395 replies to this topic

[chaparrAL]

Found! The only known pic of the track at Dildines Hobbies on Calumet Ave in Hammond Indiana, 1965-66.

[Vay Jonynas]

Man, tracks like that were what slot car racing was all about back in the day.

 

[tonyp]

Cool track.

[Mbloes]

What blows my mind reading this and other threads, are all the dudes who no longer live in Los Angeles, who grew up racing in Los Angeles!

 

And just to contribute, I didn't race when I was a kid, but my home track was (yet another) Checkered Flag Raceway, located in a deep suburb of Los Angeles called Tujunga.  I've yet to see another mention of this track anywhere.

[Mike Gardner]

Hey Guys... The tracks in New London CT were at Raubs Hobbies on Bank Street. I remember the r'c planes on the walls and hanging and slot tracks upstairs.  They closed in mid 70's.  The track in Groton CT was at Sheetz plaza on rt12 about half mile from the Sub base. This one closed before I was old enough to go but my dad used to go in late 60's. There were some others too, 1/32 track in a phrmacy in Niantic on main street, now a childrens museum, and a hobby shop with HO tracks near the old Camp off Flanders rd near main st. in Niantic

 

[Mbloes]

Cool track.

 

Look at that hump that would otherwise be coming out of the bank, except, by the way the cars are set up, it looks like they race into it.

[Keith Tanaka]

What blows my mind reading this and other threads, are all the dudes who no longer live in Los Angeles, who grew up racing in Los Angeles!

 

And just to contribute, I didn't race when I was a kid, but my home track was (yet another) Checkered Flag Raceway, located in a deep suburb of Los Angeles called Tujunga.  I've yet to see another mention of this track anywhere.

Mike, although I never went to Checkered Flag Raceway in Tujunga back in the day, I believe a young Larry Anderson (11 years old at the time, who's father owned the raceway in Tujunga) finished 4th in the 4th Rod and Custom race at Checkered Flag Raceway in Torrance in 1966. I'm assuming the track at Tujunga was similar as the one in Torrance at the time. The 2nd place finisher in this race was only 14 years old (Roger Newell who worked at the Torrance track). It's too bad these young racers never got enough credit (no photos of them) for what they accomplished in this big race. Was the track at Tujunga similar to the one shown in the Rod and Custom race report?

 

Keith   

[Mbloes]

Keith, as I recall, this shop in Tujunga had a "black", "orange" and "yellow" track, possibly American tracks.  I remember the "orange" being a classic Orange, but the yellow was the largest, and the one that all of us kids wanted to run on.

 

I am in the midst of my research, but here is a Dynamic ad from September, 1966 Car Model that mentions Checkered Flag (second largest firecracker, owner: Stan McIntosh):

 

[Keith Tanaka]

Was the large track at Tujunga similar to this one?

 

 

 

Keith

[Lloyd Coulson]

First post, and thannks for having me!

 

I raced along with a good friend, the late David Deere, at the "Speedway Shop" on Buffalo Speedway at Bissonnet, here in Houston. I was never a very good racer, even though I had pretty good equipment. David, on the other hand, was a phenom, IMHO. His pit box was absolutely STUFFED with race ribbons, mostly blue ones! This was in the late 60's through early 70's time frame.

 

I have fond rememberances of spending hour upon hour there - every weekend. We were there so much that we became really good friends with the whole Foster family. Dad Harry, oldest son Craig (his first name was actually Otis, but that's another story), and daughter Karen. Can't recall the younger son or the mother's name - it's been WAY too many years.

 

Hope to visit here often, and I'd sure like to contact some of the Foster family for old time's dake. Haven't laid eyes on them for some 40 years or so!

 

Any one who cares to add anything about the Speedway Shop, please do so.

 

PS - I own an auto repair shop in Bellaire, just 1/2 block from the old Bellaire Family Hobby Center. Only raced there a couple of times in the mid-60's.

[Mbloes]

I don't think so Keith - that one's too "complicated".  I want to say that it was similar to a King, only not quite so big.  It ran counter-clockwise and was nicely banked.

 

The black track I believe was like a Royal.

 

And the orange track was an Orange.

[Gator Bob]

Welcome Lloyd !

 

You came to the right place to share your story and read great slot history stories others have shared.

 

 

Fast or Slow - 'Enjoy the ride'

[Lloyd Coulson]

Welcome Lloyd !

 

You came to the right place to share your story and read great slot history stories others have shared.

 

 

Fast or Slow - 'Enjoy the ride'

Thanks for your warm welcome, GB.

[jtipps]

Growing up in the East County of San Diego there were many tracks to race at during the 60's and 70's. My brother owned Lakeside Model Raceways in downtown Lakeside, and then the business moved and became J & L Raceway. I cut my teeth at those two tracks. They used to stuff the pockets of the pay-to-play pool table in the back room after hours and while they played pool I made probably a million laps learning to drive a slot car! Other tracks I remember were the two Road Runners in El Cajon and La Mesa, the Checkered Flag in Santee, and there were many others. My dad used to load all us kids up in the station wagon with that HUGE slot car box we had and it seemed we could find a race to go to every night of the week back then. As I grew older and started racing on my own in the 90's I remember Ames Slot Car Raceway, Dayton Speedway, and Billiards and Slot Cars in El Cajon, another track in Santee that I don't remember the name of, Gary Cleverly's two different tracks in Vista, and a track in Escondido. I know there are a few tracks I have forgotten. Now, some 15 years later after my last slot car race, I am racing again at LeMans Slot Car Raceway in Chula Vista.......good times!

[racie35]

Do you remember a place in Groton in about 66-67? I used to bring my cars from CA when I visited relatives in the summer. There was an HO track in New London during the same time...

It was in scheetz plaza on rt12....right down the street from a navy base and across from navy housing ,so they had plenty of possible customers. We lived other end of town and would hitch a ride there to save money for track rental.
Not sure exactly which tracks were installed there but a lot left the bigger banked track in spectacular fashion a lot. They also had a drag strip across the front window area.

[robbovius]

Wow, kewl thread.  My first slot car experience was on a 1/32 Eldon figure 8 track m,y parents got me for xmas when I was about 10 (1965). We used to vacation on Cape Cod in Chatham MA and I remember My dad taking me to a commercial slot car track on rte 6 heading towards Brewster. that was the first time I saw commercial slot car kits - and of course I wanted one REAL BAD after that.

 

the next xmas they got me a Monogram 1/32 Porsche 904GTS kit, and I assembled the thing myself 'cuz I didnt' want to wait for my dad to help me (I'd been building model cars prior so it wasnt' too hard) and we took that to a track in Framingham MA (not Modelville) which was downtown near the railroad tracks. But, after that I began going to Modelville Hobby on Waverly Street in Framingham MA, and running the Porsche there.  they had several  tracks including a Soveriegn. 

 

During this time I also got an Aurora HO track whcih I set up on a collapsible pool table down in the cellar. My friends all had HO tracks and we'd make the circuit of eaqch others houses runing our HO cars after school, when we weren't riding our bikes to Modelville.

 

At some point my parents bought me an MRC plug-in thumb controller, and I saved up allowance and bought a Classic sidewinder chassis and built up a car that had several different bodies on it. the first was a Dodge "Little Red Wagon" truck body, but afterwards it got an AMC Javelin. My mom got into painting lexan bodies for my friends.

 

I never raced any sanctioned races, mostly just got together with my friends and bombed around for fun. I quit going to Modelville regularly after my family moved from Framingham to Littleton MA, but during and after my college years (especially after I got my drivers licence) me anf a few friends whowere also into slots would make the trip to Modelville and run our cars on the Sovereign. It was during this period ('75-'77) that I bought an REH anglewinder chassis, with a C-can motor and put the Jav body on it.

 

in 1979 I moved back the framingham area, but lost track of Modelville, and after I got married in 1981, the cars got boxed up and stashed in my moms attic and I kind of forgot about them. Some time around 1985-86 I did make one single trip to their shop in ashland MA (not the current site) with a buddy who was into RC cars. After that I lost track of the place again.

 

In the early 90's my sister mentioned that "there's an old box of your model cars up in the attic, do you want them?" OPf course I did and lo and behold in with  a bunch of my finished 1/25 static cars, unfinished static cars, and boxes of parts saved from my boyhood, there was the REH chassis javelin. THe box came home with me and moved into various storrage spaces. it then followed me for 3 more moves to the appartmen I've livedin since 2003. 

 

In March of 2014, as I was getting to the end of a full size scratch-built vehicle project, I was surfing thru old CAn AM car pictures and happened upon pic of a scratch-built cooper-oldsmobile slot car on this site, which led me to discover that Modelville - unbelievably - was still in operation, although in a much bigger facility, a warehouse space co-located with Lentros mfg in Ashland MA. I dragged out the box of old models, found the REH Javelin, and then posted this thread on this site. Folks helped me identify the car, and...

 

...the rest, as they say - and as I've written above - is History.  Gud Tymez.

[Jay Guard]

  I use to race at Aloma Model Raceways in Winter Park, Florida.  It was a large American Model Raceway facility that had a Yellow, Orange (my favorite), Red, and Flat Black track.  I think the Black track actually had the steering wheels and foot accelerators.  I raced there from late 1966 until it closed in late 1968.

 

   We actually had an official Champion of Chamblee Arco race there in Feb. of 1968 where our local hot shots beat Cukras and Cozine.  No, it wasn't me, I was only 14 at the time and was too afraid to even talk to the Pro's, much less race against them.  My last race of that era was however at an Arco race held at Stan's Hobbies in Tampa, Florida in 1969, I think I came in about 35th out of maybe a hundred or so.

 

   Does anyone remember any of these places or races?

[n9949y]

I'm 76, so there wasn't any slot car activity when I was a kid. Started, though, in 1963, age 25, at Polks Hobbies, near 34th and 6th Ave, New York City (seems others here started at Polks, too). First car was a 1 /24 Revell Porsche RSK. Relocated to the Los Angeles area, 1964, where I was very active at Monza Raceway, located on Ventura Blvd, Studio City, about 1/4 mile east of laural Canyon Blvd. Built in 1963 Monza Raceway where most racing focused on 1/24th cars was a tight 4 lane track with trackside scenery presenting an atmosphere more like a club setup than the commercial tracks rapidly developing in those days. In 1968 became a member of MESAC located at 104th St near Century Blvd in Inglewood, not far from LAX.

[Gator Bob]

All great stories and thankful there is a place to share them.

 

To the original post title:

 

Good News!

If you're still playing with slots you might still be part kid.

If you're only reliving it by telling the story you can still feel what it was like to be that kid. 

[Pitt Man]

I'm definatly still a kid enjoying my toys.

 

My home track was Gran Turismo Raceways, Westminster, Colorado.

 

Moved to the area in 1966 at 14 years old, this American Raceway was still near new then.

 

I worked there through my high school days until late '69.

 

It was a great learning experience working there as our pinball arcade area drew in all sorts of riff-raff.

 

Learned about tuff guys and nasty girls and how to stand up to all of them, also learned about the glue sniffers wanting to buy full boxes of 24 Testors model cement.

 

Best part would have been getting my pricey slot car parts at jobber cost and building some pretty mean stuff for a youngster. Mura ruled on our battery powered king.

 

I met my first wife there, ended up married as a senior in HS and had two daughters before I turned 19.

 

I'd have to say slot cars pretty much guided my whole life in a way and I wouldn't change it a bit if I could go back and do it again.

 

Here's a shot of me and a few old friends playing there when I was 14. That's me, second from the left.

[don.siegel]

Great story, Bob. 

 

I worked at my local track too, and had to deal with my share of glue sniffers! Not too much riff-raff tho, just a bunch of nerdy slotters - and practically no girls unfortunately! So I had to wait till I was 36 to get married...

 

Those glasses on you and your friend look very familiar - and they're back in fashion now! 

 

Don 

[Pitt Man]

You're right, Don!

 

What goes around comes around, much like padlocks and open frames. 

[Hermit #1]

I use to race at Aloma Model Raceways in Winter Park, Florida.

<SNIP>

Does anyone remember any of these places or races?

Aloma was my first commercial slot raceway. Bought my first slot car there (a Russkit Black Widow) in December 1964. Their Orange was everyone's favorite track for races. I remember trying to race a Classic Manta Ray on the Red track, only to beat the thing to death launching in the bank area.

The owner was a great guy (name forgotten) - very helpful to struggling newbies. While I raced at other tracks in the area (Orlando and Maitland), Aloma was always "home".

Mid 1966 I went off to college - they were closed by the time I got back.

[tonyp]

We need a real Orange track in Florida. My favorite of all time.

[Jay Guard]

Aloma was my first commercial slot raceway. Bought my first slot car there (a Russkit Black Widow) in December 1964. Their Orange was everyone's favorite track for races. I remember trying to race a Classic Manta Ray on the Red track, only to beat the thing to death launching in the bank area.

The owner was a great guy (name forgotten) - very helpful to struggling newbies. While I raced at other tracks in the area (Orlando and Maitland), Aloma was always "home".

Mid 1966 I went off to college - they were closed by the time I got back.

 

Dave:

 

Wow! That's incredible, I've only found one other guy (Bob DeWoody) that ever raced at Aloma much less Maitland (where I grew up), which was the first place I ever raced a 1/24 slot car. The only reason I didn't mention Maitland was because it was so small and closed up just a few months after I discovered 1/24 slot cars.  Y

 

ou may recall the motor that Maitland owners Bob? Vaughn and Pat McCauley developed. They called it the "VMW" (Vaughn McCauley Whistler) and it was one ballistic 36D motor.  

 

After Maitland closed Pat McCauley went over to Aloma to run that raceway. The only other guy behind the counter that I remember was Pappy Corley. Does any of this ring any bells? Maybe you remember a few other names of racers like Floyd Manly, Bobby Parks, or Wade Holt?