# Questions about Tyco track.



## RCkidAGAIN (Sep 29, 2005)

Hello to everyone out there in Slot Land. I have a real good chance on getting a decent size Tyco set up, with about 10-12 cars, plus extra parts and things from a friend that is not interested in it any more. Does someone make conversion pcs so you can also use other brands of track? My Buddy says that there is enough track to make a 65' two lane, but I would like to make a 65' or more four lane set up. Any info on this or anything of the sort, would be very much appreciated. I am just getting into the Hobby again, after many years of being away, so I need all the help I can get. From Power supplies, to actually building the track, to what controllers, etc, etc. Thank-You...in advance...


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## bumpercar88 (Feb 6, 2005)

LifeLike makes adapter tracks. You can order online through Walthers.com. They're a train supplier but also make the LifeLIke slot cars and track. This is also a great place for scenery. Plenty of previous threads on controllers, track building and power supplies. However I don't know how to find thread w/o just scrolling back. You'll have to post pictures when you have your track up. Good luck and remember the only stupid question is the one not asked. You have a wealth of experience here these guys will give you advise that will save you plenty of time and money!


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## bumpercar88 (Feb 6, 2005)

This site will help too... http://www.hoslotcarracing.com/index.html


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## RCkidAGAIN (Sep 29, 2005)

Thanks alot, As I said I will need all the HELP that I can get. I have been on vacation from work, for the last two weeks, and I have spent a ton of time on the computer, searching and searching for any tips that I might be able to pick up on. Thanks again, and keep them coming.


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

I like Tyco track because it usually shows up cheap at yard sales. I have tons of the stuff accumulated over the last several years. I've had good experience as far as most of my cars running okay on it. I should mention, though, that my permanent layout isn't Tyco OR AFX, but rather old Atlas and Lionel track. I use the Tyco stuff for temporary layouts and general messing around. Some folks aren't crazy about it, though... I've heard where people have problems with the electrical connections and track joints. 9-inch curves are very common, 12-inchers aren't too hard to find, but original Tyco 6-inch curves are VERY rare and they never made 15-inch curves. That's been solved recently, as someone (Joe Lupico, I think?) has started making 6 and 15 inch curves for Tyco track. I've never used them personally, but they get EXCELLENT reviews from anyone who has. There are a a few online sources for them that I'm sure someone will chime in with, but don't expect to find them at yard sales...

Edit: To answer the original question, someone on here recently mentioned that the adapters seem to be an odd length, so be aware of that when you use them. Also be aware that Tyco lane spacing is different from Tomy/AFX. The Tomy/AFX stuff places the cars slightly closer together, to the point that some modern cars almost touch...

--rick


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## TGtycopro (Jun 1, 2006)

You can get in touch with Joe Lupico here
[email protected]


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## dlw (Aug 17, 1999)

There's two hobby shops, one in Canton (Mark's Model World), and one in Akron (Rt 93 Raceways). Do a search in Yahoo's yellow pages in both cities for 'hobby shops' and you'll get addresses and phone numbers for both places.Both shops have multiple HO and 1/24 layouts to run on.


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## Slott V (Feb 3, 2005)

The LL adapters are 2 separate sets: Lifelike to Tyco and Lifelike to Tomy AFX. You'll need both to go from Tyco to Tomy AFX. I used them to put a banked turn into my Tyco track. You could also use them to incorporate the Tomy 15" turns or the aftermarket 18" ones. The length of both together is 5.75".


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## Zelda84 (Aug 15, 2006)

I will be selling off my Tyco layout. I have enough to make a killer 4 lane setup of about 40 feet. I currently am running a nice 36 foot. If I was to take a guess, I would safely say you could make a 100 foot double lane setup with enough 9" curves to make any road race fan happy.
There are 12" and 6" curves along with a pair or RxR crossing pieces which I modified to make for 4 lanes. A couple of different types of lap counters, and lots of straights. It's all in very good conditions, with only a few pieces which split from securing it to the table. When I take down the layout this weekend, I can give a complete count of all pieces. 
Let me know if you are interested, otherwise it will be listed on E-bay soon. 
I haven't really thought about an out right price, I'll get back to you on that. :wave: 

If you look in my photo gallery, you can see my current layout to get an idea of the track.


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## BRPHO (Aug 1, 2006)

Zelda84,

Very neat train/slot layout you have there in your photo gallery!

It is a shame you are taking it down and selling it!

It would of been a very nice layout fully sceniced........

Wayne      

PS: I like the pic with the 4 afx camaros also!

I have 2 out of the 4 Camaros. They are very nice cars!


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## Zelda84 (Aug 15, 2006)

BRPHO said:


> Zelda84,
> 
> Very neat train/slot layout you have there in your photo gallery!
> 
> ...


Ahh.... but wait till you see my new layout with all M.M. lock & joiner with the railroad crossing, modified to be the same way as my current RxR crossing. I have collected all of the pieces for the layout that is also in my gallery. That one will have more street lamps, corners that look like they have a dirt shoulder to slide out on, trees, shrubs, grass, people & animals, and a 11.5 foot long straight away so that a t-jet or m.t. or g-plus can really open up. I'm also thinking of adding in a flashing light over the RxR crossing when its all done. Total track length...65.5 feet. :drunk: :thumbsup: 

It all begins this coming weekend. I plan on taking picts along the way. I will post them in the gallery as work goes along.

As for the Camaro's....well they are my favorite car. I own a 1968, and a 1984 Z28. Then I have my little HO runners. When A.W. releases they new ones I know I will be owning them as well. I'm a big GM F-body nut!!!

Thanks for the Kudos!


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## buzzinhornet (Jan 20, 2000)

Zelda84 said:


> It all begins this coming weekend. I plan on taking picts along the way. I will post them in the gallery as work goes along.
> 
> As for the Camaro's....well they are my favorite car. I own a 1968, and a 1984 Z28. Then I have my little HO runners. When A.W. releases they new ones I know I will be owning them as well. I'm a big GM F-body nut!!!


Cool. Looking forward to following your project. Love those F-bodies! 

GP


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## BRPHO (Aug 1, 2006)

Hey Zelda84!

Keep us posted with pics of the new upcoming layout!

I can't wait to see them!

I liked your last layout being a slotter/model railroader myself also!

Keep up the great work!

It has been a real pleasure and I appreciate you sharing it with us!

Wayne


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## RCkidAGAIN (Sep 29, 2005)

Hey Zelda84, That is a very nice set-up, looks like it takes up a good piece of real estate. What is the size requirement for how you have it set up in the pics ? And what is the date of the track ? I found out this past weekend at the show in Richfield that tyco had 2-3 different designs of track. The track that I am getting next weekend was bought new, in the mid 90's as a 4 lane set. He bought extra pcs and said that he can set-up a 65' two lane. I would love to be able to set up a 65' four lane, depending on the configuration. So any info would be appreciated. Keep up the GOOD work, and let us know when you have your next track set-up. I am slowly learning from all you PRO's out here in the slot car world. Once again, nice track set-up.


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## T-jetjim (Sep 12, 2005)

Rick - I used to have a Lionel layout that I got from a friend. It had teeter-totters where if you went fast enough, you went on the upper level straight section. Too slow and you wne through a curved section. Obviously, it was faster to get on the upper level, but a real challenge with the tires we had back then. The upper level had a hinged piece of track. When the car got on it, the wieght of the car cause it to hinge down onto the lower level.
My neighbor growing up picked up a strange piece of Lionel as well. It had two lanes that branched into 6? No switches and we never set it up because we couldn't figure it out.
Jim


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

T-jetjim said:


> Rick - I used to have a Lionel layout that I got from a friend. It had teeter-totters where if you went fast enough, you went on the upper level straight section. Too slow and you wne through a curved section. Obviously, it was faster to get on the upper level, but a real challenge with the tires we had back then. The upper level had a hinged piece of track. When the car got on it, the wieght of the car cause it to hinge down onto the lower level.
> My neighbor growing up picked up a strange piece of Lionel as well. It had two lanes that branched into 6? No switches and we never set it up because we couldn't figure it out.
> Jim


Heh heh. I have the teeter-totters too, got them in the first set of Lionel track I bought off Fleabay a few years ago. I think all the parts are there, but I never set it up and tried it the way it's supposed to work. I also have a couple of loop-the-loop tracks from that lot. They used something roughly equivalent to an Aurora Y-track with the middle filled in to move the lane over at the end of the loop. I only have one, I've been looking for a second Lionel "Y-track" to use them like a pair of Aurora ones (I'll attach a pic).

That two-into-six-into-two was a cool setup, but I've only ever seen them on the 'Bay, and I don't know how well they worked. I think I remember reading that they had some sort of random switch deal so that you never knew which way it would send you from one lap to the next... sort of a way to combat the repetitiveness of running the same layout lap after lap. Neat idea.

I'm pretty sure that Lionel also had a neat deal on a few sets where they used AC transformers and diodes in the cars so you could run 2 cars to a lane, or 4 cars on a 2-lane layout. Apparently you could use these modified crossover X tracks to pass, using some sort of handheld switch 
that told the car whether to take the crossover to the other lane or to stay in the current lane. Again, this is only stuff I've read about...

--rick


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Tyco, and now Mattel, track has undergone a few changes in the past couple years. Excluding the old Tyco Pro track, the "current" Tyco and Mattel tracks are 100% compatable. Mattel introduced some very nice improvements into the Tyco design a couple years back which have, in my opinion, put Mattel track on a par with Tomy for the best available plastic HO track available today - except for the letter which Mattel (for some reason) molded into the track surface.
The main problem with the original Tyco design was with a center tab which caused a weak spot in the joint. The Mattel design removed that weak spot and slightly bent the rails at the contact point to improve electrical contact. In the making of the 6" and 15" curves, we also removed the center tab and bent the rail, along with removing the molded letters. The result is a very tight, secure fit.
Common pieces of Tyco/Mattel track can be found at very affordable (even cheap) prices and probably at flea markets. Because of the number of sets produced by Tyco and Mattel over the years, a number of vendors (myself included) have aquired a large stockpile of Tyco/Mattel track. This is also true to a lesser extent with Lifelike track. This is not the case with Tomy track. Tomy sets were not produced and sold at the volume of Tyco/Mattel sets and therefore the track must pretty much be purchased at near retail prices, making it somewhat expensive to build a Tomy layout from scratch.
The aftermarket Tyco/Mattel compatable 6" and 15" curves are not nearly as inexpensive as authentic Tyco/Mattel track, and are slightly more than their Tomy counterparts. However, when you factor in the fact that you can get so many pieces of Tyco/Mattel for so cheap, it more than offsets the cost. With the 6" and 15" curves, you can now build an 8 lane Tyco/Mattel layout without adapter pieces.
I get asked many times if we are looking to make more track pieces and the answer is yes. However, we do not do this as a business, but rather as hobbiests. Therefore, we have the problem of limited financial resources and storage space. There are many pieces sitting on the wish list - curve aprons, 21" curves, 1/16 curves, 3 1/2" underside terminal tracks, 3" intersections, train intersections, and true interlocking banked curves just to mention a few.
My choice for building a layout will be Tyco/Mattel. I can get a wide variety of pieces and quite cheaply. And that appeals to a grandcheapskate like me.

Joe


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## Zelda84 (Aug 15, 2006)

RCkidAGAIN said:


> Hey Zelda84, That is a very nice set-up, looks like it takes up a good piece of real estate. What is the size requirement for how you have it set up in the pics ? And what is the date of the track ? I found out this past weekend at the show in Richfield that tyco had 2-3 different designs of track. The track that I am getting next weekend was bought new, in the mid 90's as a 4 lane set. He bought extra pcs and said that he can set-up a 65' two lane. I would love to be able to set up a 65' four lane, depending on the configuration. So any info would be appreciated. Keep up the GOOD work, and let us know when you have your next track set-up. I am slowly learning from all you PRO's out here in the slot car world. Once again, nice track set-up.


Yes the layout is large, but you don't need it to be. I didn't do any overpasses, but that could be done to save space. I currently have a 4x8 sheet of plywood, with about 2-3 feet extra off the sides to make a *"T"* That will give you some nice running. I suspect to make your full 60+ foot you will need to build a bigger table. I know I will be using more space on mine and doing some changes. My total length is almost 13' end to end and almost 8' wide.  
In my setup of Tyco track I have a large number of 12" 1/8 curves, 2 full 6" 1/4 curves, 4 6" 1/8 curves, 2 9" 1/8 curves, 2 RxR crossings which have been modified so that they are close together for the train to cross both sets of lanes.
Thats just a basic break down of the specialty track which I have. As for the rest, I plan on counting more of it tonight as the tear down continues.

So I will keep you posted when I get the full count of track in place.
:wave:


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## TUFFONE (Dec 21, 2004)

Jim-That strange piece of Lionel track that branches into 6 lanes is the "Mystery Route Selector". This was included in a couple of big Lionel sets and randomly picked a different route for the car to follow every time through. There are small plastic cams that allow the switching to the different lanes. I don't know if this was available as a seperate item or not. This is one of my favorite track accessories.
Tuffone


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## Slott V (Feb 3, 2005)

Joe- we need more guys like you in our hobby! Thanks for joining in on this and making people aware of the aftermarket stuff you do. Injection molding is no cheap process. I hope your efforts are somehow rewarded.
:thumbsup:  

-Scott


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Grandcheapskate said:


> . . . The main problem with the original Tyco design was with a center tab which caused a weak spot in the joint. The Mattel design removed that weak spot and slightly bent the rails at the contact point to improve electrical contact. In the making of the 6" and 15" curves, we also removed the center tab and bent the rail, along with removing the molded letters. The result is a very tight, secure fit . . . The aftermarket Tyco/Mattel compatable 6" and 15" curves are not nearly as inexpensive as authentic Tyco/Mattel track, and are slightly more than their Tomy counterparts. However, when you factor in the fact that you can get so many pieces of Tyco/Mattel for so cheap, it more than offsets the cost. With the 6" and 15" curves, you can now build an 8 lane Tyco/Mattel layout without adapter pieces.
> I get asked many times if we are looking to make more track pieces and the answer is yes. However, we do not do this as a business, but rather as hobbiests. Therefore, we have the problem of limited financial resources and storage space. There are many pieces sitting on the wish list - curve aprons, 21" curves, 1/16 curves, 3 1/2" underside terminal tracks, 3" intersections, train intersections, and true interlocking banked curves just to mention a few.
> My choice for building a layout will be Tyco/Mattel. I can get a wide variety of pieces and quite cheaply. And that appeals to a grandcheapskate like me.
> 
> Joe


 Your 18" Tomy turns are fantastic and I HIGHLY recommend them to anyone who wants to go bigger with their turns. I'd love to see some 21" turns in the future but I know how it is.

I always hated the Tyco joints and that was one of the reasons I went with Tomy -- nice to know you addressed those issues.

Thanks for dropping in.

'doba


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## dlw (Aug 17, 1999)

Joe, how's the website for getting your aftermarket pieces coming? With Jay's Race place out of commission, it's tough to find your track on the 'net. I have a couple bundles of your 'Tyco' curves locked and loaded to to a layout (when space is available). I'm hoping when things clear out a bit, an 18" Tyco curve will be in the works.


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## Manning (Mar 2, 2004)

1976Cordoba said:


> Your 18" Tomy turns are fantastic and I HIGHLY recommend them to anyone who wants to go bigger with their turns. I'd love to see some 21" turns in the future but I know how it is...... 'doba


I second this opinion. Just wish my layout was a bit bigger to take advantage of having additional 18" curves. Thanks for going through the effort to have them made!! :thumbsup:


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Hi guys,
Thanks for the kind words about the Tomy and Tyco compatable curves; I'm glad they are working well for everyone. As to a website, I'm hoping to work on that soon and get something up and running this winter. It is unlikely that Jay will be reentering the slot car market any time soon, if at all.
On the positive side, if you want to find the new track pieces, I've distributed some of the Tyco compatable curves to a few dealers so they should be a little easier to find. Check out places like Bud's HO, JAG Hobbies, Nostalgia Hobby and Bob Molta (tubtrack and slotcarcentral on ebay). Axel Umpenbach in Germany has also got them in stock for all you HO guys in Europe. Also, anyone dealing with REH should be able to get them. These guys have all agreed to carry the curves and I thank them for that.
A Tyco/Mattel 18" curve would be a great addition, as would the 21" curve. My guess is that 21" may be as large a curve as we go (unless I win the lottery or hit it big on Deal or No Deal). Considering that most race tables are probably a maximum of 48" in width, a 24" radius curve would be too large for the table assuming you used it for the entire 180 degree turn. If we did go out to 24", it would probably be a 1/16th piece. That of course rules out using them for multiple lane tracks unless you always pair them up - or until more 1/16th sections are created.
My personal preference for the next piece would be a 3 1/2" underside terminal track. This addresses a couple needs. It provides an easy jumper point with screw type terminals on the underside of the track so that multiple terminal tracks can be put side by side. The 3 1/2" size would handle just about every oddball size that you would need. Combined with existing pieces, a 3 1/2" piece makes all the following combinations possible - 3 1/2", 6", 7", 9", 10 1/2", 12", 12 1/2", 14", 15", 15 1/2", 16", 17 1/2", 18", etc.
Long straights have also been on a lot of people's wish lists. However, long straights can be made from smaller sections. Different radius curves can only be made with specific pieces. Maybe it might be possible to take multiple short straights (either 9" or 15" straights), put them together and then use a single rail across all the pieces. It wouldn't be a true long straight, but it would be only a single rail and cut down on the electrical joints.
As always, if anyone, or any group, wants to finance their dream piece of track, you know where to find me. We are always ready to go - just clear room in your basement.
Keep the comments coming - it's the only way I can learn what you're thinking.

Joe


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## Zelda84 (Aug 15, 2006)

I have an official track count. So here is the break down.


(1) 9” ¼ Curve Black Qty. 62
(2) 9” ¼ Curve Yellow Qty. 13
(3) 9” 1/8 Curve Qty. 4
(4) 12” 1/8 Curve Qty. 28
(5) 6” 1/8 Curve Qty. 4
(6) 6” ¼ Curve Qty. 2
(7) 6” Straights Qty. 29
(8) 9” Straights Qty. 19
(9) 15” Straights Qty. 20
(10) 15” Squeeze Qty. 2
(11) 9” Criss Cross Qty. 2
(12) 9” RxR Crossings Qty. 2
(13) 9” Lap Counters Qty. 3
(14) Pistol controllers Qty. 10
(15) DC power packs Qty. 5
(16) 9” Power tracks Qty. 8

I'm also including some tyco slots with the sale of the track. Some will need a few parts to make them run, others are ready to go. There is guard rails and little track perches to raise the roadways also included. Everything works, might need a little cleaning here or there on the pieces which were not being run. No breaks in any track piece which would effect the racing experience. I would like to get $75.00 for the lot of track. As for shipping costs, I might be high, but probably around $30 for shipping costs. If its ower, I will let the buyer know.
If no one bites here it will be listed on E-bay in a couple of days.

I'm uploading photos to my gallery for everyone to see.


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## RMMseven (Oct 22, 2004)

I like the newest Mattel version of the Tyco track. I have accumulated a lot of it basically for free and have bought some of the excellent after-market 6" and 15" turns. The Tyco track has always had a bit more space between the lanes which is needed with todays HO cars.


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