9 replies to this topic

[idare2bdul]

Since my first commercial track Tandem Hobbies in Panorama City, CA I have seen a lot of tracks that might have been less than optimum. Tandem quickly replaced a short hill climb so steep that a turn marshal was there to help cars up the straightaway. They replaced it with a smooth banked over and under figure 8.

 

A couple miles down the road on Woodman next to the railroad tracks was a 4 lane Drag Strip banked oval. The banked turn was tight but you had the choice of 12, 18, 24 or 36 volts. What could possibly go wrong. I've been trying for years to remember the name of the place.

 

Hobby City in Anaheim had guide slots so narrow you could almost read through your guide by the time it would allow you to go around the track. It had nets near the ceiling to catch your car. That might have pointed to a design flaw.

 

So where were your tracks of infamy?

[tonyp]

Cranford raceway in NJ had a track that went from the second floor where you drove down to the first floor. You went down a twisty down hill straight, around a donut then up hill to the second floor. Once you were back on the second floor you went behind yourself before turning back in front of drivers panel.

Basically you stood inside the track. It was fun to screw around on but impossible to race on.

The track owners were carpenters first and slot car racers like tenth.


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[Eddie Fleming]

The first raceway I remember was in Forest Park Ga. They had one track that I am sure they built in house. It was an eight lane stretched figure 8. The drivers stations were around one loop of the 8. A lap started coming out from under the bridge and went down a long straightaway away from the drivers to a flat left 180 on the far end.  My memory of it as a kid seems like it was a mile down that straight and the flat turn was so far away you could not see so you just got around it the best you could. Then back up the other way coming at the drivers. But just before the left 90 to go over the bridge they put in two big bumps. It seems like they were 6" tall and very quick up and down( a great place to launch a car into destruction). after the 90 it was a short straight over the bridge and then a 180 to the right and a short straight to a 90 under the bridge and that was a lap. It was a big  track and it was all new to us. We had a ball. 

[SpeedyNH]

i remember Cranford! "Home of the Monster", i believe? somewhere i even have a bumper sticker for it. my aunt and uncle took me there, but my club cars were pretty useless on it. 

Big Time in Red Bank had a huge track where the bank and top straight went up into the open second floor, but i don't remember them having any races on it. but that prompted Bob Peru of Hobby Headquarters down the street at our club to make a huge tall banked track too in the back room, in order to attract the their kids. but about all we used to run on it were things like manta rays and asps with about 2:1 gears, IIRC. no brakes! Lol 

[SpeedyNH]

back on topic, i always thought that the over-under tracks where the outside and inside four lanes would cross over were horrible. (i think that Modelville has an old one, perhaps from Collingswood?) the problem with those was that the inside lanes at one end were also the inside lanes at the other! where's the fun in that? you were 5crewed on half the lanes and stood no chance! 

 

kinda like some modern tracks i've seem that are inverted figure-eights where you're always turning right so the lanes are not equalized- they're the opposite, where one lane is always the shortest, etc. people get really annoyed with me when i point this out.  i know that it's the same for everybody, but i like the side-by-side, equalized stuff.  

just my take. 

[Alchemist]

tonyp,

 

That's a great story!

 

I'd really like the see a photo of that Two Story Slot Car Track if one could be found?!

 

Ernie

[don.siegel]

I never raced on any tracks like that, but this one from a Model Car & Track article always struck me as impossible to race on or marshall! And it looked like a commercially made track, well done physically speaking... 

 

Don 

 

[eshorer]

I vaguely remember a track at USA Raceway next to Valley & Garfield in Alhambra, Calif. that had a pretty steep 3-4 foot uphill climb before a sharp turn over a flat bridge, and then another sharp turn that sent you back down on the other side. Anyone remember a track like that? Any pics?

Eddie

[Alchemist]

Hi Don,

 

I can only imagine the effort and man hours it required to build that phenomenal road course . . .and then having to deliver and install it!

 

Thanks for sharing that picture.

 

Ernie

[Phil Smith]

I never raced on any tracks like that, but this one from a Model Car & Track article always struck me as impossible to race on or marshall! And it looked like a commercially made track, well done physically speaking... 

 

Don 

 

That is super cool to look at, but I wouldn't want to make even one lap on it. Just a big waste of wood.