Hi, all. Ten or twelve years ago, I routed a flat four-lane powered with copper tape. I also scratched up the cars using slide-guides. It all worked very well, and I really like non-mag racing, but I've decided that what I really want is a smaller banked-oval dirt track to run vintage stock cars on Tjet-style chassis.
So instead of tape this time, I want to try some kind of rail so I can stay with the stock pick-ups. In reading the original HO routed track thread, member joey408w spoke of using a 1/16" multi-strand steel cable as the power conductors, but I couldn't find anything definitive about how that turned out. It seems like an attractive option; has anyone built a full track on this scheme?
Wow! Now that's something you don't see every day. Love the chassis. I'm guessing you don't stock many spare gears....... Any chance of more info about them (not gears, chassis)?
BTW, sorry but I know nothing of routed tracks and my intention is not to sideline your actual question. No doubt someone will help you with that shortly.
Oh, hey, welcome to SCI. Great place, great people and pools of information. Enjoy your stay.
Yes, they were inspired by Ed Bianchi's Rattler. ("Stolen" is such an ugly word.) I had used Ed's track construction method of one template and four router discs, which worked great, and while I was at it, I borrowed his idea for cars. No gearing means very little braking action, but they handle pretty well for non-mag, and make for good racing. My track design, however, was a bit sterile; the straights are straight, the turns are arcs, and lane spacing is constant. But the slots came out perfect on the first try, and I recommend the method, especially for first-timers.
So I want to build a banked dirt track. I'm thinking 3x6 feet, three lanes in 6" width. I can't decide if I want parallel slots again, or squeeze them to the outside of one straight, or to the inside of one turn. I'd welcome opinions from anyone who races small ovals in any of these configurations. Crossovers also sound intriguing, but not sure if I want to go there.
Oh, and in my photo, you can see where the slot has eroded on the outside of the turns. This is after many hundreds of laps, but I was kind of surprised since these cars weigh almost nothing. I guess I should have sealed the slot walls with varnish or lane-color paint, and will do so next time. I don't think I've read anything about this problem before though, is it just me?
I would shy away from the squeeze thingy. If you are doing a banked oval, you probably want to do it in "Syntra" it's expanded PVC and is made for routing. Comes in multiple colors, even brown
For rail, I would research "stitching wire" Look for steel, about .120x.020 I'm pretty sure that's a standard size, in metric it would be .5 x 3 mm I think?
To keep the wire in place, you will need to find lock wire. Search McMaster-Carr for solid core wire, and they will have a specs online, from exact O.D.sizes to all the colors you can order.
Simply rout the rail slot to the desired depth for the rail to reveal, and shove in the the wire with a little testor's window maker glue, then clean up with water.
Search online for "solid carbide endmills" there will be a bunch of places to choose from that sell these. You will need to get about 4-6 of them to get started. Try to find either 1 flute, or 2 flute designs, DO NOT BUY 4 FLUTERS. They will only melt your plastic.
Good luck with your project,
BTW I've routed five ovals, using multiple methods.
If you need any help LMK by PM.
I have a rattler and steel rails. They don't go well together as the motor magnets only impacts one rail. The motor endbell is over the other rail. This makes the handling inconsistent between left and right turns. An inline or anglewinder chassis works fine. A rattler type sidewinder not so much unless steps are taken to shield the motors magnetic field from the rails.
Thanks for the insight, but the new track will be for cars with stock-type pickup shoes.
So is there a proven combination of stitch/lock wire if I decide to go that route? Insulated lockwire would be a handy way of color-coding lanes, but I think I'll still try the stranded cable in some test grooves.
If you go with the cable, make sure you get stainless, regular steel will have way too much downforce. Stainless does not have good conductivity, so make sure you figure out the taps. I think you will be a lot happier if you go with rail, or braid if you want an alternative. Be mindful of the downforce issues.
The foam PVC sheet surface is excellent for slot cars.
Kevin has built several great tracks including the 6x17 banked oval on the website. It was great for AFX and some t-jets. I believe he used stitching wire. Kevin is a great guy and a true craftsman and would be happy to answer any questions.
"The rails are installed using .060”wide x.125”deep, round edge tempered steel wire. The wire is first heated and bent in order to pass through the table surface allowing for electrical connection. Glue is applied to the wire grooves and the wire is installed to .012” – .015” rail height. Rails are continuous with no additional power taps needed. This round edge wire is so smooth that pickup shoe wear is virtually non-existent."
Hi, all. Ten or twelve years ago, I routed a flat four-lane powered with copper tape. I also scratched up the cars using slide-guides. It all worked very well, and I really like non-mag racing, but I've decided that what I really want is a smaller banked-oval dirt track to run vintage stock cars on Tjet-style chassis.
So instead of tape this time, I want to try some kind of rail so I can stay with the stock pick-ups. In reading the original HO routed track thread, member joey408w spoke of using a 1/16" multi-strand steel cable as the power conductors, but I couldn't find anything definitive about how that turned out. It seems like an attractive option; has anyone built a full track on this scheme?
Im scheduling an HO track build this winter also. I would like to try the 1/16 cable also. Pleas keep us posted on your results.
A little update on steel cable. I got 10' samples of 1/16" 7x7 galvanized mild steel and stainless. They both lay down very nicely in a 1/16 routed groove; at a depth of 0.050", a very consistent 0.012-0.013" protrudes above the track surface. Also, the rounded top of the cable would let the tires of sliding cars slip over it better, not catching on the edge of flat wire.
That's the good news. They both have significant electrical resistance. The 10' galv. showed 0.34 ohms on a good Fluke meter, and the SS measured 2 ohms. You do the math. Still ok for my small track and low-power cars, but probably not suitable for long tracks/high current cars without a bunch of distribution taps. Also cost. At 22 and 32 cents/foot, you don't want to buy a whole lot of this stuff.
Copper bus wire is an interesting idea for a non-mag track. I don't think wear would be a problem; copper tape is only a few mils thick, and it lasts ok. But even soft copper at 1/16" is somewhat stiff; it may be hard to get it to lay down flat without bumps. Maybe I'll try a little.
Edit: 14 ga. copper wire (0.064") is in the same ~$25/100' price range.
First post
Linear Mode
