Is this any good?

J

joefryfry

joefryfry
Jan 12, 2006
77
0
6
52
PA
www.bluemountainaerialmapping.com
race_track.jpg


I really wanted a race track on my HO layout. The cars are 1:64 I think, so I put just a corner of the track on the corner of the layout, which will help make the difference less noticeable. At HO scale, the track would have taken up 10 feet of the layout. The lights work and are scratchbuilt. I couldn't find any pre-made light poles that suited me. The fence is made of window screen and the track is just plaster over wire. Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
Haha! There is a 7.5" gauge railroad in north Phoenix that has a stretch of track that runs right along a go-cart track, quite similar to what you have pictured above! In this case, it is miniature trains next to miniature cars. Your's is the same, just even more miniature!

Nice work!

Kevin
 
A banked curve right? Cool! I like your lights. Something like that would look good on my baseball field scene. Care to say anymore about how you made them?
Ralph
 
Thats looks good!
Don't know if you're into NASCAR, but Wal-Mart(exclusive distributor) does sell true HO scale NASCAR cars form Racing Authentics.(I'm up to 17 of them)
I've been trying to figure out how to include them on my layout. Think you gave me a an idea I could stea.....Uh..Uh...borrow........
 
Ralph said:
A banked curve right? Cool! I like your lights. Something like that would look good on my baseball field scene. Care to say anymore about how you made them?
Ralph
Click to expand...

I think the actual lights are grain of wheat bulbs from Miniatronics I think. I got some tube styrene and cut the pole and the t parts to length. For the light housing, I looked around and found some things call furniture nails. They are like a half-moon with a nail sticking out. I just drilled them out, which was easier said than done. I then glued the lights housings to the t part of the pole. I took a rat tail file and filed the end of the pole so the t part would sit down in it. I drilled a hole through the top of the pole and threaded the bulb wires down through and soldered them to some free wires that would be hooked to a terminal strip later. I then painted everything but the bulbs and wires a simple silver. Then I glued the bulbs through the light housing. Then I touched up paint around where the bulbs are on the back side, so light wouldn't shine through the back.

I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. Only thing is the wires do stick out a little from the bulb to where they go down into the pole. When I glued the housing to the t part, I sat the t part up a little higher than the housings and put glue on the housings and rolled the t part up to meet the housings. When I glued the t part and housing assembly to the pole, I angled the lights to point down. I'm sure there are some tips on building something like this if some one decides to comment.
 
eightyeightfan1 said:
Thats looks good!
Don't know if you're into NASCAR, but Wal-Mart(exclusive distributor) does sell true HO scale NASCAR cars form Racing Authentics.(I'm up to 17 of them)
I've been trying to figure out how to include them on my layout. Think you gave me a an idea I could stea.....Uh..Uh...borrow........
Click to expand...


I'm way more into dirt than NASCAR, there just aren't HO cars for it. I think a NASCAR layout with scale cars would look better than what I have here. You're not stealing my idea if you do it. You don't need the whole track to put a scene on your layout, just a corner (or a straightway down a side of your layout). Hope you try it!
 
Hi Joe

Rule number 1: If you like, then it's okay!

Love the idea, I've seen harbours, airports and sports fields but never a race track before- Pity about the cars not being to scale though, but if you can't get them in HO, you can't get them.

Make an excuse- tell the viewer that the race track is closer to them then the railroad track or something, and if they moan too much- tell them to get out!
 
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