is built on a 32" x 79" hollowcore door with 2" boards screwed to the long sides for extra width. A 36"-wide door would have saved the trouble. It has good flow and worked well for a series of 3-lap crash and burn races with Tjets. The start-finish line is at the top of the picture and shows track-direction. For Tomy track and any magnet cars, you'd have to replace the first straight (containing the Model Motoring hump and steep hill tracks) with a gradual rise.

I hope this has given you some ideas.

Best of luck,
-- D


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