42 replies to this topic

[Vay Jonynas]

What are the biggest slot car racing facilities in your region of the country/world in operation today? By biggest I mean a combination of most tracks plus most track footage. I guess six lane tracks should get only 75% of the credit of eight lane tracks while 1/32 scale plastic tracks should get only 75% as much credit as 1/24 scale tracks while HO tracks should get only 28% as much credit.

 

Here's my nominee for New England and perhaps all of the Northeast:

 

Modelville Hobby - Ashland

 

220' American Sovereign

155' King

135' American Aristocrat

90' American Royal

90' Ogilvie Figure Eight

84' HO Bowman Sovereign

HO Car Model Track

 

How about other regions?

 

[Bill from NH]

Modelville has more HO tracks than the two you mentioned. I haven't been there recently, but they've had one of the orange "Tub Tracks" since I worked for them in 1973.

[Dominator]

I think Modelville (HO side is referred to as Lenjet) has 8-10 HO tracks.

[Modelville Guy]

Modelville Hobby has the five 1/24 scale tracks listed above.

We only have one HO Scorpion Track Not sure lane length but it's footprint is 5' x 15'

Square footage of Modelville Hobby is around 7800 sqft.

 

Plus Modelville Hobby opened in 1965. Two different owners and four different addresses.

 

Lenjet Raceway is right next door. I have trouble keeping track of the number of HO tracks, somewhere around 10.

 

So do I win?

I don't really care as long as I am not the only slot car raceway around.

 

Visit raceways when you travel and support your local and favorite raceways.

 

Just keep putting those cars in the slot.

[Phil Hackett]

Revell Raceway in Los Angeles was located in a former grocery store. They had 6 tracks: one each, American (AMR) Black (Regal), AMR Orange (Monarch), AMR Red (Imperial..."red King), Revell Monaco, Revell Laguna Seca, Revell Grand Prix. The Grand Prix and Laguna Seca were probably just a tad bit smaller than the AMR Purple (Soveriegn).  I could guess the square footage but it would be a wild guess....

[Bill Seitz]

I've traveled around to raceways in different parts of the country. These days it's unusual that there's space for more than one or two modest size tracks and maybe a dragstrip. There are only a handful of the tracks over 200' still operating. Present day cost of retail space is a major contributor. I think Modelville likely is tops in the US today for both number of tracks and total lap length. Alpine Slot Cars in Helen, GA has 4 tracks and nearly 700' of total lap length with 2 very large, 8-lane plastic 1/32 tracks and 2 1/24 wood tracks.

 

I believe Modelville has the only remaining Sovereign. There are a few more 220 Engleman-style layouts opreating likely due to Chris Dadds having made a half-dozen in more recent years. Very few places can afford the space to house tracks over 200' let alone a track that size and others.

 

As Phil points out, Los Angeles in the 60's had some huge raceways and huge tracks. I remember banked, 8-lane wood tracks of 275 and 325 feet, but nothing like that has survived to the present day.

[slotcarone]

Let's not forget SpeedZone in Mt. Holly New Jersey. They have the 220 engleman style track plus an oval plus the new ISRA Worlds track plus a drag strip. Not sure if they still have the King track in the other building. An awesome racing facility.

[Bridgehampton66]

Modelville is my home raceway, and I'm deeply grateful for all the tracks we have, and the nine-ten HO

courses next door at Lenjet.

 

Mid-America, in Buffalo Grove, IL, is also a very big place.  Roger must have four or five tracks in there, and 

a Puma HO track, 

[Vay Jonynas]

I've traveled around to raceways in different parts of the country. These days it's unusual that there's space for more than one or two modest size tracks and maybe a dragstrip. There are only a handful of the tracks over 200' still operating. Present day cost of retail space is a major contributor. I

 

That may be changing since brick-and-mortar retail is being seriously hurt by online shopping these days. Many shopping plazas and malls have lots of empty space and are crying for tenants. 

[Phil Hackett]

 

That may be changing since brick-and-mortar retail is being seriously hurt by online shopping these days. Many shopping plazas and malls have lots of empty space and are crying for tenants. 

 

They're not crying hard enough.....yet.

[AyeAyeRon Davis]

Alpine Slot Cars in Helen, GA has 4 tracks and nearly 700' of total lap length with 2 very large, 8-lane plastic 1/32 tracks and 2 1/24 wood tracks.

 

So slight correction to this. Alpine has two 6-lane 1/32 plastic tracks, and then the two 1/24 wood tracks.

Here at Alpine Slot Cars, we have Slingshot Speedway, it is, on average 105 feet per lane. Its our smallest track. Then our largest track is Alpine Speedway, it's on average 297 feet per lane. Then our tri-oval is between 106 and 111 feet per lane, depending on the lane color. Then our reverse king is 155 feet as well. We "technically" have other tracks, but we just don't have enough space to have them up and running here, lol. The building that we are in is currently around 7600 sq. ft. of space, with 50 permanent pit spaces, and we have the table and chairs to accommodate closer to 80 people and still run our normal daily operations. If we closed up for a private event, we could fit closer to 100 people or so. 

Another big places we have heard about/seen is Slot Car Raceway and Hobby Shop. Not too sure on their sq ft, but they have a ton of different track options, that place looks awesome as well!

[Vay Jonynas]

Let's not forget SpeedZone in Mt. Holly New Jersey. They have the 220 engleman style track plus an oval plus the new ISRA Worlds track plus a drag strip. Not sure if they still have the King track in the other building. An awesome racing facility.

 

SpeedZone - Mt. Holly

 

220' Ogilvie Engelman

170' Nabokins

65' Nabokins Tri-Oval

85' Dragstrip

 

But the Teaneck Speedway in New Jersey has seven(!) tracks including these:

 

195' Ogilvie Englemann

153' Gerding Anaconda

125' Ogilvie Hillclimb 

95' Ogilvie Figure 8

NASCAR Oval

¼ mile scale drag strip

 

 

 

Teaneck Speedway

 

[slotcarone]

It seems that after  all of the hype before opening and then never doing anything once opened the Teaneck speedway has been shut down and the tracks are for sale. I could never figure out the owner's intentions here.

[Vay Jonynas]

That's sad. The picture above showing six tracks made me drool.

 

[Bill from NH]

I guess the biggest isn't always the best.

[old & gray]

It seems that after  all of the hype before opening and then never doing anything once opened the Teaneck speedway has been shut down and the tracks are for sale. I could never figure out the owner's intentions here.

 

Everyone has a plan ..... until it doesn't work.

 

I remember a track in the 1970's; the owner installed bleachers for spectators, planning to sell tickets.

[Bill from NH]

The bleachers were still at the track the one time I was at Forestville. The tropical fish tank was directly behind it, but in a window. Bob. it once took me hours to find that Forestville was a locality in Bristol rather than a CT town or city. 

[Vay Jonynas]

I guess the biggest isn't always the best.

 

Was basically all the floor space at Teaneck devoted to the tracks or was there also a wide assortment of model kits and other hobby shop type items displayed for sale? In other words did Teaneck Speedway function as a broad based hobby shop as well?

 

[slotcarone]

I don't think Teaneck had anything except slot cars. Was only about an hour and a half from me but there never was any reason to go there.

[Vay Jonynas]

Why not? Teaneck had quite the variety of tracks. Were there a number of slot car tracks closer to you?

 

[slotcarone]

Why not? Teaneck had quite the variety of tracks. Were there a number of slot car tracks closer to you?

 

No actually there are no other raceways closer to me except Bristol CT but with traffic probably same time to get there and I cannot sit in traffic. Really there were no events that were held there to bring me or anyone else there. To far and to much expense to just go there and run some of my slot cars.

[Vay Jonynas]

Ahhhhh, okay. You're among the sophisticated racer contingent that look for events. But focusing on the sophisticated racer contingent (notice that I'm avoiding using the word "crowd") won't enable a slot car raceway to survive. What a slot car raceway needs to survive are customers who regularly come around to run their cars and more importantly new customers to whom home sets, track, cars and parts can be sold. And I'm guessing that without a storefront to lure customers inside, Teaneck wasn't getting the ever so important walk by new customers.

 

How noticeable was street signage for Teaneck? Did it scream "Come inside and check us out!"? And being downtown in the basement of an office tower, I'm guessing Teaneck must have been on transit/bus routes but it probably wasn't near schools which can be a much needed sourse of new customers. Moreover I'm wondering what the Teaneck Speedway was doing to advertise its presence in Teaneck and area?

 

[NJ Racer]

Teaneck Speedway | Family Entertainment Center | Teaneck, NJ had an absentee owner who had absolutely -0- background in the hobby. The owner got the space to serve the diverse community in Teaneck. A race program was never established. My group of NJ/PA 1/32 scale racers arranged an event on the flat track shortly after the place opened, however the owner was not there, nor was a manager, or employee to run the race. It operated as a fun/arcade/party center for the town. The owner told me he wouuld need approximately $100+ an hour rate for a Saturday event as that is what was his going rate for his parties.

 

See more here...............   teaneckspeedway.com

[slotcarone]

Ahhhhh, okay. You're among the sophisticated racer contingent that look for events. But focusing on the sophisticated racer contingent (notice that I'm avoiding using the word "crowd") won't enable a slot car raceway to survive. What a slot car raceway needs to survive are customers who regularly come around to run their cars and more importantly new customers to whom home sets, track, cars and parts can be sold. And I'm guessing that without a storefront to lure customers inside, Teaneck wasn't getting the ever so important walk by new customers.

 

How noticeable was street signage for Teaneck? Did it scream "Come inside and check us out!"? And being downtown in the basement of an office tower, I'm guessing Teaneck must have been on transit/bus routes but it probably wasn't near schools which can be a much needed sourse of new customers. Moreover I'm wondering what the Teaneck Speedway was doing to advertise its presence in Teaneck and area?

 

Has nothing to do with sophisticated. I have been doing this since the early '60's, thus the SLOTCARONE handle. My wife and I both retired in 2020 when things were much more affordable and never expected the unchecked out of control price increases for everything. Makes it very difficult even to make it to a race day that is typically 2 plus hours each way. But that is what I like to do so there I am!

[Half Fast]

A mostly absentee, know nothing owner, an object lesson in how not to run a slot car raceway, or any business for that matter.

 

I hope those nice tracks find a good home.

 

 

Cheers