Track design
Our track is all at a fixed angle.
This has more to do with the previous track then anything else.
The track is constructed of hollow core, bi-fold, closet door panels.
There are five segments, each about seven feet long.
These were structurally sound, not too heavy and not too expensive.
The main drawback is that the door panels were not all the same
thickness, which caused some problems for lining up the top
surfaces of the track. Remember that just a 1/16 of an inch difference
on the top surface can cause a big jump when the cars hit it.
To guide the cars, we use eighth inch masonite guides which the cars
straddle. The clearance on a standard car gives plenty of room.
The joints between the track are also the places where the floor
supports mount. The assembly has slots for the track segment
above and below.
There are several faults in the track:
- Stopping the cars as they come off the track is not quite perfect.
We have a short segment of wood with foam rubber guides and a foam
rubber bumper to stop the cars, but they do tend to bounce around a bit.
- The floor stands are adjustable after a fashion.
In an ideal world, their is no need for adjustment.
However, the floors we set the track on are not level
or even. This causes minor issues with making the
track segment transitions smooth. Note that easily
adjustable floor stands have another problem: it is
very hard to adjust all of the stands to fit a specific
grade.
- Storage space is always at a premium. The track segments
nest reasonably, but the floor stands do not.
Last modified 27 May 2006
Questions or comments can be sent to
Dave Regan.
