Blackberry Raceway

[cheesy]

This is after about 12 hours on and off since Sunday. 4’x8’ with four lanes. There will be two 90* turns, three 180*+ turns, and four straights of varying length. The angled panel is where the four control stations will be.

Electrics will consist of a 30v/10a regulated power supply. I can set it at about 16v for the grandkids so they have a modicum of control and about 24v for the big kids to break stuff. The bulk of the wiring will be DIN rail terminals. I have about 90 blocks and one meter of 15mm rail was cheaper than five eight position screw strips.

Still haven’t made up my mind about peripherals. Mrs. C, whose idea this was, wants a grandstand, lap counter, lights. Maybe. An IR lap counter would be kinda cool. About all I am sure about here is Astro Turf in the infield.

After I get Eli and Owen back home, I’ll pick up a length of Plexiglass to make a circle jig for the router. Also need make a dispenser for the copper tape.

[wheelbender6]

What a cool setup. Brings back memories of the train table I did for my older son.

[cheesy]

Originally Posted by wheelbender6

What a cool setup. Brings back memories of the train table I did for my older son.

Mrs. C suggested trains and I kind of looked askance at her for even suggesting it. SIL Jake has a pretty nice, never to finished, train set up in his basement that is all computerized. Jake is such a big FRN that he could have taken very early retirement if he hadn’t spent what he did on rolling stock and locomotives.

[wheelbender6]

Originally Posted by cheesy

. Jake is such a big FRN that he could have taken very early retirement if he hadn’t spent what he did on rolling stock and locomotives.

I have known a few of those guys. Model Railroading is as addictive as morphine (and costs more if you collect Marklin, Lionel, etc).

[cheesy]

Yup. Jake should be a Life Member of Effin’ Railroad Nuts Anonymous.

Except for a chicane or two, I think I have the track layout finalized. I finished the curve guide for the router this afternoon. Before I finished it, I used it to plot the curves. The 180* curves were a snap. The 90* were a PITA. I’ll make the tape puter oner tomorrow and probably mount the electrical hardware if the DIN rail shows up. The 2mm bit should be here Saturday so I should be making sawdust this weekend.

[wheelbender6]

There was a time when I wanted to create a race track and railroad layout on the same table, with a level crossing of the two.
- After reflecting on my conduct as a tyke, I decided that, with my grandson at the controls, the level crossing would result in daily conflagrations. The level crossing was removed from the layout plan.

[cheesy]

Made the tape thingy today. Got to try out the new router to cut a 1/4 x 1/4 dado for the base of the tape thingy. Pretty neat but I gave up after trying twice to freehand it and went with a guide for the third times a charm attempt.

The 2mm bit showed up but too late for me to want to futz with it.

[cheesy]

Got the routing done today. The curves were easy with the jig I made.


The straights, on the other hand, took most of the day. Still, not all that shabby for a first attempt. One of my 180 curves became a 270. No chicanes, but I have enough ‘Oh, Crap’ router wiggles to make it interesting.



Worn out tonight. Will do the filling and primer tomorrow. I’ll be in the field next week, so I’ll won’t be back at it until next Saturday.

[cheesy]

In primer.

[cheesy]

Final coat of color. Kind of a concrete grey.


Rolling stock. The two AMX cars and ECTO-1. That one’s just for fun.


I’ll let the paint dry overnight and then start taping tomorrow afternoon. Turf will happen sometime on Sunday. I’ll be in LA for a few days next week, so wiring won’t start until next Friday.

[wheelbender6]

I'll put my money on one of those short wheelbase AMXs.

[Bruces]

Originally Posted by wheelbender6

I'll put my money on one of those short wheelbase AMXs.

Are you old enough to remember them new ?literally going down the road a fender would fall off ,a bumper or any such thing .They unfortunately had very bad workmanship right off the assembly line ,but they were fast .

[cheesy]

Originally Posted by Bruces

Are you old enough to remember them new ?literally going down the road a fender would fall off ,a bumper or any such thing .They unfortunately had very bad workmanship right off the assembly line ,but they were fast .

Must be talking about what came out of the Brampton plant.

I’m old enough. No better or worse than anything else on the road at that time. Anyway, the Chevy Vega made everything else look good.

My parents 67 Ambassador wagon was their first brand new car. Door fit left a lot to be desired, paint problems on one door, Borg-Warner auto was crap, e-brake would sometimes not release. Power rear window worked like a champ. It broke two of my fingers.

Our neighbor always bought a new T-bird every two years. They bought a 67 Bird about the same time. Hood wouldn’t stay latched, trunk leaked, windshield leaked, smoked like a train after six months.

[wheelbender6]

Originally Posted by Bruces

Are you old enough to remember them new ?literally going down the road a fender would fall off ,a bumper or any such thing .They unfortunately had very bad workmanship right off the assembly line ,but they were fast .

I was a kid when the AMX debuted, so didn't worry about reliability. I liked them because they had no back seat. They were so much shorter than a Javelin.
-In my little town, while waiting for the school bus, I saw a lot of GTOs, Chevelles, Mustangs, Roadrunners. Chargers and Superbees blast by. I don't remember any AMCs in my town until the mid 70s.

[cheesy]

With the jack fiasco with ARPOK today, taping didn’t happen. Fixing the tire, chasing down a new jack, then riding to get new tubes wiped me out. The fall allergies and tendinitis in my shoulder aren’t helping.