Since last edition, there really has
been little done to the track itself. I added a few areas of elevation change
using Woodland Scenics' ramps to lift sections up about 2 or so inches. The
'new' section had the large curve raised with ramps leading to it and away from
it. I am careful not to use ramps on
curves
themselves as they will inevitably provide a negative camber. For that reason,
there are areas where they go up an inch, flatten out for a couple of feet and
then raise up once more. It adds a bit of interest to things and makes the
inside straights and hairpin seem to be heading downhill. An interesting
illusion.
I
have also added some 'humps' to the far end of the main straights. Initially I
had the high point at the join of two sections of track, but some of my cars
(primarily the Slot.it cars) were not only getting airborne, but de-slotting. At
the speed they were traveling they were crashing pretty hard at the end of the
straights. So I moved the ramp sections down a bit so the apex would be in the
middle of a section. It makes the tops 'flat' and has stopped the de-slotting,
but not the getting airborne part! In that way, they are quite successful. The
photo to the right shows it before I made the change.
So far, these are just temporary as I'm making room for the final section of 4x8 (which will be suitably cut down to fit). This will not happen soon, but half the fun of these tracks is the anticipation and planning. It will end up being an L shaped piece and will bring final track length into the 165 foot range and probably have lap times closer to 20 seconds on the average. Currently with 140 feet, the really fast cars are in the high 13s with the average more into the 15 second range.
One thing I have done is to start a chart of the various cars I own, how they are equipped and the most recent best lap times on each lane. I have yet to add in the lap times from the 130 foot track, but at least you have an idea of what sort of things I like to run. Like most people new to the hobby, I have been spending time on the net finding sales on cars and there are several slot car newsgroups where one can find some real bargains. Even the auction sites can provide bargains, but those are few and far between as these places are pretty much the purvey of retail outlets.
Here is a link to the chart. I'll be updating it with times in the near future. Here's a poor image of the overall track as it now sits. Photographing in the basement is the pits!
Well, that is about it for this session. I hope you learned a bit and if you have any questions or wish to share your experiences or images of your track, I'd like to hear from you on the subject so please e-mail me at mmreaders@aol.com.
Scott