Well, the races were washed out so i went to work on the layout. I repainted the back wall behind the layout. I just had enough! I thought while i was over there i might as well get some track-work done so i tore out the track where i needed the new turnout to go and got it installed so i got that part done. I am planning to try and get the river part done and find me some rock walls for the trestle. If i can get that part cut out i can lay down the rest of the track. Its just the little things that need to get done. I will take them as i can get to them. Shots below, Smoke
Interesting thought: NASCAR vs Formula 1 style model railroad layouts... Though NASCAR has a few road courses these days, the overwhelming majority are ovals. F1 has NO ovals. I like race cars (and trains) that turn left AND right.
I prefer the right and left turns. But I did it in sedan racing at local tracks. That's with a 4door subcompact with very few modifications allowed. Roll bars and seat belt were available. Racing tires were allow along with open air cleaners. No fancy paint jobs. Just stick on numbers. Not fast but fun.
yes there are about 6 or 7 tracks they raced on last year that let them turn both ways. shame on you!!!!
So, the race is over Chevy won. While that big one came i was doing a pretty good job of finishing the river and bridge. I got too shots of the fun. The trestle is installed and the #6 turnout is in place. Good thing i bought plenty of small track adapters for this part. I have more stuff ordered so other turnouts and some curved track are coming. now if my hands would quit hurting....
If you mean like AJ Foyt, absolutely! I like a driver that is flexible enough to win on different kinds of tracks, in different kinds of race cars. But I think some street courses (e.g. F1's Grand Prix of Monaco) are so tight that there's very little passing possible. Whoever qualifies on the pole, has a dominant chance of winning the race. While I like some street courses in F1/Indycar, I don't think they are well suited to stock cars. Chicago was a joke (the rain certainly didn't help.) But Nashville was pretty good. I also like sportscar racing. Two or three classes of racing on the same track, at the same time, gets interesting. And I watch a fair amount of NASCAR too, especially on a road course, but I won't turn up my nose for an oval. Dirt tracks seem kinda silly though.
I liked dirt courses but not for NASCAR. I had a dirt track about a mile away from us where i grew up. Friday night or Saturdays were always fun. Had a lot of dating there and walks home with someone special was always fun!! As a kid it was easy to sneak in. Back then Nascar wasn't really heard of. Closest to us would have been Richmond track or Bristol track. When i was living there we saw old 50's and 40's cars racing. Back when they would take a car that rolled over and upright it and fire it back up and get on with the race. Those old cars were built like tanks! Drivers would tangle and crunch a fender in and they would take a hammer and wang it in so it was not gonna hit the tire and on they went. Now those were the best old days! I know, showing off my age buut whatever
Yeah, the early days of stock car racing really used mostly 'stock' cars (different tires, souped up engine, but not a whole lot else.) The NASCAR HOF in Charlotte NC has many stock cars on display, and many of the early ones were driven to the race (not on a trailer), and some even still had pretty much stock interiors (including the rear seat in at least one of them!) They had regular (and operable) doors, roll-down windows, stock steering wheels and pedals. Nowadays, "stock" is a joke. They are 100% custom race cars, using zero factory parts. The chassis, suspension, engine, tranny, wheels, steering, gas tank, EVERYTHING is custom. There are no doors (the early doors were operable, then they were bolted shut, then eliminated altogether. The bodies are nothing at all like even the old body-on-frame cars of yesteryear, let alone modern unibodies that combine frame and body in modern automobiles. The skins are flimsy as heck, and the frames are custom tubular steel (?) structures. I really don't understand why they even try to mimic the appearance of Mustangs, Camrys, etc. anymore. The graphics are a lot more convincing on TV or from the stands, than they are when you stand next to them. As I've said before though, the NASCAR HOF in Charlotte, NC is well worth the admission (not inexpensive) if you get the chance, with lots of interactive displays and activities for fans of all ages.
Don't know if i will get back east again or not. Right now i kinda doubt it. Kinda stuck here in Texas.
Been busy at laying down carpet correctly. Deb tried with some help tried to lay down the carpet. Give her the e for effort. I have most of the room cleared out. Have my workbench and the computer table the subwoofer and the receiver left to get out. I will be using the tablet and i can't do the typing easy on that thing. When i have the carpet the corrected the whole floor will be carpeted. Right now the rug being a 9X12 is being set down in a 9X12 room. The layout is the only thing that cannot be removed. I would have to tear off the mountains to clear the walls and doors. I am waiting for a package to get here with Kato stuff for the new section. Not to much i can do till that gets here. Will see what happens in the next 24 hours.
Still have some small things to bring in and the workbench yet to bring in. Its slow going. I look at my poor layout and wish i could rescue it from the earthquake it had to go thru to get the carpet down correctly. Its just putting things back so i can work on the rr again.
Well, I guess its getting smooth again. No more earthquakes for now. My hands are hurting so i haven't done a whole lot to the office or rr. I did get the track cut out and the #6 turnout put in place on the left side of the layout. I have the foam all glued together and its in place and i have about half the track down and glued in place. I am going to have to build up the ground so i can get the station level with the ground.The station has the piece of foam board glued down and the station is glued down to that. I got the track about 1/8th of a inch with the trains and station. I don't want to take any chances with the cars getting closer than that and derailing. Got a few shots of how its going. I was gonna make a order with Mike for more turnouts and track. He's out of the #6's so i have to wait. I know i could get it somewhere else but i have had some really bad luck with shipping into this area. Mike hasn't ever lost a package for me so i kinda will wait for him. Not only that but its always better to help out the ma and pa shops. Anyway shots below, Smoke
That's looking really nice. I am struggling through getting an access figured out on my G&D layout for the rear [soon to be hidden] tracks.
I have three different ways to check out track. On the left side below the logging camp i have made a hole along the track so i can get at a derail. The current mountain on the town side i had that area open so i could get into the side. I also had a door to close off the tunnel but i am taking that out and i am making a door that will use the tunnel portal to lift a door off to gain access to the track. The new section will be gaining another opening that i can lift out to gain access. I found a lot of layouts with holes to gain access in under mountain areas. The track on the front section of the layout will be at a angle so i need a double track type tunnel portal so i can get it in and out of the tunnel and also give me a handle to lift the side of that mountain open to see the track. I switched from #4's in Kato to #6 turnouts as they are more reliable. Now if my hands would behave themself's so i can get some work done. If the doctors can't make a good plan for me on the 27th I am not sure how much work i can get done this month. Have to wait maybe before i can get any major work done. Anyway, thats about all i have. Start watching you tubes and seeing what these others are doing and how they do it. I learned a lot of tricks from the forums and videos from you tube. Maybe thats why i have been building on this layout for 14 years now. I have made some changes and in a couple of other areas i changed then again. Laters all.
NASCAR- go fast, turn left, go fast, turn left. Oh, and did I mention go fast and turn left? Reminds me of my Lionel layout when I was a kid, right up to the point where the engine jumped the track on the curve.
