[John Aitken]

Start by cutting out all the lower right folded spaghetti..work with the upper simple layout with but one infold. Then will be good. Widen your lane spacing. ..adjust your radii to smoother. Copying road 1/1 rarely works. If ever..and many of us tried

 

[356speedster]

I also agree that 1:1 layouts rarely works for slotcar tracks. The "speed bracket" and reaction times for slotcars are very different than for 1:1 cars, so even if there are similarities in how the cars behave the driving dynamics are very different.

instead, try to focus on flow/drivability, and this may take some trial error to figure out. Track layouts that looks good in my layout software are rarely fun/good to drive without major modifications, but usually those modifications narrows down to simplifying the layout and smoothing out curves to improve flow.

To get the atmosphere of the 1:1 track try to incorporate one or two core elements from the 1:1 track and instead use scenery to get it looking right.

 

[John Aitken]

Exactly..you can sometimes incorporate signature aspects of a favourite track- corkscrew at LaGuna Seca maybe..of course each of us has our own vision for a layout, and perhaps a complex layout with scenery is more the goal than flow or racing…nothing wrong with that… I might add that if you are hosting kids and newcomers, even turning down the power won’t overcome frustrations of an over complicated design..my preference is flow..

 

[356speedster]

John's point about kids and newcomers is very important, if even just one corner is too difficult for them, it becomes a deslot bonanza, taking all the joy away, or if you plan to run digital ghost cars the speed of the ghost cars are dictated by the slowest corner.

Also with a layout this huge, difficult corners will become a real annoyance when driving alone, but maybe the step-tracker and spouse might get happy 😊

 

[PatB]

A while ago I found an online archive of a slot car magazine (whose title I cannot remember, and which I can't seem to find again) which carried, in each issue, suggested layout plans. Particularly interesting were the ones representing real-world circuits and how they had been designed.

In short, the design process was to replicate the signature corners or combinations of a particular circuit, and then assemble them into a layout fitting within the specified space. Usually the result did not, at first glance, look anything like the 1:1 track, but, on careful examination, it would include all the major elements that make the real thing what it is.

It's certainly not the only approach to track design, but I found it very interesting.

 

[John Aitken]

It’s model car racing magazine..now available only online. still does reprise of 1/1 in plastic tracks each issue

 

[Dingleberry]

The track isn't being made with timber it be made out of 5700mm l x 240mm w x 25mm plastic with lane grooves routed dead straight then steam heated and formed to shape this way I can form any radius corner and elevation in one and it's very light weight will only need around 7 pieces for the complete track also there will be lane changes just hadn't put them in yet
This product can be formed in any angle twist rise decent whatever way you wish it to go it will go I have used it in many other applications but not for a slot car track but I have full confidence that it will work

Let's see a link to what this product is going to look like. Have you started putting lanes into planks?
How about the braid, do you route an indent for it?
Inquiring minds wanna know!

 

[356speedster]

The track isn't being made with timber it be made out of 5700mm l x 240mm w x 25mm plastic with lane grooves routed dead straight then steam heated and formed to shape this way I can form any radius corner and elevation in one and it's very light weight will only need around 7 pieces for the complete track also there will be lane changes just hadn't put them in yet
This product can be formed in any angle twist rise decent whatever way you wish it to go it will go I have used it in many other applications but not for a slot car track but I have full confidence that it will work

As I understand it, these are composite (plastic) patio decking "planks" at 5.7 meters length (18-19 feet) and 24 cm wide (9 1/2 inch).

The question is what happens to the slot when steam formed into curved pieces. Will the slot keep it's dimensions or will the slots pinch.

 

[tfradke1]

A while ago I found an online archive of a slot car magazine (whose title I cannot remember, and which I can't seem to find again) which carried, in each issue, suggested layout plans. Particularly interesting were the ones representing real-world circuits and how they had been designed.

In short, the design process was to replicate the signature corners or combinations of a particular circuit, and then assemble them into a layout fitting within the specified space. Usually the result did not, at first glance, look anything like the 1:1 track, but, on careful examination, it would include all the major elements that make the real thing what it is.

It's certainly not the only approach to track design, but I found it very interesting.

Model Car and Track magazine from the 1960's had a monthly feature showing slot tracks based on real tracks.