I am sitting here typing away after spending who knows how many weeks on my layout. I need some time out, as it is scattered all over the floor due to frustration. It is a day before my 38th birthday, and i feel like a dumb 5 year old, because things have not worked out.

I swear my track is alive and laughing at me.

First i got a discarded board that someone layed out an old train set on, and i thought it was a bargain. Cost me nothing. Measured it up, and sure enough it was 4 foot by 8 foot.

Set out all the track for a figure 8 4 lane set up, and that is when all the problems started. Some, mind you, were caused by me, i think, but i am so annoyed about the whole thing.

Layed out the track, traced around it, did test runs on it, and all worked fine.
I started nailing it down with some lifelike nails and was almost half way done when i find out that the track is too big for the board. The straights are not straight, so i try again. My nailing skills improved, but the straights were still crooked. In too much of a hurry, as it was to be sort of like a chrismas present for my 6 year old son and myself.

Tried to putty up some of the gaps in the track, sanded it down, and then one lane decides not to work. No worries, pull the nails up and replace the track. Reputty again. Tried to see what it was like painted black. Painted it, sanded the rails down, and then another piece of track decides not to have power. Rip it up again, and replace. Power stops getting to another piece of track, and suddenly all the un nailed track is on the floor, and here i am typing away.

FRUSTRATED.

" I am not HAPPY Jan "

What have i done wrong?

Did i choose the wrong hobby, or is Murphy looking over my right shoulder?

You'll do fine. Take a break, have a beer, enjoy your birthday, tune a tjet, then get back to the track. It is a hobby, so you get to walk away for a little bit when things get too dramatic.


Happy Birthday.

What kind of track are you using? If it is Life Like you really need to make sure the metal connections are touching each other good. I had problems myself with LL and won't bother using it again. Tomy or Tyco is just easier in that respect, IMHO.

Just grab a beer and chill for a bit and then start again. You'll get it sorted.

:thumbsup:

'Doba

38? When I was 38... :) . Happy Birthday.

After taking madsappers excellent advise here are a few ideas. Use a straight edge to keep the track straight. Test the track frequently while nailing.

The gap and growing is caused by a manufacturing defect in the track. Tyco and Tomy 90 degree curves are not 90 degrees. They are closer to 89.25 degrees. Take four 90s and put the together nice and tight like they should be. The last connection will not fit. I just got out my new 18" Tomy curves and found the gap is a full inch. That .75 degrees does make a difference. To help keep the track from growing use something to weigh the track so it can't move.

What kind of cake did we miss?

Hey Andrij,

Don't pop you cork over this, Mate. We all have our ups and downs in this hobby-That's how we learn new tricks and get ideas. It's your birhtday and you have a son to celebrate it with--that alone has to be great! I'm sure after you've relaxed a bit, it will all come to you and you'll get it right. :)
Kick back for a bit and enjoy your special day. It only comes once a year!

A very happy Birhtday to you!! :hat: :hat:

Cheers Mate!

I swear my track is alive and laughing at me.

Oh yeah, it probably is. Just drink beer until you start laughing back at it. :hat:

Seriously, and I'm just spitballing here, is it possible that by puttying the joints, you've inadvertently gotten some in where the rails connect?

About the uneven and crooked parts I can sympathize, but can't offer any advice except the aforementioned beer drinking...enough of those little brown bottles and sooner or later the track will LOOK nice and straight.

But have a happy birthday, have faith, and you'll figure it out.

Trev

By the way, as 2tall said, what kind of cake did we miss?

Thanks for the feedback guys.
Much appreciated.

Well, went back to the layout and tried again. Seeing as the track is all Tomy stuff, i went about and checked the straights out again. Seems like some of them were not very straight. All the later dated ones were the culprits. I searched out for all my older tomy straights, and the ones dated 1987 were the straightest ones, so i have layed out the track again with only those vintage straights. Seems the track still hangs over the board, but it looks better.

Took a break from the track aspect of it all,and went looking thru all the parts and bits i have lying around. I found a black AFX chassis that was relatively bare, so i started tinkering with it. It is a one off in my collection. It is unusual compared to my other chassis's, as a. it is black, b. it has cups where the brushes sit and c. it has a molded in spot for a small nut to be placed behind where the guide pin goes.

I have used a pair of thunderbrushes as the brushes, a pair of super 2 magnets, ie, yellow and blue magnets and a 15.0 ohm arm. It is one of two arms that has ohmed at 15.0 at all 3 poles. One of about 40 arms i have lying around that i have measured and made note of. It is a red wired arm, but am not sure if it will go ok or not. I have some mean green arms lying around, but dont know if there would be a difference if i swapped the red wired one for a mean green.

Well, back to my track i suppose.

Thanks again for the words of encouragement guys.

If i dont "see" you guys in chat in two days time, Have a Safe and Merry CHristmas.

Take Care
Andrij

PS. Was a Home made Black Forrest Birthday cake with lots of Kirsh.
Went well with a coffee and chocolate schnapps mix.

PS. Was a Home made Black Forrest Birthday cake with lots of Kirsh.
Went well with a coffee and chocolate schnapps mix.
Your KILLING me!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS. Was a Home made Black Forrest Birthday cake with lots of Kirsh.
Went well with a coffee and chocolate schnapps mix.

mmmmmmmm homemade Black forest cake (drools like Homer Simp.)

:hat: :hat: :hat:

-----

Thanks for the info, AFXToo.

Very Much appreciated.

madsapper, i could email you a piece of the cake, but due to the alcohol content, and the richness, it would clog up your harddrive.

Cheers

ANdrij

Thanks for the info, AFXToo.

Very Much appreciated.

madsapper, i could email you a piece of the cake, but due to the alcohol content, and the richness, it would clog up your harddrive.

Cheers

ANdrij
LOL, That and I'd have to run an extra 6 miles in the morning to keep my boyish figure :jest:

Keeping the straights straight is easy, you use a small nail between 2 sections with a string line just above the slot. My MM track on my other post was built off of the 21' main straight. It kept the rest of the track layout correct as the rear 19' straight is parallel to the main straight as well as all the short shutes. Dave

Keeping the straights straight is easy, you use a small nail between 2 sections with a string line just above the slot. My MM track on my other post was built off of the 21' main straight. It kept the rest of the track layout correct as the rear 19' straight is parallel to the main straight as well as all the short shutes. Dave

SUch a simple idea, why didn't i think of that?
Maybe because i could not think STRAIGHT.

LOL

Thanks
ANdrij

Well, time has flown, and my track has not had a lap run in over 6 months.

This is why:

http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/3985/p1010045qf0.th.jpg (http://img258.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p1010045qf0.jpg)

My track is under all this mess - spare track, diecasts awaiting conversions, shells to be painted and repaired.

Will try and take a crack at it soonish.

Cheers

Andrij

With cans 'o Fosters readily available downunda, it must be difficult to complete any project (except for ensuring there is not an over supply of Fosters).

Well, had the inlaws drop in, and sort of cleaned up a bit.

I had not seen my work table for a while, and this is how it is at the moment. Real life can be hectic, as you can see:

http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/1918/p1010046pk4.th.jpg (http://img258.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p1010046pk4.jpg)

I moved some stuff fro under my slot table, to find something.
This is what it is like.

Yep, over 20 slot car tracks under that table:

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/6830/p1010049rt8.th.jpg (http://img137.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p1010049rt8.jpg)

Hope to get some time off before christmas, to run some laps. I will hope to get some pics of the track in the next few weeks.

Cheers

Andrij

Boy do I understand...
With the old Money Pit (house) taking up all my spare time and money my track has become the repository for almost anything that needed set down...:(
And my cars have cobwebs!!!
(Oh, the shame of it all..)

Scott

Must be something going around. Had friends over last weekend with little slotters and had to spend an hour getting the track cleared off and cleaned up to run. Thank God those LL cars seem to run on any amount of dust. :devil: Set them up with some tape for tire cleaning and off they went. ;) rr