42 replies to this topic

[MSwiss]

I'm not sure if this has ever been posted before, but I don't remember seeing it.

The Pinterest posting of it was:
"A look inside Playland Raceway in San Francisco."

Along with the poles, the ceiling is way too low.

[Martin]

I had not seen this angle before, what a mecca.

Thanks for posting.

[don.siegel]

Is that from a postcard Mike? or? 

 

Don't think I've ever seen that one before, but I've forgotten a lot of stuff! 

 

Don 

[Don Weaver]

...a purple, orange, yellow and red.  Oh for those days again !

 

Don

[slotcarone]

Kind of clears up the purple/blue controversity in the 220. Sure looks purple in this picture.

[slotcarone]

...a purple, orange, yellow and red.  Oh for those days again !

 

Don

 

Pretty sure there is a Black track behind the yellow in the picture too!

[slotcarone]

OK so how many Geezers on here besides myself have actually raced on all five of these tracks? Not driven around but raced!

[don.siegel]

I raced once on an American Red near Chicago, and I've raced many times on the Royal/Black in Bordeaux - never raced on a Blue or a Purple... 

 

Only was aware of that one raceway with American tracks at the time, altho I went up to Tom Thumb's in Evanston after they had sold all their tracks - I think they had 6 or 7 American tracks at the start... AMC tracks weren't all that common in my neck of the woods... 

 

Don 

[Rotorranch]

I've raced on a Purple, Blue, Red, Yellow, and Black. Ran, but didn't race on the Orange.

 

Rotor

[don.siegel]

Ah, right, and I've raced on an Orange in Belgium! Some of the American tracks got around! (via AMF in Europe - lots of stories about that here on the Blog...)

 

Don 

[Don Weaver]

Played on all of them but not raced  ....

[Kim Lander]

Man what a picture...we had all those here in Macon Ga minus the purple....spent many hours there.

[MSwiss]

Is that from a postcard Mike? or? 
 
Don't think I've ever seen that one before, but I've forgotten a lot of stuff! 
 
Don

The below pic has been making the rounds on a FB page, named History Daily.

A friend of my wife's, shared it on her page, knowing I own a raceway.

My wife commented I probably knew of the pic, and where it was taken.

When I Googled Playland SlotCar Raceway, to confirm the exact name of the amusement park, it was located at, the colored pic came up as a Pinterest posting.

While the Pinterest pic is labeled "A look inside Playland Raceway in San Francisco.", I don't think it's correct.

It looks like it's just a real nice raceway, with a lot of American tracks.

I'm going to edit the title.

[John Streisguth]

It looks like two different facilities to me. The first pic shows plenty of support poles and a low ceiling, the overhead shot shows neither of them. 

[MSwiss]

John,
No question that they are different raceways.

The guy who made the Pinterest posting, titled it wrong.

[Tex]

the original pic in this post is not Playland in San Francisco. the original pic is of a raceway that I frequented in Bellaire, Texas, a suburb of Houston, Texas. I forget the name of the business itself. this particular pic has been posted on SB before and discussed. in that previous post/thread a few years back, I also posted pics of ribbons I'd won at one or two other track facilities.... I may have ONE ribbon from this particular raceway. I'll see what I can dig up.

[Tex]

here's the previous post, from almost 10 years ago. the pics I posted then won't show up now for whatever reason. I'll see if I can dig up some of that stuff and post pics again.

 

http://slotblog.net/...-texas-history/

 

note that the original pic in the 10-year old post is NOT the same facility nor track as the original pic above.... but the Bellaire track is referenced and I think I have that same pic of the Bellaire facility. I'll see what I can find.

[Tex]

ok, so here's a few related pics....

 

this first pic is of a ribbon I won at the Bellaire facility. other pics are of other ribbons won elsewhere in the Houston area. the ribbon won in Pasadena is significant in that THIS was the raceway where Craig Landry first began racing; as we all were in the beginning, he was just a dweeb at the time.  lol    another pic is of a ribbon I won at the Broadway Hobbies facility(pictured in linked post). the last two pics are of a ribbon I won at a track off Buffalo Speedway in Houston. I have a bunch more ribbons, equally unimpressive but representing slot racing history in the Houston area.

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[Modelville Guy]

For those who would like to add a couple of American Raceway Tracks they have raced on March 13-15, 2020 Modelville Hobby in Ashland, MA will be running races on American Raceways Royal(Black), Sovereign (Purple), And an Aristocrat (we have it painted green).

 

Come and add to your list of tracks plus help Mike and Cindy McMasters with their medical cost and they have an American Blue King at Tom Thumb Hobbies in Ohio.

[Tex]

found all the other ribbons.... but no pic/postcard of the Bellaire facility(sure thought I had one).... y'all will just have to take my word for it, the facility pictured at the top of this thread was in Bellaire, Texas.

[MattD]

I'm sure we've had this posted before, but here is a little more info about Playland.    Seems these pictures are not all from the same location.

 

 

https://mksgrist.wix...del-car-raceway

[917-30]

Could that original Pinterest pic have been an AMCR showroom (or used as one if not wholly owned by them?

After seeing Mikes post above, I (probably like most here) googled Playland San Francisco, viewed pics and a couple videos about Playland (and its demolition in 1972). In the search, an image of a color postcard came up, Playland Model Car Raceways, showing the same overhead view along with one from another angle (looks like there was an overhead walkway), as well as a shot of the front of the building (which has MODEL CAR RACEWAYS in big letters spanning the front) with a parking area full of 50s-60s automobiles.

I believe that the photos of the actual Playland raceway (the overhead views and outdoor shot) were taken by the famous racing photographer of the 60s - 80s, the late Pete Biro (who passed away in 2019). I say this because, before he passed away, Biro was auctioning off hundreds of his original slides on eBay, along with digital copies of some of them on cds. Most were from Can-Am and F1 races from that period, with some Indy and NASCAR, as Biro was contracted by Goodyear for 30 years (as well as shooting and writing for Car & Driver, Road & Track, and Sports Illustrated). I bid on many of his photos, won a few, copied more from his auction postings.

One group really caught my attention - 4 slides, all color, of the Playland raceway including the purple mile. These were unusual for Biro, as they were done in the larger medium-format, 2 x 2 size rather than 35mm. I was outbid on all four, but copied them. Im speculating that these slides were taken early in Biros career, as a commercial shoot for Playland or their advertising agency, or perhaps for AMCR, as the overhead shot of the Sovereign track is also used in at least one AMCR print ad in the magazine.

I havent yet figured out how to post photos to Slotblog, but Ill try to email the eBay copies of the Biro slides to Mike to see if theyre of any use.

Hundreds of Pete Biros racing photos can be seen in the two books that he did with author (and former Autoweek editor) George Levy, CAN-AM 50th ANNIVERSARY: Flat Out With North Americas Greatest Race Series, 1966-1974, and F1 MAVERICKS: The Men and Machines That Revolutionized Formula 1 Racing. As a Can-Am fanatic from way back then, I highly recommend the former and hope to pick up the F1 book in the future.

[tonyp]

[917-30]

MattD - great video/photos

Tony - that single page answered a lot of questions, especially on the reuse of the old building to accommodate the raceway. Do you know what year the article is from? The eBay slides that I copied were stamped Dec ‘65.

[MSwiss]

I'm sure we've had this posted before, but here is a little more info about Playland.    Seems these pictures are not all from the same location.

 

 

https://mksgrist.wix...del-car-raceway

The pictures on that link, don't open on my phone.

 

On my PC, here at the raceway, they do.

 

They explain why the Pinterest person listed the pic in post #1, as from Playland.

 

It look like another pic, is from another random raceway.