# aw drag strip



## stirlingmoss (Aug 24, 2012)

ok need recommendations or advice here...
I have a lock and joiner 3.5'x16' track with a wired in parma controller with brakes.
heres my dilema I want to incorporate the aw(legends of the quarter mile) drag setup with xmas tree and start/finish lights into my track setup.
I plan on extending the length to 20' but the width I have restrictions.
any ideas suggestions etc?
thanks.


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

.
Stirling, 

Nice layout and surrounding area. :thumbsup:

When you say "incorporate," do you mean:
-- have the dragstrip do double-duty as the long straightaway for the road course,
or just​-- have the dragstrip on the same table as part of the same scene as the the road course?​
You also might want to take a look at *KiwiDave's remarkable dragstrip build-thread* from 2013 for a possible third alternative - a narrow shelf above the road course.










Tools and materials are set on the surface that will become the road course.










But to do that you'd either have to lower the table for the road-course or find a new arrangement for those nice display cases.

-- D


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## MSwaterlogged (Feb 5, 2014)

Nice looking setup you have there. Wish I had that much room! Anyway I think I would be tempted to put the drag strip inside the race track (keeping them separate) instead of trying to put them together. More options that way in my opinion (especially if you can lengthen the table. Would also let you incorporate some sort of stop barrier for the drag strip that would not interfere with the race track.


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## stirlingmoss (Aug 24, 2012)

When you say "incorporate," do you mean:
-- have the dragstrip do double-duty as the long straightaway for the road course,
or just
-- have the dragstrip on the same table as part of the same scene as the the road course?

thanks guys!
I'm not sure
would like the drag strip and use the road course as a return loop but I also like the shelf above the track but either way my controllers will be another issue


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

Controllers? For the dragstrip? 
Well, if you can't afford an on/off pushbutton for each lane, you could always just have the drivers touch two wires together when the green light flashes ...

 Just funnin' ya, dragster guys. I'm sure there's more to it than that. 
... Well ... _pretty_ sure. 

There is, isn't there?

-- D


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## stirlingmoss (Aug 24, 2012)

Think I'm going to shitcan the lock and joiner and build a new layout incorporating the aw drag strip.
Don't know if I should wire my Parma controllers to the terminal track or splice in the aw plugs to my controllers.


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

TOMY AFX track is compatible with AW


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## SuperDave321 (Mar 10, 2015)

Dslot said:


> Controllers? For the dragstrip?
> Well, if you can't afford an on/off pushbutton for each lane, you could always just have the drivers touch two wires together when the green light flashes ...
> 
> Just funnin' ya, dragster guys. I'm sure there's more to it than that.
> ...


 No, That's about it. Throw the coals to it! 2 Speeds... Off and on! Love my dragsters. SD


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

*Green Valley Raceway*



stirlingmoss said:


> Think I'm going to ... build a new layout incorporating the aw drag strip.


This reminded me of a design project I did a few years ago - a small HO layout representing *Green Valley Raceway* (between Dallas and Ft. Worth) as it was when I went there in high school (c. 1966). When I did the design, I had just been back to visit what remains of GVR, and grabbed a souvenir chunk of asphalt from Turn 4, which partially emerges from the grass of the greenspace by the suburban neighborhood that now covers much of the course. I wonder if those folks realize that Jaguars and Healeys and Stingrays used to roar through the space that's now their bedroom.

The _*actual*_ GVR had originally been Green Valley Dragstrip, and when it was rebuilt into a road course, it incorporated the strip and return lane. "A road course mickey-moused out of a quarter-mile dragstrip," as someone once put it. I designed that into the slot layout, but the 6" hairpin at the end is going to make the dragstrip mostly cosmetic rather than practical.

Here's my design. Its size is well suited to your space requirements, *stirlingmoss* - just under 3.5 ft wide by 13 feet long, but could easily be lengthened to 16 or 20 feet by just inserting straight pieces into the main straight, the return lane, and short back straight. That _*might*_ give the dragstrip enough space for slowdown before the turn, if the dragsters aren't too hot. Especially if the curve is eased as discussed below.










For an enlarged version *go here* and click with the magnifier tool.

The main problem is that it makes most sense for the long straight to be against the wall, meaning there's a doable, but uncomfortable 3-ft reach to set up cars at the starting line of the dragstrip (although you _*could*_ just put them down on the road-course and drive them to the start line). 

But the notch in the table is only there to represent the shape of that particular course. You could fill in the notch area with table, enlarge the curve at the end of the dragstrip, eliminating the "return lane" straight and tight right-hander (Turn 2), by running the track back to the other side of the layout and rejoining the road course at what is currently Turn 3. That lets you put the twisty side against the wall and have the dragstrip up front (but then it becomes a long reach to marshall the back corners).










Other problems include:
- The turn functioning as the slowdown area after the dragstrip finish line is impractically tight. The tight hairpin at the end of the straight was a distinctive feature of Green Valley, but that's important only to me, not to you. It could easily be broadened or even banked at the expense of a bit of length to the dragstrip, or taken to the far side of the layout as described and shown above. 
- The christmas tree or light bridge is facing the wall, and wouldn't be visible to the drivers. Leaving three feet or so between the left end and the wall for driver access would help that.
- My original courses were designed to approximate the shape of Green Valley, and only secondarily designed with flow in mind. The tightness of Turn 1 and Turn 2 would likely give the course a crabbed feel, and turn 1, a 6"R at the end of a 12-ft straight is going to be frustrating and a frequent crash site. Better duct-tape a sofa cushion to the wall there. Or use one of the wide-table variants which have greatly improved flow.​
You almost certainly won't build this exact course - I present it here more as an oddity and interesting coincidence, but maybe it can provide you with some ideas. :wave:

-- D


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

nice plans


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## blue55conv (May 23, 2007)

This brings back some memories.

I used to go to Green Valley back in the early '70's. There were paid in match races (like Showtime vs Gary Burgin), but big names would just show up sometimes. I saw Jungle Jim do a 1/4 mile burnout, backup, and then win the race. Chi-Town Hustler was there one weekend. Gene Snow brought his top fuel car. Of course he was local.

I can still hear the radio ads.

"Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! At Bill Hilscher's Green Valley Race City. If you think Saturday was something, be there Sunday. See altereds, dragsters, gassers, stockers, (including the factory showroom stockers,) battling in wheel-to-wheel competition for cash prizes and trophies. See Ford vs Chevy in the match race of the century. See Art Arphonz and his jet powered Green Monster. Follow the Coke signs North to Bill Hilscher's Green Valley Race City. Gates open at 9:00 am. First competition blasts off the starting line at 1:00 pm. BE THERE!"

I ran my 75 Monza there once.

This Saturday the top 2 cars from the Street Outlaws TV show will be testing at Northstar Dragway in Denton, just North of Dallas. I want to go, but I have a Neulasta injection at noon. That is a long story.


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## stirlingmoss (Aug 24, 2012)

Thanks D!
Excellent stuff here thanks for posting..
I am certainly going to use that for inspiration!


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## Dushkwoneshe (Apr 27, 2012)

.
Don't know how I missed this thread for 4 days...

Very nice looking set-up you have there, SM... Just seems to
have a good *feel* to it, from the photo...

DSlots wonderful project renderings give you a great plan to build on...

John.


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

*Green Valley (mostly OT)*



blue55conv said:


> I used to go to Green Valley back in the early '70's.


There's very little left of it now, sad to say.

In this photo (I have it listed as 1995, but I'm not sure why), Green Valley was mostly intact. Some buildings gone, but the pedestrian bridge just behind the start line shows clearly in this photo.










By the time I saw it in 2012, about 350 yards of the south end of the dragstrip (not shown) and almost the entire infield, starting line and half the main straight was covered with rather large, nice homes. The very northern tip had been shaved off by the building of Tarrant Parkway.










But patches of asphalt and concrete were showing from Turn 4 to the creek, both bridges were there, and north of the creek I could still follow the curve of the old track, but construction equipment and materials were being stored all over that section and I didn't see any old pavement. There was a still a section of the dragstrip paving in the middle of a field to the south. You can easily see it in the photo.

But the latest satellite photo on Google Maps shows development construction starting up in that field, and that last piece of the strip gone. By now there are probably houses and lawns covering the whole area.










Oh well. nothing lasts forever. And there are still the remnants of the northern curves plus concrete from the service areas by the creek.

Should you ever have the urge to see the site for yourself, coordinates 32.89778, -97.21192 should center Google Maps just about where the starting line was. :wave:

-- D


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## stirlingmoss (Aug 24, 2012)

anyone know what the ohms are on those yellow/black controllers?


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## Dushkwoneshe (Apr 27, 2012)

.
60 ohms, I believe, SM...

What power supply are you using?... Just wondering...

John
.


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## stirlingmoss (Aug 24, 2012)

Dushkwoneshe said:


> .
> 60 ohms, I believe, SM...
> 
> What power supply are you using?... Just wondering...
> ...


thanks man!
I have a commercial P/S


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## Dushkwoneshe (Apr 27, 2012)

.
Y*'*Welcome...

I was asking to see what the difference was between the set power-pak
and your big power supply voltage*/*amperage, as to performance...
.


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

stirlingmoss said:


> anyone know what the ohms are on *those yellow/black controllers*?


*Vun! *I see vun yellow/black controller!

*Two!* I see...










or 










or










or










or something else entirely?

-- D


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## stirlingmoss (Aug 24, 2012)

Sorry I meant the black and yellow one that is included in the aw drag strips.


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## Dushkwoneshe (Apr 27, 2012)

.
To my best understanding, AW drag controllers are supposed to be 60 ohms...

If their QC on controllers is anything like for the chassis, I would put an
ohmmeter on them to make sure  ... ALL my meters are fritzed or I
would check the four I have for you...

I think they used 60 ohms for control of the cars in the 2-IN-1 sets and
to be able to use the add-on return lane... It's less stress on a 
homeset car, too... 

Probably just because they need to use-up the 10 million 60 ohm
resisters they have :lol:
.


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## stirlingmoss (Aug 24, 2012)

Cool thanks John?


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