i’m building an HO 4x8x8 ‘L’ shaped layout. i’m using atlas true track with regular atlas code 83 for the yards and maintenance areas. it will have two mainlines with a freight yard, depots, turntable and some some spurs for factories/loading docks/warehouses. i’ve seen several layouts with roads and vehicles just setting still on them. i thought i would incorporate a slot car track with mine to give a more lifelike mobile appearance. i’ve looked at several car track sets but so far all of them are late model race car types. some roads would bisect a rail line. the era is in the early 70’s. this layout is for fun and relaxation and i’m not looking for a 100% protypical layout. but would like to get as close a possible without conveying a toylike appearance due to the slot cars.
have any of you done this before or have any suggestions for a brand to look for?[?]
Dig around for any Aurora HO scale slot car equipment from the late 60’s, early 70’s. They produced a lot of non-race car vehicles, and even had track sections that incorporated a RR crossing.
I dont know much about HO slot cars, but I have seen pictures and I think you might have trouble finding realistic models. Also your roads wouldnt look very realistic with the slot car rails and I dont see how you could have the car track cross the train track without having massive gaps in the train rails.
Just curious here, are the slot cars really HO scale? I used to race full size slot cars, but true HO cars are pretty small.
I am doing the same thing in HO, sorry this is so late, I must have missed this one the first time around, again I appologize![bow]
I am not too far along yet, I’ve only gotten my designes down, and things layed out temporary for test runs. My big challange now is how to make bridges and scenery to support all the roadway. I have my old original Aurora Model Motoring (it is the best, and the old TJet cars are 1:76 scale so not too bad. The newer Tomy cars are 1:64) roadway for city streats that will run multiple cars in opposite directions, continuously and unattended. And Yes I have the Aurora RR crossing track on the city street part.
I also have the AFX track set up to be more of an Expressway for the High Speed raceing.
Trains will be CBC (Computerized Block Control) from Oak Tree Systems, it allows for crossing control, traffic light control, (for my intersection) automatic turnout control, any type of signal systems, and multiple trains running opposite directions automaticly controled by the computer. (It seems anyone that comes over is more interested in raceing the AFX cars. (Especially the Grandkids).
Here are some Pics so far.
HO Trains and HO Cars are HO, Half Scale. Where HO Trains are 1/87th, HO road race cars are 1/64th. Went looking to do the same idea. Still alot of fun playing…[:D]
I had an Aurora HO slot car set when I was a kid and I think the every layout had a 64-65 Mustang, as well as the Ford GT40. My GT40 was Ford racing blue with white stripes. We spent many an afternoon pretending to be Parnelli Jones and Danny Ongais. Then, when I grew up, it was Jim, the next door neighbor who worked for UP.
Aurora also made an XKE and Corvette. The track in the RR crossing piece is code 100 brass. There is also a switch piece for the car set. It is the pit stop turnout set, which allows you to divert a car off the main road and back on again.
Good luck and enjoy
This sounds good in theory but in practice it actually has the opposite effect. The slot cars look very timplate like compared to scale models.
The only two I know of are the original Aurora Model Motoring and Tyco. The Model Motoring was a 9" x 9" section that came in both brass and nickel-silver. However it is code 100 track, so you will have to convert on and off the true track (both rail height and roadbed height). The slot car track is the kind with two pins and a link pin. It would probably take two or three conversion track pieces to convert to a “modern” slot car type. Also note that this would be the old shallow slot. An AFX or G-plus and all new Tyco cars guide pins will scrape the bottom on this track.
The Tyco piece I know of was a 9" road 3" railroad and I believe the track was steel. I believe it was a much more modern piece and had the deep slots, but still probably require a conversion track for the road section.
Once again the old Aurora Thunderjet cars have a 1964 Mustang, 1967 Torino, Buick Riviera, Galaxy 500, Fairlane, 1940 hot rod, 1970 AMX, 1968 cougar, El Durado, a Dodge Charger and many more I can’t remember off the top of my head. The problem is that they are all collectors items now and you will pay between $35 and $200 per unit. The only salvation is that “Johnny Lightening” is now reproducing many of these cars plus a few new ones like a 1971 Mustang fastback. They run about $12-$20 and I picked up a bunch at Hobby Lobby.
Not trying to derail the idea of slot cars and HO. You might consider the Faller car system.
Simply do a search via Google and you will find tons of information. I believe you will find a German web site that runs a large huge system. Even tell you how to modify the vehicles.
It’s very popular in Europe I assume because of the european models they release. But from the Yahoo discussion groups I understand they are easy to modify.
It’s a bit expensive also. But no slot in the road. Working head and tail lights.
A company call Model Motoring Inc. has bought the licenses for the original Aurora stuff and is making alot of items including lock & pin track, and the prices are very reasonable. http://www.modelmho.com/
I guess I am not a “True” Model Railroader, because I still enjoy the slots as well as the trains (most visitors want to race the slots, not run the trains, I don’t care that much about being prototypical either) maybe I never grew up, Jim!..It seems the most fun I (we) had as a kid(s) was raceing the train to the crossing, sometimes makeing it, sometimes not.
Any way, like everone always says on this site, IT’s YOUR RAILROAD DO WHAT YOU WANT, JUST MAKE SURE YOU HAVE FUN!!! (I am)
I was considering using slot cars deep in the scenery, as a background traffic, see cars go by in between buildings. The slot track wouldn’t be as noticeable and yet create a little more realisim on the train layout
johnny.5,
Now that looks like fun to me. Best of both worlds. Trains, ******, and automobiles. Now where are the Planes? Any ideas on where I might find a RR crossing? Saw one on Ebay go for $90
Too much for me. Any thoughts greatly appreciated.
Yes, it is great fun Mark, I would suggest it to anyone. As of now though, ebay is about the only source for the Aurora RRcrossing track that I know of and I see them going in the $25 to $35 dollor range. When I first found the Model Motoring Inc. site last year, I thought I read that they were considering bringing back and producing the RR crossing again, but I haven’t seen anything since, and can’t find where I may have read it now.
JPM335, I don’t have a GTO (goat). I took that in jest) [(-D] (but they do make them)… http://www.modelmho.com/cars/hocars.html … to drive through the gap in the track, and I am not sure I of the problem if it wasn’t. (in jest) It is not an “open” gap, the bottom of rail is solidand I have never had a derailment because of it, unless of courseI didn’t beat the train to the crossing.[:D]
Here is a pic to try to show the difference in scale between the T-Jet cars in the lower left, and the AFX Super G-Plus, Tomy cars that you get today. (Top of picture) The white w/orange striped Cuda, is one first of the original AFX cars in the 70’s
Tilden, I plan to refurbish my 63 vette, and get it running again! I do have a Jag (body only) that is from my original 1960 Aurora 4 lane Vibrator set (AC) The yellow and the blue Ford Thunderbird’s in the picture or also from that set, some day I will bid on ebay for an old vibrator just to have to show how they progressed. (my dad brought home thin metal stock to fix the broken vibrator parts, they broke the same day, (Christmas day 1960)) Aurora went to T-Jet DC motors about 6 months later, what an improvement! The vibrators where horrible.
