50 foot future track talk (thread moved from Red,White,Blue)
Old track vs. new track...
I've decided on a 54" drop over 24', 26' of flat run out to finish and catch box.
It will come apart in sections and fold up to fit in my truck bed (long bed)
It will also be adjustable to adjust the angle of drop...
Just sold some car parts to pay for the lumber and hardware.
All this discussion has me realizing that my track's hill and transition are pretty steep. If I get around to redoing my track I will be making the transition a little less harsh.
Mine is like Jobe's "old" track only I don't have the second downhill part. Of course, mine is only 18-feet rather than 50 but it's great to see blueprints like this. Gives me lots of ideas.
Which owner doesn't support the diecast collecting community?
LOL, Sorry Mark, I guess I should have been a little clearer with that. But seeing as you're here, it's pretty obvious it was the other guy.
Hey Jason, saw your post about the Google Sketch Up and was trying it out today. It's pretty easy to use, but I'm just having trouble trying to get the arc right for the transition. I realize that it's probably overkill trying to sketch that, but I'm a little anal sometimes.
I'm still deciding whether to do a 16'8" drop and 33'4" straight-away or go closer to 50/50 like you were talking about. I just want to make sure cars that roll better will have a chance to catch the heavy cars on the straight-away.
I guess I'll have to wait until my dad and I have some time to put those cardboard pieces together for a mockup.
The Sketch Up program is pretty amazing for a free offering. I've never read any of the instructions... I just started playing with it and stumbled across a few pretty cool options. All I can say is the more you use it the easier it gets.
As far as drawing the transition arc... I'd start about a foot before the center of the transition and then extend about a foot past that center mark. Two foot total length. Draw a line up from the center mark about an inch long and use the line as your endpoint for the center of the arc. Once you get one side set, the guides will show you the matching points to align the other side.
I had originally designed everything on paper, made scale mock ups in cardboard, wend back to the paper with tweaks and then finally built the track in wood. There were always more tweaks to come and a lot of added math, but a well thought out plan does make for an easier build.
I noticed the Hot Wheels track I just bought (red, white, and blue) has slightly taller walls, and the walls raise away from the track, not straight up. So, the car bodies shouldn't rub against the top of the wall.