Looking for info on track building

Hey PHATRAT
Welcome to Psycho Slots HO Drag Racing. I've been a
member since Feb. 08 I found out about HO Drag Racing in Dec.
07 and got hooked on it. There's a lot of good people here and
the mail away race's are a blast. Rule's do get changed here but
it's alway's for the good to make sure everybody here has fun
and fair for all of us. Yeah we do have smack talk but it's all for fun and entertainment. I buy most of my parts from Lucky Bob's
Racway there are other place's to go to TSS Hobbies have other
link's to go too. I went to you website saw the car's you build
very cool There is a lot of Info and tip's here on the
message board and Sam is very helpful on tip's. Your going to
have a great time here with us at Psycho Slot.

DEMON 340

Hi Phatrat,
Welcome to the group. Regarding building your track and the "wars" between factions, I feel we've dodged that here with the fact that so far we've welcomed all. High voltage, low voltage, snap-together track, routed, purchased, 1/8th mile, 1/4 mile and anything in between. If it fits your location and your budget, your welcome here. So far the Mail A Way races have all been on different length tracks with different rail heights, surface material and different voltage and amperage. If it was demanded that "all" tracks had to be the same size, length, surface and power, we would not have held vary many races or racers. My suggestion is to pick the length that fits your room and the same with the power. Don't worry about force fitting your stuff to someones idea of the only way to go. The rules for the cars for the actual race are much more important. For instance, if I know I'm sending my car to Tim Ranch's track in St. Louis, I know I've got to gear it for his length and power which is different than Psycho Sam's track in Colorado Springs. Frankly, I think it adds to the fun and makes it harder for one person to constantly kick our butts. If someone becomes the "Alan Johnson" of HO Drags, so be it and they deserve it. JMO...AUW...JAMW. (Just my opionion...and usually wrong...just ask my wife.)

I decided on just an 1/87th scale 1/8th mile track at my house since it fit the room well. We have now held races monthly for over two years and are having fun. Key word with us is "FUN". If it isn't fun then I don't want to do it. I've gone with a lower 18 volts on one power supply for each lane even though I can raise it. We did it so the reaction time is not as important since the slower the car, the more the differences between the cars will show up and keep it from just being a reaction time race. Reaction time races to me might as well be done with one of the Drag Racing computer games available. My track uses a different wire than most, has a Formica surface, different "wire height", and 18 volts at 10 amps for each lane, plus we use track supplied Parma 45 controllers for each lane so the hit at the start is not as hard as an "off/on" switch. (reduces the need for wheelie bars on every car and makes it harder for a car to exactly repeat an ET over and over. Leads to more winners and not just the same one over and over.) I doubt if anyone else will ever have a track like mine since we've made different decisions than others and that's cool with me. They are having fun with their tracks and so are we. It's the way it should be.

(Heck of a soap box I'm on, huh? This long enough to qualify for collecting an offering?) Ah! Passion for the hobby. It's here and welcome to the group!
allstarhr

phatrat da big ragoooo

THANKS GUYS FOT THE COMPS AND THE INFO , CAN YOU TELL ME WHERE TO GET THE POWER RAILS THAT GO IN THE TRACK

I am in no way an expert at track building, but I have done extensive research over the past year. It appears to me that the most home built tracks use rebar wire (usually available at Home Depot). A few others use copper tape (available at ncphobbies.com). I have found a rare few builders that use fish tape (most hardware or Home depot or electrical supply house).

What you use will depend on your building skills.

Copper Tape track.
The easiest of these would be the copper tape. As this is for drag racing, you would route a straight line and apply the copper tape along the side(s) of the routed line. The copper tape has an adhesive on the backside.

Rebar wire and fish tape.
Both of these just involve more measuring for the additional routed lines for the power rails.

I will soon be building a track. I plan to build two types. For a smaller 1/8th mile (~11') practice track I will use copper tape. The second track I intend to build will be a full 1/4 mile (~20') track using fish tape.


Things to consider.
Although the copper tape a little easier, it may require more maintenance and may not be as durable. Over time the copper will surely tarnish and corrode, and eventually become damaged from cleaning.
Rebar wire or fish tape much more durable and will not wear due to maintenace. I am going with the fish tape because I believe it to be easier to lay at a consistent height.

Hope this helps.

Would like to hear some opinions from those who built their own track.


ninjatek

We used .062 piano wire on our track. We power tapped it to each wire.

The copper tape would work but if your racing anything with some speed to it your not going to have any magnetic downforce to hold the car to the track. Also I'm not sure maybe someone that has tried it can answer but it seems to me that all your cars would have to have braided pick up shoes on them.

The rebar wire works good and is very cheap but it is hard to get each section straight with no kinks in the wire. Fish tape line looks like a good source for wire if you get the right stuff. I think they make some of it out of different materials. Hilltop uses this stuff. What kind are you using HT?