Ho Slot Car Trucks

The table beneath lists all track sections currently available from Tomy AFX, Life-Like and Tyco. Aurora Model Motoring (MM) track sections are no longer manufactured just tin can exist readily acquired on eBay or in the used section at nigh larger hobby stores and slot car tracks specializing in HO Slot Machine Racing.

Tomy and Tyco offering a good selection of track sections, while Like-Like/Rokar track is sold primarily equally replacement sections for their boxed sets.

If you are planning a new HO raceway y'all would do well to comprise Tomy AFX rails in your layout. The current line of AFX track is the best bachelor. The wide option of turns makes it possible to create a realistic 8-lane racing circuit. The diagram below illustrates the various turn sections available as well every bit straight track lengths.

I stock a total line of Tomy, Tyco/Mattel and Life-Similar track sections. Tyco and Life-Similar runway sections are listed towards the end of this page.

HO Rail Dimensions

All makes of HO scale slot car runway are iii″ wide. Plow radius sizes are multiples of this same iii″ modulo. Straight track lengths likewise adhere to the 3″ modulo making information technology possible to design race tracks that can exist upwardly to 8 lanes in width.

Aurora Model Motoring and Atlas track is still bachelor on the used market, simply has become something of a collectors item recently. Visit the Slot Auto Auction on eBay or your local hobby shop to observe this rails.

Tomy AFX Track

Tomy now offers realistic crash barriers that fit along the border of any slot car rail. These race baarriers tin besides be used with the turn borders sold beneath.

These race barriers work well to continue your precious slot cars off the flooring and on the tabular array. 1 set of barriers volition protect over 7 feet of track.

These barriers are made from a flexible plastic material that volition conform to any turn configuration your layout might have.

Tomy AFX Digital 2-Lane Lap Counter

Tomy has just released their brand new stand up-alone AFX Digital 2-Lane Lap Counter, just in time for Christmas.

This unit of measurement will count laps without the need for an expensive computer or tablet device.

Two units tin as well be linked together to form a iv-lane lap counter organisation using the cable included with each unit.

Races of up to 99 laps can exist run with this new unit. Racers who spring the start are automatically penalized 1 lap!

Lane number stickers 1-4 are included for labeling your track and the Lap Counter itself.

Each Lap Counter runs on 3 AAA batteries (not included.) Setup is easy using the instructions printed on the package.

View Tomy AFX Digital 2-Lane Lap Counter in Pop-Upwards Window Tomy AFX Digital 2-Lane Lap Counter $46.99
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Tomy AFX Holographic Pit Stop

Tomy'due south Holographic Pit Stop is an entirely new type of lap counter/timer.

Information technology works with any straight section of Tomy AFX track. Two units can exist combined for 4-lane raceways.

A short video highlighting its operation has been produced to better illustrate this exciting new product.

View AFX Pit Stop Holographic Theater in Pop-Up Window AFX Pit Stop Holographic Theater $74.99
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Adapter Tracks

HO Slot Automobile track from different manufacturers tin be combined using adapter track sections. Life-Like and Tomy both make rails adapters equally described below. Model Motoring users, see the notes beneath.

Note: Tomy AFX and Aurora A/FX track use a different track joining system, and so to combine the older Aurora A/FX Snap-Lock runway with current-day Tomy AFX track yous will need to purchase the Tomy AFX three″ Aurora Adapters listed above.

Model Motoring Owners: The Tomy AFX 3″ Aurora Adaptor Pair listed higher up can exist modified to join the original Aurora Model Motoring Lock & Joiner track to modern Tomy AFX track.

To do this, cutting off the small tab on the "Aurora A/FX Snap-Lock" finish of the adapter and bend the track ends in the reverse direction then that they will match up with the track ends of the original Aurora Model Motoring track sections.

This technique works best for tracks fastened to a wooden table.

HO Rails Plough Borders

I'grand now stocking MDF wooden plow borders. These CNC precision-milled borders fit any brand of HO slot car track and tin exist painted, or covered with my FISA tape kit.

Precision cut from MDF and exactly the right height to create flush mounting plough aprons for both outside and inner turn radius sizes.

They can be secured to a tabular array top using glue, nails, screws or 3M double-sided tape.

HO Track Spotters Guide

Shown below are some of the various types of HO Slot Car rails that take been manufactured over the years.

Aurora Model Motoring Lock & Joiner Track

The original Model Motoring track that started it all. This runway was manufactured during the 1960'south and early into the 1970's. Track sections where attached together with steel joiner pins and minor U-shaped locks fabricated from either metallic, or later, Nylon.

The metal ability rails were formed into pocket-sized tabs at the border of each department. These tabs pressed against the bordering track'south power rails to form an electric connectedness between track sections.

Aurora A/FX Snap-Lock Track

Aurora introduced a new and improved track system in the 1970'southward to replace the original Lock & Joiner system. The steel pins and U-shaped clips found on the original Model Motoring track were eliminated in favor of a track that simply snapped together.

Aurora introduced this new runway system at the same time they brought out their new Aurora Factory Experimental (A/FX) chassis. This new runway had a slightly deeper slot, and an improved connecting organisation that snapped and locked rail sections together. The plastic tabs on these tracks oft bankrupt nonetheless, when the track was assembled and taken apart many times. Aurora Rails Repair Clips are yet available to join A/FX track that has broken tabs.

Track Cleaning Tips

Plastic HO Slot Auto track needs to exist cleaned from time to fourth dimension. Under normal use oil from the cars will be deposited on the plastic track surface. This thin flick of oil will attract and hold dust and dirt.

The best way that I have plant to make clean plastic HO Slot Motorcar runway is to use Formula 409 Professional Heavy Duty Cleaner. Use the Green De-Greaser formulation and spray it on a soft, lint-free rag. Wipe the entire runway with your dampened rag and and then follow up with a clean dry cloth.

The metallic power runway used in plastic HO Slot Automobile track oxidize with age. The easiest way to remove this built up oxidation is by rubbing a argent coin on a pair of lane rails. Press the money firmly against a pair of lane rails and move the coin effectually the entire runway in the same management the cars normally race. Repeat this procedure for each lane. A Nickel seems to work the best for this.

To irksome the inevitable return of track oxidation apply a production such as Track Zip to the lane track one time a month. Track Null tin can exist found at nigh hobby shops in the Model Railroading Department.

Track Mounting Tips

Plastic rail sections such as those manufactured by Tomy and Tyco/Mattel will unremarkably produce a click-clack sound when attached directly to a wood table acme. To avoid this toy-like sound and to produce a smother running race rail place a sound dampening layer betwixt the wooden table tiptop and your track.

Two materials are readily available to dampen the sound of cars running on a plastic track. When glued directly to a wooden table top they will greatly reduce the audio commonly associated with plastic HO Slot Auto Track.

Homasote, or sound lath, can exist glued direct to a wooden table top and painted a dark light-green. Homasote is available in 4 x 8 foot sheets at most building supply centers. Sound lath has a tendency to collect dust though, so make sure y'all seal it with a skillful grade of Latex® paint.

Carpeting also makes a good sound deadening material, Select carpet with a brusque, airtight weave. Indoor/Outdoor rug composed of a felt-like fabric works nigh the best. Glue the carpet directly to the wooden table meridian then mountain your rails.

See the Structure section of this spider web site for photographs of Homasote sound board applied to a plywood table superlative.

For the ultimate sound damping treatment gum a layer of Homasote directly to your wooden table top and then mucilage a layer of carpet to the sound lath. This makes a remarkably silent racing substrate. If you elect to go with the 2-ply audio dampening treatment you can skip painting the Homasote layer, as it volition be covered past the carpeting.

Nail plastic track sections to the table top using ane Inch No 17 Nails with a full flat head. Do non apply finishing nails. Finishing nails do not have a large plenty head and volition permit the track to somewhen work itself loose.

Each section of HO track has a small nail hole at each end. Utilize each and every boom hole provided to securely mount the rail to the tabular array top. Utilise a nail set to drive each nail home every bit information technology nears the track surface. When a nail is flush with the track'due south surface use the nail fix to bulldoze the smash in just a bit further. Each nail head should form a small-scale dimple were it meets the track.

Do not concern yourself with these dimples, as they will be removed in the side by side phase of construction. When mounting the track also make sure that there are no gaps between the inner and outer rails sections that make up the width of a 4-lane layout.

With the runway firmly attached to the table you demand to remove the dimples created by the previous track mounting pace. To do this, utilize a small soldering fe with a pencil tip. That is, a tip that comes to a point. Do not use a apartment tip with an terminate similar a spiral driver. The tip must be round and come to a single point at its stop.

Place the heated soldering atomic number 26 tip on the tiptop of each nail head and agree it there until the blast caput is sufficiently heated. Equally the boom caput heats up it will melt the plastic surrounding it and allow the track section to pop dorsum up to its normal top. This volition create a perfectly countersunk nail hole and restore the runway to its normal apartment position. Repeat this process for each blast securing the track to the tabular array pinnacle. If you find that you didn't bulldoze some of the nails in deep enough use your boom gear up to further seat the nails before using the soldering iron.

A Permanent Blackness Sharpie Marking Pen can be used to "paint" the heads of the countersunk mounting nails. Coloring the boom heads blackness will make them all simply disappear and requite your racing layout a very professional person appearance.

Annotation: Utilise ane″ nails to mount rail if you've installed Homasote over a plywood table top. Apply 3/4″ nails for bare plywood or carpeted table tops.

Track Mounting with Screws

Tomy AFX plastic sectional track tin can also be fastened to a wooden table using minor No. 3 Flat-Head Wood Screws. If yous program to re-configure your layout from time to time then attaching the runway to the table with small screws will let y'all to easily make changes.

Each section of Tomy AFX rails is molded with a small nail hole at either end. These small nail holes will need to be opened up and countersunk to take a No. 3 Flat-Caput Wood Screw. Utilize a countersinking drill bit mounted in a hand drill and carefully open up the hole up until the head of a No. 3 Apartment-Caput Wood Screw fits flush with the rails surface. Avoid using a ability drill if possible, because the soft plastic volition brand information technology difficult to create the proper countersunk depth.

See the Construction section of this web site for photographs of Tomy AFX runway being countersunk and mounted using No. 3 Wood Screws.

Colour Coded Lanes

To add together a professional finishing touch on to your HO Slot Machine Runway yous will desire to colour code the lanes. This will brand it much easier to return a de-slotted auto to the proper lane.

Plastic track sections can easily be color coded using Testors paint sticks. These paint sticks can be institute at nigh good hobby shops and come in a variety of colors.

Select a unique color for each lane of your layout. Try to avert using both bluish and greenish lane markers on the same layout, equally these two colors are oftentimes hard to distinguish from 1 another, especially by racers plagued with color incomprehension.

You can use blue or green as a lane marker but endeavor to avoid using both. If you must use both blueish and dark-green on the same layout try to split them from one some other by a white or yellowish lane color.

The illustration below shows a suggested color coding scheme for a 4-lane race runway using Red, White, Blueish and Yellow lane markers. The sequence of lane colors shown below is the HOPRA standard for 4-lane raceways.

To color code each lane of your racing layout with Testors paint sticks start by preparing the paint stick's tip on a spare slice of track. Testors paint sticks have a small chisel shaped tip. Identify this tip flat against the middle of the slot of a bit piece of track and motility it back and forth a few times to shape the tip.

Shape the tip of the paint stick so that a small area on each side of the slot is coated with pigment. The tips are fabricated of a felt similar material and volition take on the shape of the slot every bit the are moistened by the paint itself. Practice on a flake piece of track first though to get the hang of it.

With the paint stick's tip properly shaped you lot tin now paint a lane on your race track. Utilise the paint in a irksome fifty-fifty motion. Move around the entire circuit, painting a single lane at a fourth dimension. Y'all may notice that two thin coats will embrace much better than a single thick coat.

Repeat this process for each of the lanes on your HO Slot Machine Track, and then let the paint dry out over nighttime earlier you race on it. If you don't let the paint thoroughly dry out before you race on information technology your slot car's tires will changeless ruin all of your hard work.

With the lanes of your race track color coded you will likewise want to paint each of the driver's stations in the corresponding lane's colour.

Colour Coded Lane Tape

A second method of color-coding a track'southward lanes involves applying colored vinyl record designed specifically for slot car tracks. This record has a strong adhesive that will prevent lifting and should requite years and years of trouble-gratis use.

A 4-Lane Rail Record Kit includes four (iv) rolls of 1/8″ wide record. Each roll is 108 feet in length. The standard HOPRA lane colors of Red, White, Blue and Yellow are provided in this piece of cake to use kit. At present available for $17.99.

These kits get in a simple matter to create professional person results equally shown below.

The flexible vinyl tape in these kits is 1/8″ broad and can easily be practical to even the tightest of turn radius sizes without stretching or lifting. Each of the four rolls included in the kit is 108 anxiety in length, that'due south enough to do most larger raceways.

The ii-lane Lap counter shown below will record upwardly to 25 laps per lane. It tin can besides be used on a 2-Lane Tomy AFX raceway by purchasing a pair of Tomy AFX 6″ Tyco/Mattel Adaptor tracks.The

Life-Like nine″ Power Track & Controls listed above includes 2 (2) paw controls permanently attached to the Power Track itself. Simply plug your DC wall pack in and yous'll exist racing once more!

Computing Lane Lengths

The table below lists the lane lengths for each of the five turn radius sizes. Utilise these lane lengths along with the standard direct lengths to summate the actual running lap length for any HO slot car track.

Radius Inner Outer
6 Inch two.945″ 4.123″
9 Inch five.301″ 6.479″
12 Inch seven.657″ 8.835″
15 Inch 10.013″ 11.191″
xviii Inch 12.370″ 13.548″

All lane lengths are for 1/8 Circle turns. The formula used to calculate the lane lengths shown above is:

Circumference = ((Lane Radius × 2) × 3.14159) ÷ viii

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Source: https://www.hoslotcarracing.com/track.html

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