52 replies to this topic

[Daytonaman]

It's great to see all the history and pictures of American Raceways tracks.

Does anyone have information about Engleman and Altech tracks? Were they manufactured like American in factories with standard models or were they each custom made?

I have what appears to be an old '60s Engleman 230' track with pink Formica sides. I have not been able to confirm that it is indeed an Engleman. The earliest that I can trace the track to is 1986 in North Augusta, SC.

I would greatly appreciate any information. Here are pictures when it was set up before I closed my raceway in 2009.

[tonyp]

I don't think that is an Engleman, if it is indeed one it is custom made. All Engleman tracks I ever saw used round barrel like bases to hold the sections and most were exactly the same as they were built on jigs.

On the East Coast we had way more Englemans then American tracks, at least in the circuit we used to race in.

[Gary Bluestone]

Judging buy the fact that the "back straight" goes over the "centre street" like what is called a "hillclimb", this track is probably from the '80s and not a '60s track. Gb

[slotcarone]

I have never seen anything even close to that. The construction style is unlike anything I have ever seen, too. Do you still have the track?

[tonyp]

Gary,

I did not even notice that. I think you are right on the dating... That deadman is a killer, bet it wrecked a lot of cars...

[Daytonaman]

Yes, I still have the track and it is is storage.

Here is some additional info. The track currently has the popular color progression for lane ID. When wiring the control panels I noticed the color progression marked inside the panels were different. Lanes were identified from right to left starting with black then green, red, blue, yellow, purple, orange, then white.

Here are some more pictures. Also, there are glued paper tags on the end of each section that read "slot track designers and supplies section complete." with the section number. The track has a plywood surface.

[Daytonaman]

Gary,

I did not even notice that. I think you are right on the dating... That deadman is a killer, bet it wrecked a lot of cars....

Most heavier cars like FCRs and Flexis did well on this track. If you had your setup right, you could go airborne at the front straight drop and land in the slot just before the deadman. Wing cars and lightweight chassis had to add weight to the front or they would flip over backwards.

The high bank could be taken wide open for all cars.

[Daytonaman]

Judging buy the fact that the "back straight" goes over the "centre street" like what is called a "hillclimb", this track is probably from the '80s and not a '60s track.

Unlike most Hillclimbs, the top straight on this one is cantilevered (no front supports) and is offset halfway over the lower straight. From the age and appearance of the materials used it seems to be older than the '80s.

[Jay Guard]

This looks almost identical to the track the was set-up in Snellville, GA, it was taken down two years ago and set-up again in Dallas, GA. I don't know who made the track but Joe McIntosh or Ralph Thorne should be able to add something here.

And Tony P. is soooo right, the deadman is a huge challange!

[Daytonaman]

Jay,

You are right, this is the track that was in Snellville, GA. In 1986 Jeff Chalmers and a partner bought the track from a store in North Augusta, SC, and set it up in Jonesboro, GA. Later the track was sold to a raceway in Manchester, GA. I bought the track from there and set it up in Douglasville, GA, in 1994. After I closed it was setup at Flashbacks in Snellville, GA. After I opened Daytona Slots in Dallas, GA, in 2007, I replaced my blue King with this track which Larry Black had placed in storage. It has been in storage since I closed in 2009. Retro cars run very well on this track.

[Tex]

Man, I DIG it! Some elevation changes to deal with!

[Edwardo]

I only got to drive this track once, but man, what a blast!

Definitely a 1960s track, in my opinion.

[Gus Kelley]

Hey Guys!

That is the lay-out of the red track at C&M raceway here in Sacto. The ramps were the same but a few feet more between the turns and the ramps. The esses had two more squigglies and the lap length was 308'. The bank could not be taken without a blip of the controller. With all the traveling I've done around the country, I've never run into a similar design.

I'm totally blown away by these photos. That track definitely had a home advantage for us locals. The ramps and esses were always hard to get and many cars were trashed by non-locals trying to do the bank without a blip. The restrooms were in a position where many cars landed on top of them from the bank launchings. A ladder was always there to help retrieve the cars.

Gus in Sacto

[Daytonaman]

Eddie,

When and where did you drive this track?

[Daytonaman]

Gus,

Thanks for the info. What was the time frame you are talking about in Sacramento? The extra length is feasible for this track since the straight sections are parallel. Also, the esses section can be reversed to ad a longer straight before the esses. I had even considered adding extra straight sections to increase the overall length since my store had 100' depth.

Could it be that this is the track and it was shortened during the past to accommodate a smaller space? I remember reading a post on OWH a couple of years ago about a track in California in the '60s that had two Engleman tracks, one blue and the other pink, with the pink that was not as popular being located next to the bathrooms. Hopefully someone remembers what happened next.

[Edwardo]

John,

Steve Saunders and I stopped by your place in Dallas a few years ago and did some laps on both of your tracks. We were on our way home from a Retro race nearby, so we couldn't stay long unfortunately, but that pink track of yours is easily one of the most fun tracks I've ever had the pleasure of driving on. Every lap an adventure!

Also, your track has been discussed on Slotblog before. See this LINK.

[Daytonaman]

Thanks for the heads-up on the other thread. I was unaware of this.

I would still like to trace the origins of this unique track.

[Gus Kelley]

Hey John!!

I've posted about this track and the blue track before. Those two tracks were in place about five years. C&M stands for Chet & Marge. Originally they had a hobby shop and then installed a couple of tracks next door in a separate store-front, '64, maybe. Well then, they acquired those other two tracks and set them up two blocks down the street.

Their son, Ed Colby took over running the raceway and they soon closed down the hobby. This took place about '67 and closed the raceway about '72. I've never heard what happened to those two tracks.

It was always fun when the San Francisco boys came over to play. Us locals stood and watched them practice putting their broken cars back together. The ramps and bank were hell for them. We also were blessed with a few visits from the LA boys and it was fun to watch the destruction go on. The LA guys also weren't used to such long tracks, so gearing for their hi-revving motors was an exercise also. We also different chassis styles than them. They were mired in with their heavy brass rod cars while we had much lighter cars with "Plumber" set-ups and long arms or other.

Gus in Sacto

[Ron Hershman]

Yes, those pics would dictate "old" construction... '60s-'70s vintage for sure.

[Rick Crutchfield]

I got to play on this track when it was in Snellville, GA, a couple of years ago. Me and a couple of friends trashed EVERY car in our boxes in an hour or so but boy did we have a ball! Tough track to run on walking in with no practice.

[Daytonaman]

Gus,

This could be a great lead. Do you or anyone you know in that area have any pictures of the store or the tracks? How about Ed Colby, is he still in the area?

If this is true, this track if restored to its original size could be the last survivor of the 300 ft monsters of that era.

[Gus Kelley]

Hey John!

The raceway closed because Ed took another primary job away from Sacto. He was the assistant manager of our local transit authority and was offered the top position in a larger authority in the mid-west somewhere, maybe Indiana or Ohio. His folks were elderly and I'm assuming no buyers were found before his moving.

I was just a youngster at the time (17 or 18) and my interests were changing to full-size cars and street bikes. One other person whom is known as "Yendor" (Rod Overhouse) also still races locally. and infrequently is seen on these posts. He was my road buddy at the time. Another who came to be near the end of C&M, Jim Hahn, will have some slight recollection of the track but probably nothing about its history or other goings on. Jim is currently in Oklahoma and is occasionally involved in the wing car action in Texas. He occasionally posts on OWH but I've never seen him here.

By the way; Long time owner of my home track, Hagginwood Raceway (Barbara Harp) just passed away this last week. Barbara and husband Dick owned Hagginwood when I first started this hobby in 1963.

Gus in Sacto

[Daytonaman]

Gus,

Sorry to hear the news of Barbara's passing. In a few more years there will not be that many of us who remember the early days. All the more reason to document as much as we can now.

[Gus Kelley]

Hey John!

It just occurred to me that Fred Hood might have a photo or two if any have survived this long. He was one of the San Fran guys, but seem to come around a tad more frequently. We might try to rattle his great memory.

Gus in sacto

[Bob Chaney]

Where is the second driver's panel? These pics clearly show four stations but not the other four.