Joined
·
1,780 Posts
After seeing all the great tracks on here and all the fun people have building them I've decided to make my own too. The final inspiration came from BEEJAY's excellent and informative post on his Midford Combe Circuit. I was putting it off until I had space for a permanent set-up but I don't know when that will be so I'm going to have a bash at building a modular track from two or three 4ft x 4ft sections that can be bolted/clamped together.
Here's a sketch of the basic layout on an 8ft x 4ft sheet:
![]()
I want to build a track for my pre-war cars and include features from real tracks. Pre-war tracks means lots of banked turns so with this first 4ft x 4ft section I hope to include the Karussell from the Nurburgring….
![]()
here's Rosemeyer on the carousel on his way to victory in the Eifelrennen of 1937 in his 'C' Type….
![]()
It's a great feature and with it being banked and tight, should be ideal for my slot car track to make the most of the room I have (or don't have in my case).
My version has a radius of approx. 250mm when banked and banks approx 30°. The real carousel has a narrow concrete banked part with a less banked tarmac outer ring. This is possible to do in MDF if made in two sections but I went for the easy option and made it in one piece and will probably use paint effects to distinguish the two areas.
![]()
The shape I cut to achieve the banking was drawn out in cad, however the theory is quite simple, it's just a case of working out the angle between entry and exit 'roads' and pulling the lanes together to bank the sheet. Some great info on banking and track building in general can be found here http://uk.geocities.com/slot_racing/trackbuild/banking.htm. The banking is made from 9mm MDF and has undercuts underneath as shown in the picture to help the banking form and relieve some of the tension. You'll notice that the turn is raised slightly up from the surface, this is to change the angle of the 'Cone' from vertical to slightly forward leaning to help smooth the flow from straights to banking and prevent 'Launching' on such a tight banked radius. This is explained a lot better in the link above.
The other turn I wanted to include in this section is this….
![]()
The North turn at AVUS or "wall of death," banked at 43,6 degrees
![]()
, built for the Avusrennen in 1937. Here's Rosemeyer going round it in a streamlined 'C' type…
![]()
My version has a 2ft radius when banked so it fits onto a standard 4ft wide sheet and banks approx 40°. Here are the two turns clamped to the base….
![]()
Although I don't fancy replicating all that brickwork so will probable paint it as the concrete banking of Montlhery….
![]()
and here's a picture of the construction it's sitting on…..
![]()
It's 12mm MDF with timber frame work (44x20) its very rigid and lightweight as I'll have to move it around until I have a permanent home for it.
and here's how far I've got with this first 4ft x 4ft section…..
![]()
the banking is now supported, fixed down, and, very rigid so should give a nice smooth drive!!
I'm currently waiting for a couple of 3.2mm (1/8") router bits before I do any more on this section.
Meanwhile I've made a start on the second half again 4ft x 4ft, this half has an uphill hairpin, banked turn and a bridge. Where the bridge section was cut out of the sheet the missing piece was replaced and any gaps filled smooth, here's a pic without the bridge in place….
![]()
and here's a pic with the bridge on its temporary supports…
![]()
That's it for now. Hopefully will start routing at the weekend…
Here's a sketch of the basic layout on an 8ft x 4ft sheet:
I want to build a track for my pre-war cars and include features from real tracks. Pre-war tracks means lots of banked turns so with this first 4ft x 4ft section I hope to include the Karussell from the Nurburgring….
here's Rosemeyer on the carousel on his way to victory in the Eifelrennen of 1937 in his 'C' Type….
It's a great feature and with it being banked and tight, should be ideal for my slot car track to make the most of the room I have (or don't have in my case).
My version has a radius of approx. 250mm when banked and banks approx 30°. The real carousel has a narrow concrete banked part with a less banked tarmac outer ring. This is possible to do in MDF if made in two sections but I went for the easy option and made it in one piece and will probably use paint effects to distinguish the two areas.
The shape I cut to achieve the banking was drawn out in cad, however the theory is quite simple, it's just a case of working out the angle between entry and exit 'roads' and pulling the lanes together to bank the sheet. Some great info on banking and track building in general can be found here http://uk.geocities.com/slot_racing/trackbuild/banking.htm. The banking is made from 9mm MDF and has undercuts underneath as shown in the picture to help the banking form and relieve some of the tension. You'll notice that the turn is raised slightly up from the surface, this is to change the angle of the 'Cone' from vertical to slightly forward leaning to help smooth the flow from straights to banking and prevent 'Launching' on such a tight banked radius. This is explained a lot better in the link above.
The other turn I wanted to include in this section is this….
The North turn at AVUS or "wall of death," banked at 43,6 degrees
My version has a 2ft radius when banked so it fits onto a standard 4ft wide sheet and banks approx 40°. Here are the two turns clamped to the base….
Although I don't fancy replicating all that brickwork so will probable paint it as the concrete banking of Montlhery….
and here's a picture of the construction it's sitting on…..
It's 12mm MDF with timber frame work (44x20) its very rigid and lightweight as I'll have to move it around until I have a permanent home for it.
and here's how far I've got with this first 4ft x 4ft section…..
the banking is now supported, fixed down, and, very rigid so should give a nice smooth drive!!
I'm currently waiting for a couple of 3.2mm (1/8") router bits before I do any more on this section.
Meanwhile I've made a start on the second half again 4ft x 4ft, this half has an uphill hairpin, banked turn and a bridge. Where the bridge section was cut out of the sheet the missing piece was replaced and any gaps filled smooth, here's a pic without the bridge in place….
and here's a pic with the bridge on its temporary supports…
That's it for now. Hopefully will start routing at the weekend…
