I know.. probably a long shot, but I was curious if there are any HO guys, clubs, racing, collectors... whatever in that area?

I see Joe's Hobbies is in WV but over 3 hours away.. yikes..!

Thanks- marc and marcus

i'm about an hour north of there. i live in Chambersburg, PA and work in Hagerstown, MD which is actually about half an hour... when we used to live in Hagerstown, we went shopping in Martinsburg semi-regularly when we got bored of the Hagerstown stores. Marty Milligan used to post here and he was in the area too, but I haven't seen/heard from from him in a while...

sadly, there is little to no slot car activity here. no hobby stores carry slot stuff, and it's just me and my kids in the basement. though there ARE collectors around, because they always seem to beat me to the yard sales... :rolleyes:

are you in martinsburg?

--rick

Ouch , ya hit my sore spot man. Well not really but somthing I don't quite understand.

I realize that in some paces such as where ya'll are, there is little action in almost everything. I go canoeing in the Martinsburg area as well as other spots in W Va..

My point is , why don't you start your own racing group. Surely there are other enthusiasts around but you have to seek them out. Family members , working cohorts , church brethern, school chums , 1=1 racers are only a small list of people that are looking for a way to burn up their winters. Father / Son teams are great in this hobby too . Work on it and see what you can do.

In both of your cases , your actually close enough to join forces and start racing now. 1 against 1 head to head is better than nothing. race once , talk things out and the next race , vow to bring a prospective racer.

Let us know what you come up with.

Good luck , Gonzo

How about Gary Butner in Oak Hill, WV? He's just of RT19, not far from Summervile. They have seasonal races on a landscaped 4-lane Tomy. Hope he's still around.

How about Gary Butner in Oak Hill, WV? He's just of RT19, not far from Summervile. They have seasonal races on a landscaped 4-lane Tomy. Hope he's still around.

yea garys still around and doing good you may be anle to get him on yahoo board for southern sportsman

I'm glad I double checked my original post. Maybe there is some hope for the area...

I am in Jacksonville, Fl. as of now, but there is a good chance I will end up in the Martinsburg area the middle or 2010, which is much closer now. Jacksonville was pretty scarce for the HO stuff although there is a pretty good group of guys that run the larger scales.

As for racing/ "thrashing"... my little guy and I have been more a get together and mess around program, but I wouldn't mind mixing it up once and a while outside the home track.

Hopefully I can get the Max back up and stretched out again. It was a little cramped here at 4x13, perhaps I can pull the other straights out of the box and open her back to 18-20 feet.

Thanks for the info. I will try to find everyone once I get settled..

-Marc and Marcus

Hello everyone
Yes I am in winchester 15 minutes from martinsburg. Collect race and hoping to start a group by spring. I am currently working on setting up a 4x20 4 lane road course, 4x20 6 lane oval max traxs and I have now a 29' drag strip and setting up a 32' maxtrax drag strip all computer sys supported. Have hundreds of extra cars to sell or trade parts etc. And will stock more parts once we start racing. Road course is up and running. Also have a 4x16 ed bianchi 4 lane banked oval for 1/32 or slide guide Ho cars.
Contact me when u get in the area so we can meet. Look forward to meeting everyone soon

Slotnut
George

Sweet... Sounds like a good start. If all things go as planned I should be there sometime between April and June... Still waiting to here. I am searching for homes in the Charles Town / Shepherdstown Areas.

Once I get moved, it sounds like we need to hook up run some cars. I found a group called ECHORR based in Westiminster Maryland- Map says it's an hour and 15 from M'Burg. I can't make it up there weekly but I figure I might try ot join them for their larger races.

Keep me in mind.. We will have to exchange contact info prior to my move.

-Marc and Marcus

Hey Slot Nut,

Do you know an old HO racer in Winchester that goes by Smokin Joe ?

I lost track of him . He's into idirt bikes as well and has an excavating buisiness . I know he had a Bianchi track.

My old nick was Heavy Chevy , if you know him , tell him hello for me and give him my addy.

Thx ,

Gonzo

How about Gary Butner in Oak Hill, WV? He's just of RT19, not far from Summervile. They have seasonal races on a landscaped 4-lane Tomy. Hope he's still around.

i believe gary still has weekly races he races southern sportsman with us every month you can catch him on yahoo group southern sportsman racing
he has a great race place

smokinHOs--PM sent. hope to run some laps with you when you get here.

slotnut--several years ago, i visited a track in/near Winchester... kinda right off Rte 11 S, if I recall. saw a bunch of guys racing LifeLike NASCAR T-chassis (I think) on an oval. ran a few laps on a road course with my stock Tjets. i think i even sold a guy a red/orange AFX Corvette GT. could that have been your place?

gonegonzo--look, we're getting started... :thumbsup:

--rick

Yes I know smokinjoe from front royal I think he stopped racn though last I heard. No the guys on Rt 11 closed up I bought him out and got oval , no room for road course at the time so missed it, darn it.
Yep I spoke to hiram breifly by email and hope to hook up and join in series however I want to get a lot of newbies involved so it will be mostly box stock racing except for those that want to hold a race every now and then.

Slotnut

Sounds like we are all getting on the same page...

I talked to Hiram yesterday... He seems like a really nice guy. He took the time to talk with me and extended an invitation to come out his way. Sounds like his in the only functional set-up out that way (I think he said he has three tracks), and I guess they have a couple great races there in the fall.

I have to admit, I have always been a big fan of simple rules and run what ya brung. We had the most fun running a basically stock LL class (older M chassis) with slip-ons. I've been tinkering with the G-Jets which have been a blast too. Truthfully, I prefer fun stuff. And you can never go wrong with tjets... When I need a "competitive racing" fix typically someone has something in their box for a good challenge, and it seems like there are some serious races within a couple hours if I get the urge.

I think I need a place with a basement and pit space.. LOL

-Marc and Marcus

Rick
That was Slots R Us, kept his Harley in the garage/shop with two tracks. I belive that slotnut/George bought his inventory? As for the guys that run the Nascars they are still around, sorry do not know there names, but do see them once in a while at shows/Aberdeen, MD.
I am located half hour North of Whincester, 45 min from Martinsburg. Rick about 1 1/2 hours from Chambersburg,PA.
At the present just collect and do a little modeling.
Have a good day all.
Ian Garnett
xfaoh on other groups

yeah Ian, that sounds familiar... it was a garage type setup.

Marc, I ran with a bunch of guys including Hiram down in that part of Maryland several years ago. i only made it there a few times. had a great time, they're a great bunch... i just wasn't up to the commute, especially having to leave my wife home with 4 kids who were very little at the time. now the youngest is 5 and I can probably get away with stuff like that a little more...

--rick

Hey Rick,

I see your getting started. Good luck and have fun .

Gonzo

Rick-

Once I get moved I will get my track and cases set-up. I need to purchase a new tralmate timing package, mine finally gave up the ghost. Actually the PC that ran the DOS program did. I never linked it to the computer to run actual races. It was more a crash and burn format at the house or "fast" lap contest. Most of the time it ended up as a don't spill beer on the track and quit putting someone else's cars in your pitbox, which is the way I like it... LOL We would spend more time talking about slot cars then actually racing them.

If you are an hour away- we can work something out once I am settled. Florida is more of a beach, Kayak Fishing, outside kinda state. I miss the basement and garage racing though... We look forward to meeting all of you north, well... everyone but the weather... yikes...

-Marc and Marcus

sounds like my kind of racing... lookin' forward to it. bench racing can be the best part. i never got farther with lap timing/counting than buying a couple of Zip Zap lap counters for cheap and diddling with them a little, though i've often considered taking the plunge and setting up one of the DOS timing programs with a light sensor...

yeah, coming from Florida, the winter weather here can be a downer. however, years ago, i spent my honeymoon at Disney World in July, and we've taken the kids twice since then, both times during the summer... i gotta say it's nice having summer days in the 80s and summer evenings that actually approach cool weather...

--rick

Hey guys. I just signed up to use the search feature and happened to see this thread. I live right outside of Martinsburg, in Hedgesville. I recently broke out my Tyco 440-x2 set I got when I was a kid and set it up for my kids to play with. Since I can't leave well enough alone, I've found myself adding cars, extra track and shopping around for parts to hop the cars up, which is how I made it here.

adding what kinds of cars? more 440s and other magnet cars? or have you tried some of the new Auto World retro-style cars?

Tyco track is good because it's the most common stuff to find at yard sales and so on... i have amassed a pretty huge collection in the basement... from a strictly hobby standpoint, Tomy track has better electrical connections, a deeper guide slot, and a wider range of track pieces, but you can make a pretty nice layout with Tyco for cheap and it will serve you perfectly well for all your racing needs...

--rick

I have about 8 440-x2's, a 440 and an AW x-traction which I don't really care for. The tyco track seems to be plentiful and cheap. My set had about 25 feet of track and I just picked up another 30-some feet. I think I have all the track I'll ever need at this point.

Anyone know of any shops in the WV/MD/VA area that carry cars and parts? There's a hobby shop in town here, but they're a little lacking in the slot car department.

I just read your post,Yes we race every week.I'm located in OAK HILL WV. We run several classes using the JL and Aurora chasiss.We also drag race every Monday night.PM me your phone number and i'll call you or you can call me.
thanks
GARY BUTNER

Hello.
Live in Hedgesville, but just do 1/24 and 1/32. Used to do HO many years ago. Seems like HO has gained great popularity over the last several years, and thats great. Any form of Slot car racing that gains more interest is good.

It is officially unofficial... we have found a place in Shepherdstown and are looking to close in late June. Just have to get all the ducks in a row and get moved.

Soooo... that means that the Max should be up and running for the fall/winter season... Ahhh, winter.. it's been a while. Anyway, we kicked around the odea of swapping out the Max for a TKO... Todd from TKO sent me a really nice 4 lane piece. If the track manager ok's it, we might be swapping out.

Only time will tell. See you guys up north in a couple months... In the meantime, shoot me some info about the current racing situation and slot car shows..!

Thanks- Marc and Marcus

It is officially unofficial... we have found a place in Shepherdstown and are looking to close in late June. Just have to get all the ducks in a row and get moved.

Soooo... that means that the Max should be up and running for the fall/winter season... Ahhh, winter.. it's been a while. Anyway, we kicked around the odea of swapping out the Max for a TKO... Todd from TKO sent me a really nice 4 lane piece. If the track manager ok's it, we might be swapping out.

Only time will tell. See you guys up north in a couple months... In the meantime, shoot me some info about the current racing situation and slot car shows..!

Thanks- Marc and Marcus

hey, that's weird. i've been thinking that i have to go back and check my old PMs to see when you said you were getting here... just this morning i finally looked and saw that you said by June. shepherdstown is less than an hour from me. keep me posted...

--rick

Good news... Sounds like we can get together once I get everything moved and sorted out...

Talk to you soon.. I will PM you with my info once I get moved...

In the meantime, make sure your cars are oiled and ready... LOL

-marc and marcus