Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9
Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18
Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Night Driving (23) Making Tires (24) Brass Chassis (25)
Switching Scales (26) Routed HO (27) Rails Installed (28) Oval Action (29)
New 1/32 Beginning (30) Construction (31) Routing (32) Painting and Taping (33) Power Taps and Timing (34)
Up and Running (35) Scenery (36) More Slot Racing (37)

Well, it took a solid day of waiting for glue to dry and generally contemplating life but I managed to get this track to come to life. And when I look back, it almost didn't even happen. The original manufacturer of the track was delayed in mailing the track out due to the original track being destroyed in transit. Then when the replacement track arrived, it arrived without rails. Fast forward two more weeks and the rails arrived. Then, after a few more days, I finally have what I was originally wanting: A fully routed HO oval. Bottom line: It was worth the wait!

Watch my test run!

Another run!

I was using my Pyramid 6-15 volt power supply from my 1/32 track. It now appears I need more voltage. Some cars can almost go full throttle at 15volts with only a blip of the throttle (non magnet cars). So, I think if I get a power supply that offers upwards of 20 volts or so, I should be good to go. As you can tell, the only sound you hear is the squeaky squeaky of my trusty Parma controller and the engine noise. NO RAIL NOISE. NONE. ZERO. Also, you can really tell when cars are running rough. I will be forced to blueprint my chassis to ensure a smooth ride (wheels, tires, engine, axle fit, etc).

Below you see my power taps to the rails.Rather messy but it gets the job done. It looks worse than it really is. There is still wood glue residue on the track. The plastic laminate really holds up well to even the heat from the soldering gun. I am not sure if it is normal, but I like to count my lanes from the inside.

The residue you see at the joint is simply some Goo-Gone that has yet to dry. Of all the joints you see, this one is perhaps the worst visually. However, don't let the looks fool you, it's as smooth as butter through there. The whole track will be rotated 180 degrees so that this power tap section will be furthest from where you stand. Also, you may notice a slight ridge at the the joint - again, a simple turn of the screws levels this track perfectly. Also, speaking of that, the extra bonus is that this track has plastic laminate on BOTH sides. This ensures that the track lines up and does not wear over time as it would if it were exposed MDF on the bottom instead. A high quality product for sure.

Now that's a tight joint. A little bit of sanding of the slots and it's good to go. With only 4 joints, no power taps are needed.

The cars SCREAM on this track. What a hoot. Can't wait to get all the drivers stations sorted out. The ONLY thing you hear when you run is the car motor. No more dragging of the rails sound... The round rail makes for pretty much the most silent track you will ever run on. I dare say my track is the smoothest HO 4x8 oval west of the Mississippi.

And now for something completely different! - See Page 30!