Track Design

The original temporary layouts on the floor of the loft were constrained by the two joists that sat proud of the loft boarding. The final layout was pretty long but being at ground level meant that it got covered in chipboard dust when we stepped over it, and there was just too much bending involved to put the cars back on the track. Just as importantly, the track design (below) wasn't interesting enough as there was too much similarity in the shape of the corners.

My key design principles were:
- track at waist height
- two lane track that doesn't require marshals i.e. all track must be within an arm's reach so the racers can re-slot their own cars
- variety of types of corners
- preferably some variation in height
- room for a pit lane

I found a site with some great advice on track design and different types of corners e.g. carousels, hairpins, 180 degree turns, and sweeping turns. So I wanted as interesting a track as possible, whilst fitting on two 4 feet wide tables positioned in an L-shape.

This is the design I want to build...

As you can see, the track needs elevation to let the long straight (which will be the start-finish straight) run under three parts of the track. The alternative would be elevating the long straight but a sloping start-finish start feels wrong. The other alternative would be to avoid any elevated track altogether. Andy (builder of the much-missed Minchinhampton GP track) has cautioned me about the challenge of effective track joints on slopes, so I have also designed the following track which will fit on exactly the same pair of tables - so if my preferred design is a disaster, I have a fallback option.

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines

I've been thinking about my Scalextric project for a couple of months and some friends have been asking how it's going.  So I thought I'd create a blog, partly for me, partly for them, possibly even for other Scalextric enthusiasts.  I expect to post quite often at the beginning because there's two months of planning and purchasing to catch up with, but no doubt it'll slow down over time.

This project shouldn't feel like work, it's all about fun, so I'm not going to put a time or price limit on it. I'm expecting the research, design and construction to be as much fun as the actual playing with the finished setup.

This first post is also marked by the delivery today of my Scalextric Club pack.  £24 a year to join which gets you a quarterly magazine, exclusive offers and competitions, and the clincher - a free limited edition car each year.  This year's car is the 2008, Le Mans winning, Aston Martin DBR9 in Gulf livery with a special weathered finish (i.e. dirty).  It looks awesome.