Hi everyone,

I'm building a HO routed track and keeping information on my build here:

http://routedtrack.hobby-site.com/

Love to hear some comments and any tips you may have!

If you're local to Perth, Australia, we also have a forum here:

http://neophytte.mine.nu/forum/

If you're not from Perth, you're still welcome to view or join and comment on some of our projects!

Cheers

Richard

Cool website! Looks like some fun work- hope it comes out great.

My only suggestion is to stay away from the stereo plugs for controller connections; they cause shorts when you plug them in. If you decide to run an electronic controller those connectors can damage them. Also, alligator clips on posts are more universal from track to track and are good because if someone trips over controller wires the clips just pull off. Those plug-in connectors won't do that and you'll end up tearing out the wires while taking a fall. Trust me on that one. :o :p

Scott

Nice website! Do you have any specs on the reed switches that you are using? I plan on using them for a track that I plan on building but am not 100% sure which ones to get.

Best regards,
Brian

Hiya,

@Scott:

Thanks for explaining the 3 alligator clip ideology. I'd always wondered why such a system was used!!

@Brian:

I got mine from Dck Smith, but if you're not in Australia it's a long way to come to get them :)

The specs are here:

http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/45545bf80b156c78273fc0a87f9c071a/Product/View/P7856

Hope that helps.

Richard

Hi Neophytte, love your menu thing on your website, cool idea :thumbsup:

Thanks guys, so what's the best way (or any way!!) to get paint out of the slots once I've painted it?? Sandpaper seems a slow and dreary process and makes little headway. In about 1/2 hr yesterday, I probably got 30cm (1ft) cleaned out ...

Help! Thanks!!

See the pics in our local forum:

http://neophytte.mine.nu/forum/forum.pl?fid=05&topic_id=1162044390

:(

Hi neophytte,
Great Track and a cool website. I looked through but could not see what you are using for Rails? Could you please let me know, I am contimplating routing an HO track and still do not know what to do for rails.
Thanks,
Jim

Hi there,

I'll be using 1/16 inch (or 1.57mm for us Aussies) round wire for the first test track. This is cheap over here as farmers use it for their fences (200m for $au20 or so). However another local guy used this and found it had too much magnetic pull for the cars and thus wore his pickups down fairly quickly. I think it depends upon your requirements - if you wish to run Wizzards at top speed you're better off getting smaller wire (check Brad Bowmans site, as he goes into detail on this), but if you'r testing out T-Jets and Turbos, the 1/16" round wire will b fine.

And if you're in Australia - let me know where you are as I'd love to find someone to go halves with shipping some Brad Bowman wire over here :)

Cheers

Richard

I'm also thinking of crossing into the SCX scale (now I've got a couple of cars) and routing a track for my brother and I to race on ... does anyone know where copper tape or braid can be aquired in Australia?? Cheers!

Richard

Hello neophytte,
The wire I will most likely end up using is re-bar tie wire used for concreat work, it is 1/16" also.
As for your question on copper tape, I frequent a site called Slotcarillustrated.com (mostly for 1/32) and I belive there are several folks from Australia that may be able to assist.
Good luck and keep up the great work,
Jim

Thanks!

Is rebar wire round or square? It may be the same thing we are talking about ...

I took a pic a while ago, about half way down this page:

http://neophytte.mine.nu/forum/forum.pl?fid=05&topic_id=1150289846&page=2

Cheers

Richard

Rebar wire is round...

Rebar wire is round...

Thanks! It'll probably be the same stuff ...
:thumbsup:

R

Just to let you know, I've been updating the website in the first post. The test track is getting close to being finished, but we have some guests coming soon, so it'll be "tools down" over Xmas.

Cheers

Richard

Richard - latest pics look good. Sorry that you have had such trouble with the paint. I bought a lot of slot car track from a hobby store that closed down. It had a ton of gooey stuff (tire goo, probably) in the groove that had really gunked up over time. I had to put a scredriver in the slot sideways and just scrape, scrape, scrape.
I hate when project go on too far when you probably thought that you would be racing by now. Good luck.
Jim

Hi Richard, your test track looks fantastic, Can you tell me at what depth you are routing both the main slot and the power slots? Thanks again.

@T-Jetjim

Thanks - sounds like you had a similar problem to me (but I'd rather be fighting goo than paint!!). With our recent changes to daylight savings, I'm finding a few extra hours after work, so *may* have this finished next week (crosses fingers!)

@jimbo-slots

Thanks, I forgot to add that info to the site, so I've updated it now. This is what I wrote for you:

Someone on the bulletin boards (jimbo-slot) was asking about specifications for the slot depths. My plunge router is fairly inaccurate, and I've found a lot of inconsistancies with this as I look closer at the track. If I were to do it again, I would suggest "locking" the router down to a certain depth - I think my mistake here has been that I set the depth, and then "plunged" the router manually. This requires physical force both downwards and sideways under these circumstances, and whilst I paid attention to the incoming and outgoing slot (the connections between round routes and straight routes), the depth during these parts tend to be a bit sloppy. I would suggest for anyone else, as I will do in the future, to route the connection sections, then lock the router at the correct depth before routing the rest of the straight/corner. This should maintain a more accurate consistancy. In response to the original question, the guide depth is between 5mm and 6mm, the rail depth was measured by using the original test track and routing, then measuring the wire depth. The wire is 1.58mm round, and the slot depth is about 1.5mm. Once again I found the lock on the router was useful for consistancy here, although the paint on the track required me to go around abount 3 times to get the depth the same all the way around.

HTH!!

Richard

I checked out the site....Cams track is a hoot.....

Cam is apparently adding some "pyrotechnics" to his track, although we haven't seen a preview yet .... !?!?!

Hiya,

Just thought I'd mention I've updated the site for (possibly) the last time this year. If you're so inclined come over and have a look:

http://routedtrack.hobby-site.com/

Up to railing, but had some problems with that ... the first couple of test tracks became bird breeding boxes last weekend :)

There are also updates for my moulding experiments in the forums:

http://neophytte.mine.nu/forum/

Have a good festive season all!!!

Cheers

Richard

Good looking site and thanks for sharing! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: rr

The test track is finished!

Greetings all,

My 2nd routed HO track is under progress at the moment - rather than repeat everything I'll lead you over to our forums in Perth:

http://neophytte.mine.nu/forum/forum..._id=1201760868

Basically a 2400 x 1200 which is a comprimise between the track I wanted to build and the track the wife doesn't want me to build.

Cheers

Richard

The second track is finished, and website updated (not sure which took longer :p) :

http://routedtrack.hobby-site.com/?file=construction2.html

Cheers

Richard