View Full Version : 2 lane or 4 lane?


sethndaddy
10-31-2009, 10:00 AM
Although 98% of the time I'll be racing along or with my kids, should I do 4 lane again? or step back to 2 lane. 2 lane could be a longer windy road with more room for landscaping, but when there is 3 or 4 people around, theres nothing like the extra lanes.

twolff
10-31-2009, 11:28 AM
I run 4. Never really considered 2. We've been running T-Jets and TycoPro cars on the middle lanes until I get off my butt and install the borders.

NTxSlotCars
10-31-2009, 12:07 PM
I built 4, but have yet to have more than one friend over at a time to race, so I sometimes wonder about all that unused track. Still, there's nothing like having 4 lanes when you need them.

Grandcheapskate
10-31-2009, 01:30 PM
Build a four laner and then use a single crossover on each pair of lanes to convert it to a two laner; this also eliminates the "middle only" lanes. If and when you get 3-4 people, swap out the crossovers for 9" straights.

If you want to get real cute, you can use single lane tracks and turn that four laner into a single lane.

Joe

NTxSlotCars
10-31-2009, 01:47 PM
Neat idea on the crossovers. Another reason why I'm glad I didn't nail my track down.

martybauer31
10-31-2009, 02:40 PM
Another vote for 4 lanes.... I usually run laps by myself but it's nice when you get a bunch of folks over you fill those lanes up really quick!

demether
10-31-2009, 02:53 PM
4lanes, definitly. It's one of the major advantages of h0 scale : even in 4lanes, it stills relativly cheap and does not take too much room. Even if you race 4 drivers races twice a year, you'll see it 's a lot of fun ;)

Crimnick
10-31-2009, 04:16 PM
Four!

BRS Hobbies
10-31-2009, 04:50 PM
Four lanes = more fun!

Best regards,
Brian

Dyno Dom
10-31-2009, 04:54 PM
To answer on topic between 2 & 4, I would say 4!! I was hooked on multi
lane tracks since "Car Model-Ho Racing" featured "Scottsboro Raceway".
Hertz & Schleicher also had great color books featuring Ho layouts.
The AFX Handbook mentioned 6 lanes & I've built a couple of those too. :)

slotcarman12078
10-31-2009, 05:02 PM
I'd have to say 4 lanes also. I like the idea of the cross overs too!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

AfxToo
10-31-2009, 05:37 PM
If you are space constrained and want to have landscaping, a 2-lane layout is probably a better way to go. Having to take turns for track time is fine when the people waiting are marshaling the cars for the drivers. The worst thing you can do is to park your kid on a lane while you run around the track doing all the marshaling. When driving time is more precious and the burden of marshaling is shared, driving time becomes more appreciated and skills improve. Likewise, if a kid has to do all his/her own marshaling they may get frustrated and give up. In my opinion, sharing the driving and marshaling responsibilities creates a better balance and it improves the overall experience. It also makes it inherently a shared activity.

brownie374
10-31-2009, 06:32 PM
How about 3 or 5 everybody has 2 or 4!

AfxToo
10-31-2009, 07:51 PM
How about 3 or 5 everybody has 2 or 4!

That would be odd.

:)

slotcarman12078
10-31-2009, 08:10 PM
So would 7.. :lol:

Tycoarm
10-31-2009, 09:52 PM
Nothing wrong with two. It's just that four looks more realistic. Even if you don't run the other lanes, just drop in some cars onto the unused lanes to look as if they are running.

sethndaddy
10-31-2009, 10:50 PM
I was weighing towards the 4 lane, but the single crossover idea solidifies it for me.
platform/tables should be put up over the next few weeks, i'll keep you guys posted.

slotcarman12078
11-01-2009, 02:25 PM
Depending on how you wire it up, a couple Aurora steering wheel controllers might be a cool option for the unused lanes. This way, all the lanes can get some track time even if you're flying solo..

Grandcheapskate
11-01-2009, 05:34 PM
I was weighing towards the 4 lane, but the single crossover idea solidifies it for me.

There are a couple wiring considerations if you do this and use seperate power for each lane. Here's a thread I started a few months back that deals with the wiring requirements.

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=237918

Thanks...Joe

ParkRNDL
11-01-2009, 07:44 PM
another vote for 4. i had a 2 lane on my 4x16 table for a few years... took it apart last year and redid it as a 4 lane. my 2 youngest kids run on it with me pretty regularly, and the other two join us from time to time...

--rick