SUNDAY 2/23 slot car show

[BIG E]

This Sunday will be the inaugural slot car vendor swap meet at Modelville Hobby in Ashland, MA at 11am - 3pm. I will be there with my usual selection of HO goodies. I'm also bring supplies for large scale commercial/club track racing including new parts and some of my racers that I no longer use - Flexi, Womp, Hardbody, ect. My friend Bob "Mr. Aurora" Beers and I will have multiple tables set up. I've been waiting to see this raceway with it's beautiful 1/24 commercial and HO custom routed tracks. Check their website for more info. If you're in the area, please come down and say "Hello!" See ya there! -- Ernie

[dge467]

Oh boy. I may go, I spent most of fun money for the month already though!

[BIG E]

Jeff, ya gotta see this place. Amazing...
I didn't even get the chance to look around, but I'll be back - with a few wooden 1/24 and HO slot car boxes and a bag of controllers! He's got what looks like at least 6 or 8 HO custom routed tracks, and of course an Aurora tub. But I didn't get the chance to even lift the dust covers off any of them! The HO section is a complete raceway within itself, which can be closed off from the 1/24 raceway area by a big roll up metal door. This is all in a very large industrial building located in the Worcester general vicinity. The 1/24 commercial 8 lane tracks include a large figure eight with a kink/chicane on one part of the bridge. I've driven one like that before, and it's FUN! Also set up are an American 135' Aristocrat ("Hillclimb") with the original crossover sections, a track design that I've run about a million laps on with everything from Womps to 1970s style Group 27 wing cars. And I love the little 95' "Baby King", I forget the proper name for that little gem, always a personal favorite. Then of course a 155' King track, and the huge 220' "Purple Mile". Yeah, forgot the American name for that one, too. Without my little History of American Model Car Raceways booklet handy I can't be sure. Check out the photos on their website.
Bob and I were pretty busy at the vendor set up we had, which spanned 6 tables. I was selling HO collector cars, racing parts, bodies, ect, and also sold 1/24 new parts and used Womps, Flexi Kars, Sprints, Hard Bodies, and some separate bodies, both Lexan and model kit types. I didn't even get a chance to walk over to the other vendors and shop for myself! Before we knew it, we had to pack up and head back to Connecticut. You definitely need to be here next time around, it's in your "backyard", man...
YES, I WILL RETURN !! -- Ernie

[dge467]

Yes! I know a few people who frequent that place.

[mattb]

Purple mile was called the Sovereign and this track was originally set up at Playland in San Fran. It is one of two known to have been built and the only one now in operation.

[SpeedyNH]

i like running that track. there used to be one on the Space Coast in Florida decades ago, too. really only two built?

[Bill from NH]

There used to be another Sovereign in Modelville Hobby when the raceway was located on Speen St. in Framingham, MA. I ran on it from 1969-75. That one had the economical wood siding instead of the purple Formica. I was told that track was sold to someone in RI where in got wet in storage. I don't think it was ever used again.

[mattb]

Bill,,,,how many Sovereigns do you think there were? .... I've heard there were 2,,, but might be more if Modelville had one that got destroyed in storage......There was one Greg said was somewhere in Tn....... Kind of figured it was the one that ended up in Ga...... That would be 3....There is a picture that is falsely called Playland and that raceway had a Sovereign ,,,but nobody has identified that raceway.

[BIG E]

There was one for a short time on Long Island on Larkfield Rd. in Northport, but it was gone very quickly, probably due to the usual rent issues around here. Don't really know what happened to it, I only had the chance to run on it once or twice, and it was a long time ago. Think it may have been the late seventies, early eighties.
Ernie

[chrisguyw]

Also one in Toronto .....it was really poorly run, and closed within 18mos or so. Must be 30 yrs back.

Cheers
Chris Walker