# What Happened to Electric Scale Autos on RR Setups?



## MarklinMan (Feb 29, 2012)

Having been out of the RR loop for a long time, I recall a company that made HO-scale roads and moving vehicles for your landscape. Grey road surfaces, some kind of slot cars; they also had a railroad crossing....cannot remember any other details.

I am sure someone here knows what I am talking about.

As a bigger question: how come it never really seemed to catch on in general?
Cost? Realiability? It certainly looks great in action along with the trains.

I am curious to hear more....

MM.


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

There are slot car/RR junction tracks available. For something more realistic you can look into the Faller car system (expensive.)

I think the slot car thing didn't really catch on because the (2) hobbies attract very different crowds. I see slot cars being mainly a kid thing, and based on my interactions, model RR is a more "mature" hobby.


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## MarklinMan (Feb 29, 2012)

Scott,

Interesting observation re: different crowds.

While I can see that argument when it comes to the "pure" slot racing folks, I somehow imagined that when integrated into a RR setup, it became more of an extension of the landscaping aspect.

Faller was the name. As soon as you wrote it, it came back to me.
Their system was detailed and realistic, as I recall.

Thanks,

MM.


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

The Faller road system is serious stuff. Very impressive indeed. The cost of that system would indicate it's more for a serious modeller. Check out Miniatur Wunderland (find it on youtube) if you want to see a ton of the Faller system properly executed.

This was what I was referring to on the slot-car side. I have seen 1 layout where the guy had both a fairly large train layout and a nicely landscaped slot-car track end to end with a couple crossings where they met.

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/433-9142


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## Ed Gerken (Jan 23, 2012)

I bought a how-to book in the 60's that detailed how to recreate a few well-known race courses in HO scale. They had full scenics, embedded track, the whole nine yards using Aurora cars which they also detailed. Other than the prototypes, it was very similar to model train layouts.

-Ed


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## Southern (Nov 17, 2008)

When I put a working stop light on the lay out my wife wanted to know why. She said it was not needed since the cars don't move. I should get the Fuller system and not tell her.


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

You can program the Faller system with full working lights. i.e. if the light is green then the truck goes through the intersection, if it's red, then it stops and proceeds on the green. You could probably have it accelerate through a yellow.


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## MarklinMan (Feb 29, 2012)

Now that I have checked up on Faller (and having already seen Wunderland's videos) that certainly is a major investment on top of all things rail...
But it sure is lovely. 
We just need to get a way to make the pedestrians move and then everything is perfect...

All joking aside, the Faller attention to detail is beautiful, with lights and what have you...If I get myself a room again in which to seriously run a railroad, I just know I'll keep that in mind. You only live once.

MM.


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## Ed Gerken (Jan 23, 2012)

I mused a bit about some sort of cable or chain like you see on ceiling fans with attached super magnets installed under the pavement. It would have some sort of pulley and drive system to propel the chain. Any car with a similar magnet would hook up to the nearest one on the chain and follow it around.

I couldn't quite picture the mechanics of it, so my train of thought kinda got derailed. A similar idea might be to use a large disk, but you'd be stuck with a circular road. Kinda like those jewelry boxes with the whirling dancers. This idea might make a skating rink with moving people, going forever in circles. I'm getting dizzy just thinking about it!

They do have "slotless" slot cars now, don't they? Actually, I wouldn't mind just a normal slot track on my train layout just so the cars would move as well as the trains.
-Ed


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

The Faller system doesn't use slots.


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## cabledawg (Nov 30, 2010)

I have kids to move my cars around 

No seriously though, my layout was built for HotWheels cars to drive around. The streets are widened out and painted directly on the MDF. Even after a year and countless hours of screaching plastic tires, the streets have held up. And they love it. My only beef is that ocaasionally, a stray car gets left too close to the tracks and causes a derail or someone (my daughter usually) tries to load and unload the train while its moving (cuz that's really how they do it, right?) and we end up with a mess of cars and a slightly miffed dad. But overall, its been fun for them and I love how if the trains are running, everyone's there playing :thumbsup:


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

cabledawg said:


> I have kids to move my cars around


Me too...Micro Machines...my boy loves it, and now that I've found Optimus Prime and a Decepticon that are just about the right size...look out...:thumbsup:


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## DaveW (Mar 4, 2012)

*planes trains and automobiles*

I too had thoughts of integrating slot cars and trains. Think I'm gonna stick with trains for now, while keeping the cars static. Then again, if there was an HO scale airplane, I could rig up a guide wire system for a fly over....LOL....this is the stuff dreams my friends. 

Thanks for letting me add my two cents worth. Told my wife about this site and she is going to register and start adding her thoughts/experiences here too. We are both re-starting at a ground zero level together. Thinking of calling our attic the H&H Railway (His and Hers). Will add pics as we enjoy growing our hobby together. 

Peace


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## Nolackofwanna (Mar 10, 2011)

*Slot cars and trains*

Hmm slot cars and trains…right up my alley, as that’s the plan with my layout , I still have an original HO scale Aurora Model Motoring Thunderjet 500 set that my Dad got for me. I’ve had it all these years, my kids played with it along with my early Ho model railroad stuff…My oldest son and I still build and race slot cars of various scales. The Round 2 -Auto world group has provided a new lease on life for the Aurora stuff with all the new cars they’re releasing using an accurate replica of the Aurora “Pancake” motor and chassis!
These things really go and they’re a blast! With the comments about a different kind of group being attracted to slot cars, I have to say “I’m not sure” Cars and trains have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember so I personally see this combination as not being odd at all! The idea of slot cars and trains is not new. In the Aurora T-Jet service manual (1963 release) provides track plan suggestions that combine the slot cars and trains, although quite simplistic and not plentiful the suggestions are still there so even back then the Aurora people knew there was a market for this kind of combination. They made a slot track rail crossing part available (I have these) So…with my plans to finally rebuild my layout I will be including the Ho slot car track in with my railroad, I have garages and grand stands etc. to provide the scenery for a “raceway” setting. The railroad entry into the “raceway” will be in the form of a trailing point spur for delivery of materials and cars… a bit unrealistic but probable.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

I had an Aurora "24 Hours of LeMans" set in my youth. I expanded it with extra twists, turns, crossovers, etc., and ran the thing in my basement with friends for hours after hours. Good fun. We'd have the cars to flying off the track and bash around on the floor, but we'd fix 'em, tune 'em, and get 'em flying again. I even had some older-generation slot cars that had the "electromagnet vibration" motor (rather than a spinning armature motor". Crazy motor design, if you can even call it that, but we had these car running (more slowly), too. We discuss those oldies on a thread here a while back. I'll try to do some searching.

TJ


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## Ed Gerken (Jan 23, 2012)

Hopping up my slot cars in my youth taught me a lot about electricity, transformers and wiring, also rewinding motors, changing gearing and mechanical stuff as well. The only hobby store I knew of was across the state and I had to wait till summer vacation before I could buy any new cars or parts. So I made the most of my old stuff, nursing it along as best I could. Getting to that wonderful store with it's shiny new cars and large racetrack setup was the highlight of my childhood vacations.

I had three brands of track and made adaptor sections to join them into one huge, winding layout.

It was great fun and the practical stuff I learned helped me a lot later in life. I still mess with electronics, fixing things and do my own house wiring, etc. so I'd say for me it was a lot more than just a kid at play.

Gave it all away in the 80's but kinda wish I'd kept a some of it.
-Ed


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Some more old-school slot car reminiscing, here ...

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=3356

TJ


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## Nolackofwanna (Mar 10, 2011)

Hi
Thanks... Checked out the link...I still have a full bottle of the Aurora "Special Racing Oil"! 
If you want, check out the Auto world site , lots of stuff everything from V-Dubs to Bubble top Chebbies...go nuts... I did/am...
http://www.autoworldhobby.com/products/thunderjet/


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Wanna,

That's some cool-lookin' retro stuff there. Brings back happy memories. You mentioned the Aurora oil ... I haven't seen a bottle in problaby 30 years, but I can still smell the stuff like it was yesterday.

I remember how we used to add extra-fat and extra-large "slick" tires to our cars ... foamy things, and we lubed 'em up for traction. But, they didn't fit the car bodies, of course, so we'd grab our XActo knives and hack away into the bodies ... gouging out plastic fenders, hoods, whatever. I shiver at the thought, today! But, hack-away we did, and fit these monster tires onto the tiny cars! I think I'm going to Slot Car Hell for that one, someday ...

TJ


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## MarklinMan (Feb 29, 2012)

I had Scalectrix as a kid and with the added tracks from two friends, we put up a huge 4-lane race track in one of their basement rooms.

Re: foam tires. Oh baby....
My Porsche 917 was already the fastest model I had, but after it got custom foam tires on, it was just greased lightning. At that point one really had to slow down in the curves or suffer an undignified exit from the race.

Getting back on subject, the Faller stuff looks great but the prices if one were to have even, say, 8 cars running.... That is truly an investment.

MM.


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## ChopperCharles (Jan 3, 2012)

Here's a thought... lay down some N or HO scale track below grade, load a loco with a bunch of cars with high power magnets on them, and then cover the track with a road. It'd be ideal for highways and such, perhaps not surface streets without going for some serious DCC and switching and all...

Charles.


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