# Question about plastic HO tracks.....



## WesJY (Mar 4, 2004)

Ok my dad and my uncle are over 70's. Umm I can't remember if someone did talk about painting the tracks? The reason why I said about my dad and my uncle is that they are having hard time following cars while they were racing - they said black tracks are too dark even i had one white and bright orange cars for them to follow but still not helping. Most of you guys know I have some orange tracks for my son but now my real question is Can I paint the tracks in bright gray color? will it work? i did remember that someone on this hobbytalk did talk about it ? did someone? Umm i need some ideas/help on this problem.. please let me know if it can be done.. 

FYI - I have 4 lane tyco/mattel tracks.

Thanks!!
Wes


----------



## sethndaddy (Dec 4, 2004)

have them race slower cars, it's probably much easier. lol


----------



## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

Didn't someone post a thread about painting their 1/32 scale layout on the board? Maybe it was on another site but there didn't seem to be a problem painting it as long as you do the right prep work. Good cleaning of track, tight masking of rails and use the right paint. Show a pic if you can Wes.


 Dave


----------



## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Lightly sand the track surface with 400 to 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper,wipe it down good witk 99 % rubbing alcohol,and a tack cloth,then paint it with automotive engine enamel,i've had good luck just using spraybombs.
I've painted all my tracks since the 80's this way,and all of them have a very nice surface.
Painted this way,the paint will outlast the track


----------



## Gear Head (Mar 22, 2005)

We painted our 4 lane track with rustoleum textured black. We spackled, sanded and cleaned before we sprayed. It came out awesome but it was an awful lot of work. We also learned two things: 1- don't scrape paint off of rails with a razor blade...it marrs them, sand instead. 2- put something in the slots to prevent paint from getting in them. I let that slide and wound up having to sand the slots also. Live and learn I guess. Runs and looks great now. If your not into looks I honestly don't think it is worth the effort. Maybe run police cars with flashing lights on top for visibility.


----------



## Turbo880Kawasak (Feb 9, 2005)

I had a hard time seeing some of my cars than i put up more lights
that solved it for me








Paul


----------



## WesJY (Mar 4, 2004)

Turbo880Kawasak said:


> I had a hard time seeing some of my cars than i put up more lights
> that solved it for me
> Paul



oh man.. a simple fix.. i will try that with different kind of lights. thanks guys for ideas.. 

Thanks Paul!

Wes


----------



## JordanZ870 (Nov 25, 2004)

Paul, Nice looking track! I see that your TM has not made you race in the basement! Good show!


----------



## micyou03 (Apr 8, 2003)

I painted my 1/43rd track with Rustoleum Painter's Touch grey primer. I can see my cars much better now. I have well over 1000 laps on it since painting, and see no signs of wear yet. I think when it does wear it will look cool anyway. And the traction got slightly better after painting my track.


----------



## Mike(^RacerX^) (Mar 15, 2003)

Turbo880Kawasak said:


> I had a hard time seeing some of my cars than i put up more lights
> that solved it for me
> 
> Paul


I was going to paint my track.Then I did what Paul did and added some better lighting.Problem solved.

Mike


----------



## WesJY (Mar 4, 2004)

Mike(^RacerX^) said:


> I was going to paint my track.Then I did what Paul did and added some better lighting.Problem solved.
> 
> Mike


i am curious.. what kind of lights? 

Wes


----------



## T-jetjim (Sep 12, 2005)

Paul- Very nice neat setup. I bet that helps with keeping the TM happy!
Jim


----------



## WesJY (Mar 4, 2004)

Thanks guys. I solved the problem already. it was a very simple fix. I just add one long rack with 5 light bulbs (2 feet apart with 100 watts each and the track is so bright and better) thats for temporary - i am planning to buy floursent (sp?) light and add there like Turbo880Kawasak has on his track. 

Thanks
Wes


----------



## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

Think I'd like to try that light gray primer over the plastic just to see what develops over time on the track. Some natural tire marks and oil spills.....

May have to do this for a change. :thumbsup: rr


----------



## WesJY (Mar 4, 2004)

roadrner said:


> Think I'd like to try that light gray primer over the plastic just to see what develops over time on the track. Some natural tire marks and oil spills.....
> 
> May have to do this for a change. :thumbsup: rr


yeah i would like to try it but problem is that I have no time..always busy with my job, my 15 months old son , life, and slots etc..  

Maybe i ll do it when the weather is really warm . 

Wes


----------



## vaBcHRog (Feb 19, 2003)

A good mask for the slot when painting is the gray seal used to hold screen in a screen window. And the tool made to put it in works well too.

Roger Corrie


----------



## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

-----


----------



## Lightningrod (Oct 23, 2005)

Wouldn't the flourescent lights cause plastics to deteriorate and cause yellowing over time? 

When I worked retail, I noticed that one could easily tell if an item had been on the sales floor for too long. The labels would be faded, clear plastics would turn yellow, some plastic fixtures things would get brittle over time. 

Maybe not a concern for some, but certainly an issue for collectors of vintage slots and MIP collectors. Some of my white thunders are already yellowing, probably from the daylight shining through the window of my bedroom. 

BTW

I had trouble following black cars on my black track, especially magnet cars. My solution is just to run lighter colored cars. White, yellow and any neon colors like green & orange will stand out nicely.


----------



## RMMseven (Oct 22, 2004)

*Plastic track*

Plastic track is usually black because it is the least expensive color to produce. A lighter colored track helps to see the cars especially dark colored ones. The Tyco/Mattel track from the Jerome McGrath set with the light brown track is a great example. I have used this for some layouts and it is much better than a black track.


----------

