# Steelix raceway



## Steelix_70 (Feb 19, 2012)

I just got most of the stuff I need to go from a 4x8 just on top temp tomy track to a 4x 12 permanent tomy raceway, this is being build to race and test my t-jet skinny tire cars and fray type cars I race and would like to get into brass cars, either g-jet or thunder storms. Here are some picture of old track and plan of new track and the stuff.


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## cwbam (Feb 8, 2010)

Nice TRACK(s) Have you thought about individual lane power tomy 8998 ? and or timing
with Microsizzer or ZipZap.


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## ajd350 (Sep 18, 2005)

That will be VERY helpful for R&D. Good layout.


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## Ratwagon64 (Dec 23, 2011)

Ed, looks like you have some work to do this summer. Good luck with the build. Pat


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## Steelix_70 (Feb 19, 2012)

Cwbam, It will have a mastech or trackmate power surpply, as all the tracks I race on run at 18v, and I will get a trackmate lap counter after I get track up and running, thanks for the nice words. Thanks Al, and Pat. I hope to have this up and running before racing season starts so I can test and tune my cars, as I hear ever one is getting faster.


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## copperhead71 (Aug 2, 2007)

Nice track! Thank's for posting pic's.:thumbsup:


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## Steelix_70 (Feb 19, 2012)

*Table getting there*

I have got the legs put together and painted, the table boarders are painted, and the frame top is built and some of the wiring is done. Next is take down old track, get space cleaned up, put legs on and stand up table and put top on, and get it painted, I hope to have done be this Friday, haha maybe.


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## Steelix_70 (Feb 19, 2012)

*R.i.p.*

The old raceway came to the end today. After the wrecking ball left there was nothing left.


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Steelix_70 said:


> The old raceway came to the end today. After the wrecking ball left there was nothing left.


 
Goodbye old track . . . at least you aren't being replaced by a strip mall.


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

No doubt!!! You have bigger and better to look forward to! :thumbsup:


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## Super Coupe (Feb 16, 2010)

Out with the old,in with the Awesome!!!Hope to see the new track up and running soon. :thumbsup:
>Tom<


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## bearsox (Apr 22, 2006)

*Hi Ed ,
i just tuned in to see what you are up to here . I like both track layouts and am curious if you are re-using the old track for the new layout ? If not i would be interested in a purchase ? PM if ya would sell it off . Since i can't find a small routed or Max hey why not get a decent looking small layout as a practice track i figure ! 

Bear :wave: 
*


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## Steelix_70 (Feb 19, 2012)

Ok sorry for the any confusion, on first post yes the two tracks did look close as I was testing out the flow and esses, as I was working out my design on Ultimate racer for my new track. I did edit first post to show my old track that I did use for my test track. Most of the old track will be reused. Thanks for all the replies.


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## Steelix_70 (Feb 19, 2012)

*Table is up*

The table is on four legs and standing up. I put the back straight on just to get a idea of how it's going to look. Now the top is going to get painted and side have to going up.


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

It's gonna be nice to wind your cars up to full speed!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

P.S. I envy your "real" basement!!!


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## bearsox (Apr 22, 2006)

*Nice job on the table Ed ! things are really starting to come along very well .

Bear :thumbsup:
*


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## Steelix_70 (Feb 19, 2012)

*Table done*

Table is done need to build drivers station's and start laying down track, make power taps and start racing, I can't wait for this to be done.


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## bearsox (Apr 22, 2006)

*Very Nice look and quality build Ed ! can't wait to see what the finished project looks like !

Bear :wave: 
*


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## Steelix_70 (Feb 19, 2012)

I got some track put down to see how it fits together, I had to do a little testing and is this track fast Woot Hoo, maybe I should have put more curves in or more 6 inch ones in. I have to order some 18" straight track the AW track I got is to bumpy. I hope to start putting in the track screws next week and have to make power taps still, and all so make all track borders. power supply is on order should be here this week.


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Wow, that looks sharp on the orange!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## demether (Aug 26, 2008)

If your straights are too bumby, maybe you can screw it on your table ? On tyco track there is posts where you can put screws in it. Once it's secured and painted, it's not noticeable, and the track become perfectly smooth


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## Steelix_70 (Feb 19, 2012)

Thanks Demether, but its not the track, the rails are bad you can see the the high spots and where each one joins they dip, yes I could stone each track, but I like the tomy track better then AW, I got got it cheep and will just sell it off. I have to much money into this track and table to not buy 40.00 of 18" straight track. I did run some cars over the AW track and you can see the cars bounce, I'm building this track to race on and trying to get it as good as I can get for a plastic track.

Thanks to everyone for the kind words and the support.


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## Super Coupe (Feb 16, 2010)

When AW made their track they should have made it brown and sold as the Ivan Stewart off road set.Some of it is pretty bumpy. Your table is looking great!!!
>Tom<


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## Steelix_70 (Feb 19, 2012)

I got a lot done in this past week, the driver station are painted and put on, they just need to get wired up, all the borders are cut, made out of 1/4 MDF, they need to be painted white with I think blue hash marks red would be to much with the orange table. Next to make power taps, and start screwing down track, also want to glue all the curves together and grind the tabs off, not sure if going to grind tabs on all the straight track yet have to test it out. I do see that some straight tracks do not nest good but if you flip them around they do, this is a good learning experience of me. 

The car you see in the on picture is a Fray A&J Race Jet and it just flies on this track, he sells them on eBay and if you see one on eBay buy it they are fast and handles great and he is new to selling cars so his prices are good for right now.


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## Shadowracer (Sep 11, 2004)

Nice job Steelix. I'm definitely watching this keenly. My table is the same size as yours, and my layout is not so far off of what you have too.

Unfortunately, I was going great guns getting this thing built, then 1:1 race season started, then a month ago I went to the hospital with chest pain and came out with a quad bypass that put an abrupt halt to everything  

So...I'm living vicariously through you right now. Keep up the good work!


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## Ratwagon64 (Dec 23, 2011)

Ed, Track is looking good. If you need any wire or connectors let me know. I might be able to help you out. Pat


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## Steelix_70 (Feb 19, 2012)

Thanks guy's. Just been working on power taps only messed up two tracks, and I should redo one the rail got pushed up, so now in the middle of a straight the rail is .026 high and rest of track is .018 high, this may be ok for t-jets. If I have track left over will redo or may stone it down if I have to.


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## brownie374 (Nov 21, 2007)

Ed are you laying the tracks on a damp rag when you are soldering the taps?Also tin both the wire and the track.I like the split corner.


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## Steelix_70 (Feb 19, 2012)

Thanks Rick, yes had it on damp rag, it was me working on it at 1:30am after work that that did the track in. The spilt is a sucker corner, I can see a lot of poeple getting taking out right there, as your just at speed off of last curve and you have to brake for split.


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## Steelix_70 (Feb 19, 2012)

Ok maybe Tomy track was good at one time but this stuff is junk, as I had to add some track and brought the new track which is supposed to be better, HAHA I had rail height of .030 right out of package and there bowed in the middle does not lay flat, also when I made power tapes and I thought I messed up track and pushed rail up, now I'm thinking it was the track as the plastic was not melted just the rail height off and it was on the new track I got. I had to put screws in the middle of track to get it to lay flat. As of two days of working on track I got two lanes working but still need more screws put in to finish the lines off. I did find out to use nails just tapped in a little to line up track to get nest set right and only grind tabs that don't lay flat. I know this is not a routed track but just want it raceable. I have some pictures of before and after with screws.

Before on straight track
[URL=http://s49.photobucket.com/albums/f271/steelix_70/Slot%20Car%20Track/?action=view&current=88c66c2d.jpg][/URL] 
After straight track with center screw, track in front is not screw down yet.
 

Before on curve track

After track was screwed down in center

Full picture of esses


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

I have Tomy track that I bought in the late 80's, that spent years (decades actually) stuffed in a plastic tote that lays pretty much perfectly flat. Heck, the last 13 years of storage was in FL either in our shed, or in a non climate controlled storage unit. This is most likely why Tomy is retooling all their track. Yes, it's a lot of work Steelix, but in the long run it'll all be worth it!


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## Steelix_70 (Feb 19, 2012)

I'm not trying to bash AFX Tomy track, the older stuff I got a year ago was fine, but it was the retooled track I got 4 packs of 18" straight tracks and 2 packs 15" radius curves track, all of the straight where bowed and 2 of the curves the pin groove was to tight. I do think it is just what is being made now, is a cheeper made and not that good. There is a lot of great tracks out there that where made with this track, and I wish I had I tube of it from the 80's.


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## Marty (Oct 20, 1999)

That is a great looking track!!

What are you using for borders?

Marty
Marysville, OH


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## Steelix_70 (Feb 19, 2012)

Thanks, it's 1/4 MDF that's going to get painted, it was all cut out on a bandsaw.


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## honda27 (Apr 17, 2008)

*track*

well is the track done yet when is your first race .


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## Steelix_70 (Feb 19, 2012)

Thanks for asking Darrell, track is all powered up, all lanes work, still working on getting track flat, there is a couple of bumps I can not find, track looks flat, but some times you can see the car bouch up. Going to start painting boarders this week, just finshing test pieces. I will not have timing ontill first of the year, I have no funds for it, I may do a crash and burn, this fall sometime. If I cannot get the bumps out of track, I may not put money into a timing system and just save to I can get a routed track, and just use this for my test track for cars I build till then.


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## Steelix_70 (Feb 19, 2012)

*WOOT HOO its fun to run on*

Ok track is up and running. Boarders are all painted and nailed down. Track still has some bumps, alot has to do with some high rails, I need to find 3 15" straights that are flat, and cheep. It needs to have the lines striped still, and just little tweaks here and there but other wise done till i get money for timing system. Now all I need is some racers to come over. 

Track pics
[URL=http://s49.photobucket.com/albums/f271/steelix_70/Slot%20Car%20Track/?action=view&current=F2CF2FB2-B54B-4A4E-B9C0-72F3310EF793-14866-0000117AB896FD32.jpg][/URL]





Ok here's the good one, video of me running a T-jet fat tire car(fray type) car for a min on the track


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## honda27 (Apr 17, 2008)

*track*

hey ed a cars r running backwards need to turn black and white wire around u r running clock wise need to run counter clock wise lol.:wave:


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## ajd350 (Sep 18, 2005)

No, Ed's got it right. Ovals are counter-clockwise, and road courses are clockwise. The shop is backwards, but you can run whatever you want. It's not the law, you know.


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## Steelix_70 (Feb 19, 2012)

Hey Darell go ahead if you if you want to hook up your controller black to white and white to black be my guest when you race on my track, maybe your car will run the other way, or maybe there will be just smoke out of your controller, but then I've been told you have done it before.:tongue::tongue:


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## Shadowracer (Sep 11, 2004)

Steelix_70 said:


> Ok here's the good one, video of me running a T-jet fat tire car(fray type) car for a min on the track
> http://youtu.be/UCEjteD_Biw


Not too shabby. Your tjet seems to be getting around it quite nicely. :thumbsup: 

I do see what you man about the joints being a little rough in some parts....you can hear that clickety clack in a few spots. But as long as its not eating up your shoes or guide pins, that's part of the character of sectional track.


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

If any of you guys have access to Wizzards slotcar board,Bob Lincoln has some pretty decent plastic track tips in his 101 Tech section.

You'll have to be an approved member to view them,private board.

Look in the Tech tips 101 section,and aways down the page you'll find his Plastic Track Tips post

http://www.wizzardho.com/MainBBS.htm

For you guys into pancake cars,he's also got some pictures showing how he does his pancake shoes,along with a neat tool that he uses for his front shoe hook bends.

It's also in the Tech Tips 101 section.


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## Steelix_70 (Feb 19, 2012)

Thanks guys, I have read wizzard tech tips about plastic track, and have ground the tabs, as I did have to leave some gaps in track to get it to line up. I look at it as this is just toy track and that is what it was made for, it's not going to be flat, there is going to be clickety clack when you run on it. The track is not all the same height, some rails are high some are low, this is plastic toy track, I'm going to move some tracks around to get a better match up and going to stone some rail gaps to get them flatter. This was a learning curve and i know i will never build a plastic track again but it will due what i need it to due for right now. It is what it is and we all have to run on the same lanes. But a big thanks for the input and I do mean it.


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## Steelix_70 (Feb 19, 2012)

*Timing system*

Hi All
Just a little update the timing is in and up and running, lanes have been striped, all set for some racing, need to put a switch in to by pass timing so I can run cars without hooking up laptop to turn power on and off, other wise it done. 
Here are some pictures, the names on the screen are all fictitious as i don't know them and they where not running cars on track, just needed to put some names in to test system out, all times where run with a Wide tire T-jet with slip-on tires.

Fictitious people times


Track pictures


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## ajd350 (Sep 18, 2005)

I don't recognize any of those fictitious racers, except that Ed guy.....LOL


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## Ratwagon64 (Dec 23, 2011)

Ya but look at the times, who is that fast Al. :thumbsup:


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## Steelix_70 (Feb 19, 2012)

Yeah I can never beat that guy Al, even when I test my own track.


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## ajd350 (Sep 18, 2005)

Ed, you're either setting me up or psyching yourself out......I smell a rat.

'That Al'


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## Ratwagon64 (Dec 23, 2011)

I thought it was good. Pat :thumbsup:


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