# Landscaped tracks



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

After putting up my drivers stations earlier this year,I told myself and my son that our track is finally d-o-n-e DONE.

My son got involved with playing the game Warhammer 40K this summer.And I ended up helping him out with building a board with terrain that he and his friends could play the game on.

I was surprised how much fun it was to make rocks,mountains,hills,trees,etc,was to do.

So now that hes passed through that phase,I have a ton of landscaping material here.

And after seeing Scott V's Vargo Speedway,the wheels in my brain started spinning again,and I decided that now Im going to landscape my 4X16 4 lane Tomy layout.

Looking for pics of landscaped tracks.Even if they were posted here in the past,please post 'em again.
Ive been looking for pics of the amazing Katz Spa Ring,but Ive turned up empty handed,so some of that one would be great.

Thanks guys!!!!!!!

Mike


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## noddaz (Aug 6, 1999)

*So you are looking for pictures of tracks...*

Heck, if you were doing the Warhammer stuff you have the building part licked...
And some of that stuff would make a cool sort of *apocalyptic* backround...

But here is a link to find a few pictures of tracks... 

http://slotcarillustrated.com/portal/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=27


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Here's a link to a story on the Katz-Spa-Ring (perhaps the most awesome landscaped HO track ever):

http://howorld.fsmra.com/archives/bios/bowman/katz.html

Too bad he died -- would have loved to met him and taken a few laps.

And oh yeah -- here is a video feature from a local TV station:

http://howorld.fsmra.com/archives/movies/katz/index.html
 
'doba


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## TGtycopro (Jun 1, 2006)

1976Cordoba said:


> Too bad he died -- would have loved to met him and taken a few laps.
> 'doba


He did???? When ?? What Happened?? I thought he was a really young guy.. Around 30ish when this track was built.


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

He was young. However, he was also ill. I don't remember exactly what the illness was. I want to say it was a brain tumor, but I could be wrong...

there was a good deal of posting about him on the Yahoo HO World when he passed, many of the guys knew him. I'm thinking it was in the last year or maybe two.

--rick


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

Yeah,it was a brain tumor,and it was about a year ago.So wrong that a person so full of and in love with life was taken away at such a young age.
What a freakin track tho.Man oh man would I love to turn some laps on it.

Doba,thanks for the link to the pics and the vid.
Is the guy in the video the guy from the DISC Channel show "Dirty Jobs"????

Keep the pics of the landscaped tracks coming.

Thanks again.

Mike


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## Slott V (Feb 3, 2005)

Nice to know I've inspired someone else with my hobby obsessions.  

Don't forget these guys:

HO Slot France










Landscaped with amazing realistic details, both track and cars. :thumbsup:

Katz-Spa-Ring has always been my favorite hands down. Jason Boye's LeMonzaco was my original inspiration way back but that track no longer exists. The Portugal track is cool too but I can't find that link right now.

I can only hope to bring my track close to that level of detail. My track is getting old and needs a revamp started this winter.


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## hoslotfrance (Mar 6, 2006)

Hi ! Here is the link for the Portugal track :
http://www.f1specialties.com/main/racetrack/racetrack2.html 

Philippe , the co-owner of Brands Hatch who built this Tyco 2J , got a brain tumor too 3 years ago... One late evening ,his wife phoned me that he opened his mouth but couln't talk during 10 minutes. I ordered him to go immediatly to the hospital for a brain scanner (he wanted to wait till the morning and go to the doctor...). After a heavy chirurgical act , he has today minor language problem .
I don't know if there is a link with model handcraft but don't forget the mask when painting or using solvent...


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## hoslotfrance (Mar 6, 2006)

Another pic of Brands Hatch:


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## SplitPoster (May 16, 2006)

Great pictures, loved the video. Made this visit to the forum very enjoyable. 

Funny, there are thousands of very large detailed HO train layouts, but very few slots. Of course, anyone can lay Atlas flex track, a lot more forgiving than a router too. 

I would love to see a track like Greg Katz's.


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

More great inspiration.Thanks guys!!!!!

I guess I'll get crack-a-lackin this week.I have a nice 3X6 stainless steel table at the restaurant that I have to get over here first to set up as my new work bench/pit area.

Hey Scott,what are you planning for the re vamp?????? Is the track getting beat?????? 

I'll tell you what,after doing all of the math on what I spent for my track,and then calculating in the hours and hours I spent soldering it and getting it right,Im really sorry I didnt spend a few more bucks and get a Max or a Gar or something like that.

Well,when I move in the next year or so,I plan to give the track I have now to my brother,and go all out and build a track out of Maxx or Gar track.

Keep the pics coming!!!!! Thanks again!!!!!!

Mike

PS:
To hijack my own thread for a moment:
After I posted this,I went back through the track building forum to refresh my memory.Alot of the stuff I did over the summer with my son and his Warhammer stuff was a result of the things I had learned here.
One guy really filledmy head with a ton of info and ideas that I put to use,Dave aka AfxToo.

Now,I see all of his posts are BLANK!!!!!!

I dont know what happened,but I take it he left.WHat a shame.He was a real asset to this community and always would step up to the plate and give anyone out there a hand.


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## T-jetjim (Sep 12, 2005)

Mike- Looking forward to your future posts featuring landscaping. I migrate from car tuning to body restoring to landscaping. It gives me three hobbies in one. My track is certainly "busier" than the clean racing appearance of Portugal or Katz Spa Ring and I wish I knew everything that I know now when I started. I just added a mountain, but I am re-working the track around it.
Jim


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## Slott V (Feb 3, 2005)

Mike(^RacerX^) said:


> Hey Scott,what are you planning for the re vamp?????? Is the track getting beat??????


Some areas need the landscaping fixed from regular wear and tear, some areas were cut to separate the modules for the move and the end of the track needs to be refinished as it was designed to fit inside corner windows at the old house. There was nothing on the end to stop cars so I rebuilt and extended that whole end and put up walls from nice finish wood.

Overall the track needs to be modernized and updated. I want to get rid of the 76 signs and replace them with todays' Sunoco Fuel signs. I started modeling those last winter. Plus I have a large empty area where there was an air conditioner in the wall of the old house- I'm planning on creating a large press/suite tower to fill that area. I've got tons of stuff in boxes both new and old to go back on the track and lots of new ideas to improve some areas. Plus tons of little people I've accumulated over the years. Like somebody said; "it's never finished when you decide to detail it." My track is coming up on 16 years old and it's about to go through more changes and additions. 

-Scott V.


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## T-jetjim (Sep 12, 2005)

Great looking Press Tower. Can't wait to see the finished product. Did you model those Sunoco signs out of your own molds?
Jim


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

Scott,those signs are outstanding.How did you make them????
And I like that design for the tower.I might do something similar to that myself.

Tjet Jim: I will try and post some pics.Most definetly.

Friday night my son and I went through the tedious task of cleaning the track,as it was barely used since last winter.I'll tell you all,Im really glad I spent the time soldering all of the rails when I put it together.If I hadnt,it would have been a nightmare to get the track ready.As it was,a good cleaning first with some Mr Clean dilluted in hot water,and then a wipe down with rubbing alcohol,we were able to run laps on all for lanes with ZERO dead spots.

After my band played last night I stoppedby the 24 Hr Walmart and hit the fake flower department.I picked up a bunch of that green foam to get started on some hills and terrain tomorrow evening.

Oh,one more question.......How do some of you guys go about doing bleachers and grandstands?????? Do you pretty much just wing it form scratch,or are there someplans out there?????

Mike


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## T-jetjim (Sep 12, 2005)

Mike-

Here is a previous post:
http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=127761&highlight=grandstands
Jim


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## Slott V (Feb 3, 2005)

Sounds like fun Mike. We are going to detail a club members track in the future so I can't wait to do that stuff again. You can look on<a href="http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-1751-2978-71/1?AID=5463217&PID=1606754&mpre=http%3A//www.ebay.com"> eBay!</a> for grandstands or make the ones from my plans. They work great but take some patience to build. The grandstands on Katz-Spa-Ring are awesome and were supposedly hand made.

The signs?  I made the signs in 2D from an internet image and then created the frames in CAD. The frames were produced on one of the wild SLA prototype machines at work. :freak: Once I get it all right I could probably reproduce the frames for someone to mold at some point.  Once I get them lit and get the right opaqueness to the signage itself I'll send up some pictures.


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

Jim:Thanks for the link.I cen definetly work with that.

Scott:Wow,thats pretty nice to have one of those SLA machines at your job.All I have are stoves and ovens.  

Have you ever messed around with it to make any chassis or anything like that???

 Mike


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