295 replies to this topic

[Vay Jonynas]

Does anyone know of a slot car raceway with a Mr. Raceways Indy 300 track still in commercial operation?

[Bill from NH]

Mr. Raceways tracks were manufactured in Cambridge, MA during the late 60's & early 70's.

 

New England raceways had a ton of their tracks installed, but by 1975 most all had disappeared.

 

The Woodfords Corner Raceway in Portland ME had a big Mr. Raceways track that was 200+ ' in length, but I don't recall the layout name. It was the biggest Mr. Raceways track I raced on back then.

 

I'll be surprised if you find any Mr Raceways track still in use.  The ones I ran on all had polarity switches at each drivers' panel, so you didn't care how your car was wired, unless they sometimes ran a track in both directions.  

 

My home raceway ran a Mr. Raceway Lemans backward because the banked corner at the end of the straight had a large plate glass window in the back of it.

[axman]

Here in Australia during the 60's we only got the Royal 95's and maybe a couple of yellows ( Monarch). These were imported to be mostly installed in AMF bowling centres. All came with the steering wheels, fibreglass seats and pinball lap counters. To my knowledge non of the rest of the AMR tracks hit our shores.

I bought one in the early 70's.. it had been sitting nicely in air-conditioned storage for 5 years in a room at the back of the bowling alley. I bought it because I realised the Royal 95 is it is actually 2/3rd's of a King track.. all we had to do was add two straights to make the finger (easy) and then build the bank, lots of new straights and the deadman ...( very bloody hard). It then gave Australia its first !55 King track so we were able for the first time compare our lap times to the rest of the world.

[hiline2]

back in the 60s when I raced at "Grand Prix" raceways in St Louis County we had 3 tracks, the orange, green,and maybe yellow ? ( I do recall the green/orange)

We didnt have lap counters as shown in some of the photos, but what we did have was a race command center (my description) it could be rolled around and connected to any track, once done the track control, lap counting, and timing were all done from it. On lap counting it had a light display (50 small bulbs) . Timing was done with a nice analog stop clock (maybe 3 "  in dia . Im not sure if that was a custom made set up or if it came with the tracks ? A I was lucky to work there I was trained on its use and ran many races as race official. Anyone got photos of such a thing ?

 

looking at the photos , the regal 90 seems to have such a setup but it isnt very clear.

[Michael Jr.]

It was a sad day when this track closed it doors for the last time last year. DJ's hobbies in St. Clair Shores MI. Dave was a wonderful person and always made us feel at home. The track was incredible and they ran wing cars on this track regularly. I think the nickname for this track was "The Whip." Two very high banks on the far end followed by a straightaway and very tight turn on the right nearside just out of the picture. Very fun track to run on which was always kept in pristine shape.  

 

I heard this track went to somewhere in the middle of the country and the building was hit with a good storm causing some damage to the track. I hope she is still up and running.  

 

The Whip.jpg

 

7 years late on reading this, but I purchased the track from Dave way back then and I still have the track. The building I was renting was in fact hit with a storm that destroyed the roof and a tri-oval track but this track wasn't damaged. The track is currently stored and I am working to rebuild all the other pieces required to open up again. The track is in upstate SC.

[Ramcatlarry]

Your "Whip" looks like a Chris Dadds Corner Climber.  One was in Montgomery, IL about 20 years ago and I think it went to Michigan.

He built a smaller one with 6 lanes for the Chicago Hotel - Fieldhouse Jones.

[Michael Jr.]

Your "Whip" looks like a Chris Dadds Corner Climber.  One was in Montgomery, IL about 20 years ago and I think it went to Michigan.

He built a smaller one with 6 lanes for the Chicago Hotel - Fieldhouse Jones.

 

It is Dadds Corner Climb. I believe it was at the 2009 NATS. I'm trying to get the history of the track.

[mickey thumbs]

Michael, when it’s up and running be sure to post in the Raceways section. Good luck!

[Michael Jr.]

The Hillclimb was known as the Aristocrat. No color was ever referred to it. I have only seen one Formica-covered Hillclimb and it has black Formica on it... NOT red like the promo pics. All the other Hillclimbs I have seen had the econo paneling sides.

The Figure 8 was green Formica and was known as the Queen. Never referred to as a "color". I am sure some called them "greens" but I have only seen one of those.

The 220' Emperior was yellow Formica... only three or five were made (reports conflict on this number) and they were never referred to as yellows.

The 80' Windsor track was referred to as the "yellow".

Queen green Figure 8 known as the Figure 8.

Monarch orange 100' known as the Orange.

Regal black 90' known as the "flat" Black.

Royal black 95' known as the "banked" Black.

Aristocrat red (according to the American promo pics) 135' known as the Hillclimb.

Imperial red 150' known as the Red.

King blue 155' known as the Blue.

Soverign purple 220' known as the Purple Mile.

Emperior yellow 220' known by few as the Yellow Mile.

The nicknames only refer to the color of the Formica on the tracks.

My guess if the tracks had the econo paneling sides... they would have referred to them as their "royalty" name.

I have only seen Windsors, Hillclimbs, and one King, and one Purple Mile with econo paneling sides.

I have never seen a Royal, Regal, Queen, Monarch, Red, Yellow Mile with econo paneling sides.

 

Ron,

I have included this in a short history of slot car section on my web page under the Home School section of using slot cars in education. 

https://upstatespeed...choolers.html#/

[Michael Jr.]

Michael, when it’s up and running be sure to post in the Raceways section. Good luck!

 

 

It's coming together. Just picked up a Monarch to make it three tracks.  Got a lot to do still but every day we get closer.

[Rotorranch]

back in the 60s when I raced at "Grand Prix" raceways in St Louis County we had 3 tracks, the orange, green,and maybe yellow ? ( I do recall the green/orange)

We didnt have lap counters as shown in some of the photos, but what we did have was a race command center (my description) it could be rolled around and connected to any track, once done the track control, lap counting, and timing were all done from it. On lap counting it had a light display (50 small bulbs) . Timing was done with a nice analog stop clock (maybe 3 "  in dia . Im not sure if that was a custom made set up or if it came with the tracks ? A I was lucky to work there I was trained on its use and ran many races as race official. Anyone got photos of such a thing ?

 

looking at the photos , the regal 90 seems to have such a setup but it isnt very clear.

 

Was that the track in St. Ann?

 

My Dad used to race there with some SCCA buddies. I never got to race there, but did run there. That might be where I planted my Monogram Cooper Ford into the plate glass window!  If IIRC, we had 3 or 4 tracks in St. Louis, and a couple of other tracks across the river in Illinois. I was younger then, and not sure where all I got taken to.

 

Rotor

[hiline2]

 

Was that the track in St. Ann?

 

My Dad used to race there with some SCCA buddies. I never got to race there, but did run there. That might be where I planted my Monogram Cooper Ford into the plate glass window!  If IIRC, we had 3 or 4 tracks in St. Louis, and a couple of other tracks across the river in Illinois. I was younger then, and not sure where all I got taken to.

 

Rotor

Grand Prix was right off St Charles Rock Rd in a shopping center that would be off lynntown rd now. As best as  I recall it was the most modern and maybe biggest for a while, and who did nt bounce a car at least once off that plate glass window !!  The 2nd one I recall was farther down St CR rd past Ritnor High School down near Brown rd, it was older (where I 1st raced some cars) had a drag strip. The 3rd one was over on lackland rd in a real Mom and Pop type hobby store. later around 1967-68 the AMF big bowling ally out off Lindberg and Schuetz rd where they had a big "purple ?" track.  The guys  I worked with at Grand prix decided to open there own track over in E St Louis area so I went with them to move the closed track they bought (that place I cant recall) . I believe there was a nice track down in the Fenton Mo area because the Racing club from Grand prix went and raced there once.

[MSwiss]

As mentioned in another thread, my friend. Mark Rosenwinkel/muskie^man19, who documents old slot car racing results, was gifted the late Rick Davis's collection of magazines. Pictured is from a 1972 mag.

 

What's interesting are the different lap lengths listed on the American tracks. The ones that stands out, are the 90' and 95' lengths on the Monarch (Orange) tracks, which I've always heard billed as 100'. There are five 100' tracks listed earlier on, along with other tracks without any designation, other than lap length.

[bradblohm]

I assume they mistakenly called them Monarchs, when those are the lengths of the Blacks, and they don't mention Regals or Royals.

[MSwiss]

Brad,
You are most likely correct.

The only thing that kind of throws a monkey wrench in that is look at the prices.

Unless they have that wrong, also, why would the 95' Regal, which I think he has a bank turn, be less expensive than the 90 ft flat Royal?

Were those available in both deuxe laminate and economy wood paneling?

While you're solving that mystery, try to figure out why a raceway had a couple turnstyles? LOL

[Eddie Fleming]

 why would the 95' Regal, which I think he has a bank turn, be less expensive than the 90 ft flat Royal?

 

Condition?

[MSwiss]

I was referring to what they referred to as the new price.

[bradblohm]

Turnstyles = pay when enter = more profits!  A plan too cunning to fail twice!

 

May have also just been curiosity for how many people coming through the door on any given day/time. As an IT/data guy, those numbers would interest me to understand staffing needs, and possible hours of operation, and when to fill the pop machine and candy counter.

 

They may have also just found them on a street corner...

[Mike Patterson]

Unless they have that wrong, also, why would the 95' Regal, which I think he has a bank turn, be less expensive than the 90 ft flat Royal?

Were those available in both deluxe laminate and economy wood paneling?

AFAIK, they were. For some reason, deluxe American tracks seem to vastly outnumber the economy ones. I've only ran on two, an Aristocrat at Tom Thumb East in Columbus BITD, and a Monarch in Girard, Ohio. The Aristocrat also had the steering wheels.

[Bill from NH]

In the '70s I ran on economy versions of a Monarch & Sovereign at Modelville Hobby in Framingham, MA, They also had an economy version of the Windsor used for rentals. The Monarch came to a NH amusement park in Wears Beach, the Sovereign was destroyed by a water leak in RI. & I have no idea what happened to the Windsor.

[MSwiss]

I did a quick search and couldn't come up with any reference to an American 4 lane track in this thread.

The gentleman that owns it mentioned this track "did time" in Europe, and was shipped back to the states by a U.S. Serviceman. It was set up for a time in the Bismarck hotel, in Downtown Chicago.