Right on track...

In the last post (and apologies for the paucity of posts lately) I mentioned my scenic bits and bobs going on my slot track.  Well, I tried to lay out a track in Airfix sections, but it wouldn't connect properly, so I tried with Scalextric, but that was rusty and the joints wouldn't make good contact, even after a clean, so I made the decision to rout a track in MDF and make my own.

I bought a sheet of MDF and divided it into three boards that would run round my shed walls. Then I laid out a reasonably interesting track in pencil.  The joints between the boards were strengthened by having a kind of tongue and groove affair built in the ends.  Then the fearful job of routing begun. In fact, it went smoothly, using templates made from left over MDF and even some 5mm Foamex, so all the bends were progressive, rather than geometric.  Nothing on a slot track is worse than a bunch of geometric Mickey Mousery on the corners. None of that here, thanks.

Having routed the three boards, I dug out the emulsion paint tester pots and painted the slots, to seal them, then the main track areas, blending the cream colour with the still wet grey for a bit of visual texture and finally detailed round the edges with a broken white line, grassy areas and a bit of good ol' mud. This is Britain and a race track. There has to be mud!  A few asphalt repair patches were put on in black.  The idea is to recreate one of the sprint courses that we have in England, where there are no pits or fancy facilities, no grandstands, just a control caravan and a few marshals' posts, a toilet/wash block and maybe a cafe hut.  The odd hedgerow and maybe even a tree or two, but few people.  An old breakdown truck just off the track in case of a slow speed crash. Nuttn' happens wildly fast on a sprint track.

Somebody saw the photo and said it looked like the club circuit at Brands Hatch. I never realised, but any track going round three walls of a shed will tend to look like that.

I have all the electrical bits ready, but no idea how to connect them all!  Somebody will set me straight.