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Tips and Tricks

Having finally set up my track and am troubleshooting it I have the following suggestions.  I am not a "Rocket Scientist" , just a hobbyist and these seem to work for me.  Please send yours in and we will post them.

1) Before you start, clean your track thoroughly, inside and out.  Even if the rails look clean and free of oxidation, take a mild, dry abrasive pad and give the track an easy cleaning.  The track rails were originally tin-plated to guard against rust but you are now dealing with an almost 50 year old piece of track.  Previous cleanings likely removed the tin plating. 

My track "looked" clean but it felt like the cars were binding in the corners, stop occasionally and usually not re-start without a push.  I used an abrasive pad (400 grit) from the Lowe's paint department which would conform to any shape but anything would help.  Don't go with too course a grit.  Vacuum well with a brush attachment and wipe it out (I used Windex as did Bill on his track.

Clean the track surface often, especially if you have a cat around (our cat likes the cars running and walks on it constantly)  The hair gets everywhere in the pickup shoes, track slots, axles, etc.    A canvas drop cloth works well as a cover.

2) Scrap your vintage tires and buy a set of silicone tires from Tiny Motors.  If you don't want to buy a full set, just buy one and use them on the back.  They are well worth the modest investment.  Clean your tires as well if using silicone tires as they seem to pick up anything on the track.  Lift the back of the car, hold a towel moistened with cleaner (Windex works well), place it against the bottom of the tire and give it some throttle for a few seconds.  It will clean the tire. 

3) Sliding:  If you like your car to slide around, leave your track surface dirty but if you want a good grip, especially with the silicones, clean the track surface and the tires to remove contaminants.  If you still have trouble with sliding check your steering.  A good technique for counteracting a slide is to turn into the direction of the slide. 

4) Check your wishbone.  If it is mangled or bent it can affect steering and handling.  Bill is working on a reproduction in his spare time.  Hopefully he will have one soon.

5) Change your drive belt for a good or new one often, if racing.  They stretch and the originals often dry-rot.

6) Use a tester:  When assembling your track use a multi-meter or continuity tester to check the continuity through each rail between each piece of track. This will save a lot of headaches later on.  Inexpensive continuity testers are available in automotive stores, Home Depot/Lowes, etc. for under $10.00.