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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)

After a very short stint in HO, I realized that the smaller cars are harder on the eyes than I at first liked to admit. Well, at least I can say I tried the routed oval HO track and enjoyed it. But, truth be told, it was too short being only 4x8 feet. It needed to be some 12 feet long at least to make it worthwhile. The nice thing was that it allowed me a reason to tear down my 1/32 track and make some more room. There were a lot of little things wrong with my last track that I always wanted to fix but in some cases it was impossible to do so... Here's my newest plan - more agressive than my last track and smoother too:

As you can see, I pencilled it out on the track while my HO track was up. I also collected a bunch of original Aurora Model Motorng (HO) track. By far, the smoothest track out there and it offers radii from 6-inch to 15-inch. Highly recommended. And as I like to say, it ain't goning to get less expensive as time goes. It will only go up in value. But let's get back to 1/32!

As you can see, I was itching to get back to 1/32!

Experimenting with lane widths. I will be varying the track from 1-inch lane spacings in the hairpin to 3.25inch over the plexiglass bridge (yes, a clear acrylic bridge), and 3 inches in other areas. And it's going to be 4 lanes! Oh yeah.

Don't worry, I won't be using that 3/4 MDF - way too heavy and thick. I will be using 3/8ths MDF - $22 a sheet from a cabinet making shop. You won't find it at the usual big box stores. I was also experimenting with the bracing - I tore this all down and moved the filing cabinets in the end.

Below you can see the hairpin that goes at the highest point of the track. Lane spacing is 1-inch. The lines for the 90-degree turn are merely ideas...

Boy, this is fun! That acrylic bridge cost $56 for a 2-foot square piece. I discovered if I place the acrylic lengths 1/8ths of an inch apart, then I can use them as they are - just need a single countersunk hole on each end to attach them and then run copper foil and voila!