The Transition
We have to have a Drop to build momentum....we have to have a nice straightaway for that kinetic energy to play out....but we have to get the cars from the Drop to the Run Out....that's where the Transition enters every track builders plans for a fair and well balanced track. Now, one of our brethren makes a fine transition for tracks, and I believe RLD has one on his track....if memory serves. However, it was important to me that the Transition be some form of Hot Wheels product, and this is what I came up with...
So, I'm sitting in my office among HW track and some accessories I never use anymore aka the jumps...and I happened to glance at the one I had...the black one...and the proverbial light bulb came on. I picked it up and turned it around and....damn, that's perfect....now I just need another one...eBay comes through again...the red one.
You have to figure out your drop angle/how high your Drop will be,and it's just getting the fit right...not to hard. The piece of 1x8 that I cut....what the end of the Drop sits on was 1 1/8" which goes on the beginning of your Run Out, or in my case, the end of the base for the Drop, and what the jump launchers turned around back up to. The best part is that the track slides over them and creates a perfect transition that gives a super smooth transition to your Run Out and the cars lose no energy.
Discussion
I do have a custom transition support that is metal, crafted by our own Smitty. I've been using it for a couple years now and it works great. The track slides right over top of it, just like the plastic jumps.
However, the custom transition came as flat metal, so I had to bend it to the curve/angle I desired. I loved that flexibility but whenever a human gets involved there are variances and I don't doubt that happened when I went to bend my transition support. I just bent it over a barrel to try and get a consistent curve for all 4 lanes.
Using the prefab Mattel stuff eliminates that worry some, even if it means you have to make your track adhere to their angle. My support was also crafted by a veteran fabricator out of cut & welded metal, a skill most of us probably don't have (I sure don't). There's probably no shortage of HW jump supports out there, so using readily accessible parts is always a bonus.
Thanks for sharing your build notes and photos. Great inspiration.
I had a loop attachment in my hand when I was pondering the transition for Tobacco Road, and for me it was the opposite, to sheer a drop for 4'....but engineering your track is part of the fun...enjoy the process brother!!!
First put them side by side and measure the distance between the tracks
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f333/dcurrin1399/20170311_143910_zpseedjekad.jpg
That is what you have to cut off, well half of the distance off each launcher
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f333/dcurrin1399/20170419_135031_zpsbzmrmdte.jpg
Then get your Drop angle figured out...mine was 27" before the start gate.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f333/dcurrin1399/20170508_200832_zpspbwhuumc.jpg
...and the most important part of your build is done.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f333/dcurrin1399/20170529_183201_zps46d6yxo4.jpg