What people are asking us at ModelMotorist.Com.

• Question:
      Hi.
  I've just been searching your wonderful website and have a request.
  I am trying to find a Tomy AFX intersection/crossroads track piece or an equivalent which I can then adapt to my Tomy AFX track.
  I am located in Australia and have dealt with U.S sellers quite frequently through Ebay so payment via paypal is not a problem.
  We have limited supplies here in Australia of older track and your help would be very much appreciated.
  Cheers, Angel.
  
  Answer:
      Hi Angel
  Glad you enjoy the site, check back frequently as the site continues to expand.
  We do not sell any of the products shown on the site.
  We are informational in nature until we start our own product line.   Supply and distribution have always been poor in electric H.O. vehicles.   Auto World is selling T-Jet + X-Traction sets with Tomy track, as well as Racemasters.   I don't know if Auto World is global or not, parts of Europe are getting Auto World sets, but I don't know about down-under.   I have used e-bay to buy and sell, but I generally don't sell track, because I can't get enough.   My experiences with e-bay have been okay depending mostly on the person packing.   With the exception of Europe where the delivery system uses packages for pinball games.   I got an email from the Netherlands in which he said European shippers could not deliver a bowling ball packed in concrete with out damaging the ball.   Sorry I can't be more help at this time.  

• Question:
  I'm getting back into HO slot car racing and am trying to build a layout.   I've noticed that there are many different styles of AFX track.   But the thing I?ve noticed is the model numbers.   I've seen some with 5003349, some with 25xx and some with 86xx.   What is the difference with these.
  
  Answer:
      Hi Gordon
  There are actually three different styles of Aurora H.O. slot car tracks.
    1st made was Playcraft, Thunderjet and Thunderjet 500 (known as pin and joiner or lock and pin).   2nd AFX Speed-Lok tracks.   3rd TOMY AFX.
  The main difference is the connection styles shown at the following addresses.
  Thunderjet uses this connection and comes in Road (black), Sand (brown), and Snow (white) colored tracks.
  http://www.modelmotorist.com/web-content/auth2lel.jsp
  AFX Speed-Lok uses the following connection and only comes in black.
  http://www.modelmotorist.com/web-content/auaf2lel.jsp
  TOMY AFX uses this connection and comes in Road (black) and Dirt (brown).
  http://www.modelmotorist.com/web-content/aura2lel.jsp
  
  As far as molded numbers go, they represent changes in manufacturers and locations.
  USA, Mexico, Canada, Japan, and China.
  
  Thunderjet came in standard 2 lane, single lane, and Wide track ("O" Scale).
  AFX came in 2 lane and single lane.
  TOMY AFX comes in only 2 lane tracks.
  
  Adapters for connecting all of these tracks styles together have been made, but are not easy to find anymore.
  
  The real questions are:
  Do you want a track for fun or as a collector show piece?
  How many lanes do you want the track to have? 2,4,6,8, or more?
  Do you want to run new fast cars (Magnetic) or old slow cars (Non-Magnetic)?
  Will small children be using the track or just adults?
  Do you need single lane tracks?
  
  I would recommend avoiding AFX Speed-Lok tracks because the connection is WAY too fragile.
  In our destructive connection testing TOMY AFX had the best results with no broken tracks.
  
  Hope this is helpful, let me know if you have any other questions.
  

• Question:
      Hi.
  Great website!   I use it almost daily to help me identify my long lost treasures and help rebuild them with your chassis diagrams.   Its been a indispensable tool.   I have a question pertaining to the orange Aurora sand track sections.   Do you know if they were made for certain sets and are the sand sections more valuable then the black ones due to rarity?
  
  Thanks for the great site and any info you can tell me about the tracks and I look forward to the body identification gallery soon.   Keep up the great work and much appreciated.
  Regards,
  Fred L.
  
  Answer:
      Hi Fred
  I don't attempt to put value on any of the products, new or old, since there are several factors that determine the value of an item.   Rarity is probably number one but is also dependent on desirability, distribution, and several other factors which change daily.   As far as track rarity goes, the order is Black is common, then Sand, then Snow.   All were sold separately if you found the right store quick enough.   There were two maybe three Sand Van Sets which included Sand track.   There was one set that included Snow tracks with Bushwhacker Snowmobiles.   There are few tracks that have gained significantly in value, the Aurora Thunderjet intersection with working traffic light is probably top.   Generally speaking track is cheap, vehicles are not.
  
  Hope this is helpful,
  Glad you enjoy the site, tell all the people that you see.
  Watch site update notices for changes to the site.
  

• Question:
      Hello,
  I was searching the internet & found yound your site.   Could you help me design a track if I give you a list of what I have?   I have like 2 1/2 ho track sets.   I see you have examples on your site and was just wondering if you could help.
  Thanks for your time. randall
  
  Answer:
      Hi Randall
  I really wish I had the time to design layouts for all the people who ask.
  Generally speaking my objectives when designing a layout frequently are not the same as what most people want from a layout.
  I like density, confusion, and a challenge to drive with a good dose of danger.   I frequently set up layouts that change traffic flow from side by side to head on and back because I enjoy driving in opposite directions while most people don't.   Danger tracks like squeezes, lane changes, intersections, and railroad crossings are some of my favorite track sections, while most people like a fast track for competition and/or time runs.
  
  My suggestion is to set up a few sections of tracks you want in your layout, like; a spiral or two and a zig-zag and then try to connect them together.  When you get a circle, look for places to add in any remaining tracks.
  
  Another option is to use a piece of graph paper and a compass.   Almost all HO tracks are based on 3" increments so if 1 square equals 3" then 1 square by three squares represents a nine inch straight.  Almost all curves are also based on 3" increments with the outside radius being the size (except Faller, and Marchon) and either 45 degree(1/8circle) or 90 degree (1/4circle) increments (except Faller), therefore three squares by three squares represents a 9" curve, the most common size curve.  This works well as long as you stay with 90 degree (1/4circle) increments in curves. Changing to 45 degrees (1/8circle) makes it a lot harder to draw.
  
  I will be adding pages that display these techniques soon.
  
  Hope this is helpful

• Question:
      Hello,
  I'm very much enterested in the prices on products from your website. But can't seem to find any listed.
  
      Aurora Brand Thunderjet Steering Wheel w/brakes Controller.
  
      Aurora Brand DC2 Transformers
      Aurora Brand DC1 Transformers
  
      All of the Aurora Brand Thunderjet Single Lane Racetrack
  
  
  Your help would be truly appreciated.
  
  Answer:
      Hi,
  ModelMotorist.Com is an informational site and does not sell any products.
  Since the price of these items are changing subject to the whims of the market, we do not attempt to price them.
  Our parent company J Squared Inc. now sells H.O.T.rack Products. The only suggestion I can offer is to hunt on e-bay (other auction sites) or look for a swap meet.
  Hope you are finding the site enjoyable.
  
  Keep your shoes on the rails.

• Question:
  is there a price for atlas adapter track to thunder jet and thunder jet to afx? thankyou
  
  Answer:
      Sorry Larry
  We are a strictly informational site, and since prices change on a whim we do not list pricing for any time period.   Those have been out of production for about 40 years and are not likely to be cheap.   Check your area for swap-meets or look on ebay is about all I can suggest.   If you find any swap meets in your area that I don't have listed on the site, please ask the people who are running it to send me information so I can list it on this site for others to utilize as well.
  Thank you!

• Question:
      Hello
  I have a question hoping you can help me with.  I have the Skyfighter track set and when the plane is placed on the wheels it flys off the track I guess due to weight.  It goes around the track just fine without the plane on the wheels.  Do you have any tips on this, thanks for any help you may offer.
  Sincerely,
  Gregg
  
  Answer:
      Hi Gregg
  The bodies are intended to be held on by magnetic force.   The objective of the set was to attempt to knock the other guy's body off without loosing your own.   It sounds like the metal plate that is screwed to the inside the body is missing.   Or the body is not seating down far enough to make contact with the magnets.   Do you have guardrails or other obstructions?
  Let me know if this helped
  

• Question:
      Hello,
  Could you please explain to me which cars were Flamethrowers and which had the lighted chassis?  I am in the process of accumulating some old cars, chassis, bodies, etc., and it has been so long since I have been exposed to this stuff I forget.
  
  I have seen Flamethrowers on eBay and even purchased a couple rebuilt chassis'.  I know the Porcshe 917, Ferrari 512 M were Flamethrowers, but what about the Superbirds?
  
  What specifically was the difference in the body's lighting system?
  
  Hope you can help.
  
  M. Kelly
  Answer:
      Hi M Kelly
  Sorry for the delay, too many irons in the fire.
  The main difference is the light bulb on the chassis.   Many bodies had added plastic to hold the bulb and direct the light.   There are four bodies for blazin brakes cars that have a rear plastic bulb holder.   The Daytona is one of them (Superbirds were the same car from Plymouth).   There where some early CanAm cars that had only thin plastic windows for headlights.
  I have begun uploading all of the catalogs from various manufacturers, unfortunately it is part of the members only section of the site.   $20.00 one time fee for a Life-Time Membership.   Check out the Site Updates page and sample catalog.   There are and will be more benefits from membership as the site expands.   Sorry I can't be more specific but there are a lot of years and models of FlameThrowers.   There are also Cat's Eyes which allowed the lights to turn on and off by changing polarity of power.
  Hope this is helpful
  

• Question:
  Is there an adapter for Life-Like to MR-1 Racing by Empire?
  
  Answer:
      Hi
  As far as I know there is no adapter to connect anything to MR-1 Empire/Marchon, except for an adapter from MR-1 to MicroScalextric which I have not gotten a hold of yet.   You will need to make a custom adapter track if you really want to connect Life-Like to MR-1.

• Question:
      Hi,
  I recently bought some AW cars for our Micro Scalextric track(quite a few actually).   They dont run well at all however, stopping all the time.  Do You know if this is a mismatch or due to the cars or what?  By the way I think the scalextric track is really lousy, bad connections and conductivity seems bad.  I got a high quality variable voltage supply but that didnt help.  Considering buying Life-like or AFX track or complete set.... Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
  best regards
  Hasse
  
  Answer:
      Hi Hasse
  I am not sure what an AW cars are.
  Does it have braided pickups or thin metal shoes?
  Do other cars have trouble in the same spots?
  Have you cleaned the track rails recently?
  
  I'm betting on braided pickups these can be finicky to get adjusted.
  One stray strand can hold up the entire braid.
  
  If it has the thin metal shoe style pickups look for wear causing ruts running the length of the shoes.
  
  Whether braids or shoes are used, check if the contact surface is concaved, if so the sides of the pickups can make contact with the track surface and lift them from the rails, breaking contact.
  The best way to check this is by placing the car on a loose piece of track and look from the front of the car to see what the contact and clearances are between the pickups, track surfaces and rail surfaces.
  
  As far as track goes I have tried to break them all and Tomy track releases just before it breaks.  They also have the best selection of basic tracks, but unfortunately are one the more expensive brands.
  
  Most connection styles can be revived with a tiny pliers to bend weak spring loads a little tighter, then lightly sand the rail connection surfaces with fine (200+) grit sand paper as long as none of the plastic supporting the rail has been broken behind the rails.
  
  Let me know if this helps.
  
  Response:
      Hi Jerome,
  Thank You for Your reply and the very useful info. AW make reproductions of the old magnatraction and tjet cars.  Really cool musclecar bodies!  I think they were called Johnny Lightning earlier.  I cleaned the track as You adviced and the cars ran better.  The springs for the pick-up shoes however, seemed to be to soft so I bent the shoes slightly and that did the rest.   Still not very impressed with the Scalextric track and not many different pieces available.  Will check out the Tomy track.  It is not available here in Sweden but importing from USA is quite inexpensive now because of the exchange rate.
  Once again thank You!
  
  Regards
  Hasse
  
  Reply:
      Hi Hasse
  Glad I could help.
  A lot of TOMY (newest AFX) is available pretty cheap on e-bay if you are willing to gamble on used tracks and private sellers.   There are 220 Volt transformers available for TOMY layouts, but if you have a nice power supply use it.
  The best way I have found to wire any layout without using stock plugs is to cut the straps below a terminal track and use a "Spade" wire connector and slide it on the slightly bent stubs of the straps under a terminal track.
  One other thing I forgot to mention is, if the guide pin is too long or debris is in the slot this to can cause sputtering and stalling.   I have heard of people having too strong stock springs in the Johnny Lightning T-Jet cars so the pin does not want to stay in the slot.
  Happy racing!
  

• Question:
      HELLO,
  LOVED YOUR SITE, DO YOU HAVE ANY INFO ON AURORA BUS SYSTEMS ? PIC'S ECT.
  THANKS
  VIN
  
  Answer:
      Hi Hi VIN No I have nothing on any of Aurora's Non-HO products.   Over the years I have seen some Buses, Tracks and Literature at Swap Meets but I have none.
  Thank you for enjoying the site.
  

• Question:
      Do you have any idea whether the HO cars available in the US mostly e.g. Tomy, Tyco, Life Like will run on the Micro Scalextric (Hornby) track sold in the UK?   It doesn't appear to be any different from their tracks, but I have been told that the 'rails' might be too high.
  Answer:
      The rail height of Microscalextric tracks are reasonable close to the same height as everyone else tracks, the only cars you will have a problem with are Matchbox's slot cars.   Matchbox cars use a narrower standard for their rails so their pick-up shoes miss the rails on everyone elses tracks.
      The rail height of Microscalextric tracks is approximately 0.005 Inches higher than Life-Like tracks or 0.1 Millimeter.  Stock Aurora - Tyco - Life-Like vehicles should not be a problem.  A highly modified "Super Racer" may be a problem but I doubt it.   Rail height is not maintained to a critical tolerance meaning the height of the rails in the same brand of track can vary significantly.  If you do come across a vehicle that drags on the rails, you can increase the tire size to compensate for the difference.

• Question:
      I have some track sections with no names or numbers on them, how do I find out who made these sections of track?
  Answer:
      The first step is to look through the Identifications: Connection Style / Brand pages to find what brand the track is.  Then go to the Identifications: Track pages and select the brand to find out what section of track you have.

• Question:
      I have an old Atlas track layout and would like to expand it, do I have to find more Atlas tracks to expand it?
  Answer:
      There is no easy answer to this question.  The simplest thing to do is stay with the same brand of tracks.  The next simplest method is to go to Compatibilities: Track to Track and see what brands of tracks connect directly and what adapters tracks are available.  The other option is to create Custom Adapters to the brand of track that offers the selection of tracks you want to use.

• Question:
      Hello there,
  I'm from England and I'm trying to accumulate a large tcr track.   I've been buying the original Ideal tcr track and want to know if it's possible to incorporate the large banked corner from the Tyco tcr series.   Like you I'm very good at working with plastics and adhesives, particularly polystyrene sheet, and was wondering if anything could be done to match the two up.   Even better would be if you could provide some adapted sections.   I gather from your website that this simply is not possible, but however I am hopeful that possibly something could be done.   Any advice would be most welcomed.
  Many thanks indeed.
  
  
  Answer:
      Hi Dave
  Is this the Ideal TCR connection you have?
  http://www.modelmotorist.com/web-content/idtc2lel.jsp
  The connection Tyco TCR High Bank uses is this one.
  http://www.modelmotorist.com/web-content/tytc2lel.jsp
  
  The Tyco TCR High Bank track is what I refer to as a "Dead Track", meaning it does not conduct electricity from the incoming side to the outgoing side.   So if you cut both ends of the Tyco High Bank flat and the ends of two pieces of Ideal TCR long straight tracks flat, then you can glue them directly together.   Be sure to add something to the bottom of the connection to reduce the chance of breakage from bending.
  
  Because the High Bank is a "Dead Track" only 1 can be used in a layout without additional terminal tracks being wired into the layout.   Try to place the Terminal track as close to the opposite side of the layout to balance the power fading around the layout.   Adding additional terminal tracks is a good idea as the layout gets larger, but is not as simple as it should be to do.
  
  I have not done an example of adding terminal tracks to a Slotless Layouts. I will do that in the future, since it is not quite the same as Slot Layout wiring.
  
  If you want to use the rest of the track that comes with the High Bank curve set, you will want to do something similar to the custom adapter example below. http://www.modelmotorist.com/web-content/cusadapl.jsp
  Hope this is helpful.
  
  Response:
      Wow,
  Yes, this helps a lot, and I understand what you mean by dead track.   I'm also not too bad with a soldering iron, so I may just simply connect the two ends together with wire around the banked curve to allow electricity to flow better throughout the whole length of track.
  Brilliant, many many thanks indeed, and well done for a great website.
  

• Question:
      Hello,
  I was browsing your site, and it contains a lot of interesting information. With reference to the Aurora steering wheel controllers with forward/reverse and brake, you note: ** Warning ** This is a reversing controller and requires an isloated ground terminal track. Using a reversing controller on a layout with a common groung (typo (corrected)) terminal track will cause damage to your controllers and/or transformer. I have never noticed a difference in terminal tracks. How can I identify a common ground terminal track?
  
  Answer:
      Hi If you look on the bottom side of the terminal tracks shown in these links:
  
  http://modelmotorist.com/web-content/tj9t2ctl.jsp
  This terminal track has three screws on the top and one of the connecting straps on the bottom connects to two rail (common ground).
  The way this track was made one lane would go the opposite direction as the other, unless the magnets in one car are installed in the opposite direction.
  
  http://modelmotorist.com/web-content/tj9t2itl.jsp
  This track has four screws and there are four straps on the bottom, one for each rail (isolated ground).
  
  The screw count on the top is unreliable, always look at the bottom.
  Some of the terminal tracks Aurora made had four screws but three straps on the bottom.
  Some of the clip on terminals from Aurora also had four screws and three straps.
  Jerome A Lepinski
  
  Response:
      Jerome,
  Thank you very much for responding to my query. It all makes sense, I guess my only terminal track experience has been with the isolated types. have a good weekend and I appreciate the knowledge.

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Email: j2@modelmotorist.com

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