Okay, I'm not sure this is the right forum, but here goes.
I've been thinking back to this toy I once had and would like to find out what it might have been so I can start collecting it again. This would have been during the late 60s. I hope I can explain this correctly.

I had this track system, wide, yellow (orange-ish?) with one slot groove down the middle of the track. The track was set up into a 3x3 square like this:

123
456
789

Each number above was a separate piece and they snapped together. It had an 4-way intersection in the middle (at number 5). Numbers 2,4,6,8 had T-intersections. 1,3,7,9 were curves. Basically, a circle track with a cross in the middle.

Now the cool thing about this toy that I remember most was that it had switches built into the grooves. If one car followed another south from the intersection (from number 5 to 8), one turned left (moving a switch) and then one turned right (moving the switch back so the next car through would turn left again). If two cars went from numbers 9 to 8, one would turn right to number 5 and the next would go straight to number 7. You could move the switches manually, but the cars would move them automatically as well.

The intersection had a switch also so that when two cars approached the intersection at right angles, one would be stopped while one went through, then the other would continue. I believe it also had stop lights on the side where we put Stop Signs today in the real world.

The cars each ran on a battery, and I had a police car and a firetruck, plus other cars.

Now my question is, is there anything like this today? (I am woefully naive about today's slot car systems) I don't want a slot car racing set, but something very similar if not exact to what I described above. Even a train set that worked like above would work for me also if there is such a thing. I basically just want a system with automatic switches while I watch the cars move at a leisurely pace.

Thanks for any help.

Larry

Sounds like IDEALS Motorific, maybe???

Larry....

Sounds like Motorifics to me too.

Check out this link,maybe you'll see something on it you will recognize:

http://www.prestonmarketing.com/toys/motorific/motorific.html

Hope it helps..

Mike

I can't help you as far as what's out there now.

I can say however that I do remember something like you're talking about. My grandfather had this thing that's a lot like you describe. The track pieces were a yellowish brown, almost the color of cooked squash, and each piece was about 6 inch square give or take (I was probly about 7 years old so I may be off on size) When you put it all together the groove was sorta like a 4 leaf clover shape.

I remember one stop light in the middle and one battery operated car (it took aa batteries in the bottom of the car I think). All I remember about the car it was red and it was a convertible, about the size of 1;43 cars now, maybe a bit bigger. There may have been more cars, but I only remember one...between me and 3 other cousins we may have broke the others.

Unfortunately that stuff is all long gone now, along with a collection of Hot Wheels tracks big enough to send a collector into convulsions.

sigh

Anyway, I ramble. Sorry I can't really help.

Trev

Mike posted that link at the same time I was typing. But I think that's the one. The track looks the same, although all of the sets there seem a lot bigger than the one I remember.

Trev

Thanks, guys. After checking out the link above, it was indeed the Ideals Motorific set I once had. One of the Highway Action sets, in fact. Really brings back the memories. Now I know what to start collecting. Feels weird to know that something I once had brand new is now a "collectable." Oh well. Thanks for giving me the name of the set.

Are there any battery-operated slot cars today that might run on the track if I can find some, or will I have to find the older cars as well?

Larry

You know Larry,I had some of those Motorifics when I was a kid too.All I remember about them was that they really didn't work all that great.They were like a lot of the Hotwheels sets of the day and even today.They were good in theory of what they were supposed to do,but to actually get them to do it was another story.

And how much fun could the Motorifics have been if the cars stopped at the intersections to let the other cars through???? The fun of any set that has crossovers,be it cars or cars and trains mixed is the close calls and the wrecks. :)

Mike

Fun is a relative term to be sure. What might be fun to some may not be to others. I love playing computer games like SimCity and Roller Coaster Tycoon but others may not. I see the Ideal Motorific system as a much older 3D version of SimCity. Having a huge track layout with many cars is what I'm eventually aiming for. And not all the intersection pieces stop traffic from ramming each other. The one I mentioned above was a special piece.

And don't get me wrong. I have a streak of Gomez Addams in me as well. I'd be bored with a train set (or slot car set) that only had vehicle running around. The crashes interest me too. Sometimes a near miss can cause excitement from the anticipation.

Some of the fun we had with the Motorific set was playing tag. We each picked our car and each controlled one of the switches trying to get our car to hit one of the others. With the one-groove system, you actually have a better chance of having head-on collisions. We had fun with those as well. If each car had its own groove, the only way you can hit each other is at the crossover pieces.

Ah, memories.

Larry

Larry....

Sounds like Motorifics to me too.

Check out this link,maybe you'll see something on it you will recognize:

http://www.prestonmarketing.com/toys/motorific/motorific.html

Hope it helps..

Mike
Great url, That website is loaded with detail! Thanks for posting it!