The Pines Speedway nee Raven Roost Raceway

[Barc 1]

I have been slowly making progress on my new wood track. Slots have been routed, and I am currently making the elevation changes that are required for the over pass.

Underneath the back straight will be home to the pit garages. Track is set up to allow full pit stops features for two analog cars. I will,be using Carrera chips on each lane for analog running. This set up allows me to make full use of the inherent features of a Carrera system for managing fuel stops. To fill the tank the driver will push a button to activate solenoids on the lane change, duck into the pits, and then he will have to manually insert a Fuel hose into receptacle on the control panel to activate the fuelling. This system is currently in use and tried and true on my current layout.

Track will be capable digital and analog running


Track spacing will allow 1/24 scale cars and 1;32 scale to run side by side for 3/4 of the track. When leaving the pit you enter a portion of the track that will not allow passing until you hit the elevated straight. 143 will have full clearance around the whole track.

I am currently waiting on my SCC order with a gain bit and braid.

Track is made in Five sections to allow easy transfer to my basement . All construction is taking place in the garage. I will be using foamcor board and expanding foam for a scenery base to keep the weight down. Once this is done the track will be moved to the basement room where Final scenery will be done over the next few years. My intent is to detail this to level of my model railroad where scenery will be a top priority.

A rookery will be a big part of the scenery, and it will be easy to see why Ravens Roost is an appropriate name ..

[Broman62]

And "BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE" on another awesome wooden layout in the works...looks awesome Barc!!!

[Billy boy]

your fuel system sounds great, very hands on.

[HomeRacingWorld]

Well, this is cool to see. I am sure you will create a great layout.

[Fast Co.]

Sounds cool. I'm not a digital racer, but I like the idea of the working pits. And as Billy boy said above the fuel system sounds very hands on. I can't wait to see it landscaped.

[Barc 1]

I toyed with digital, but in the end I find I am running analog 90% of the time. For this reason I set this track up for running analog pitstops. Makes it more of a game when running solo. The Carrera system lets you adjust the size of the fuel tank, and when in real mode as you burn fuel the cars gets faster. Using digital chips for each lane was an experiment on my first layout, and I am extremely pleased with the operation of the last few years. The Carrera chips are robust enough to handle running my old Cox cars. All the onboard Carrera functionality is available on each lane for running analog cars. I had to think outside the box for making the pit functional, and in the end the operation is more real in analog than it is in digital. I added a pit sensor LED at the control panel on about 8 inches of wire that functions as a fueling hose. The digital chips are enclosed in a plastic box at the control panel. When you pull into the pit, you take the hose, insert into the plastic case( this simulates the chip driving over the sensor as done in digital), press the lane change button and the tank fills. I run Race Coordinator for keeping track of laps and times. I also run the Yingling software in tandem for handling all the fueling info. With that I get audio warnings on low fuel for each car that gives you about 2 laps before the tank is empty.

Luckily the fuel logarithm must be based on time and not laps, as it functions fine even though no laps are recorded.

Only the ghost car function is lost when using the chips this way. The logarithm there looks to see if the ghost car is trigging laps, and if it is not then the assumption is made the car deslotted and the computer shuts down the power. I suppose if I placed a digital lap sensor in the case with the car chip I could satisfy the requirement that the stationary chip is still moving? I will have to experiment with that idea.

Seeing the advantages of digital racing and multiple cars on the same lanes still intrigues me. As I only built a two lane track the ability to run four cars necessitated digital . For this reason I am going to go to the effort of setting it up for normal digital running as well with one crossover to facilitate lane changes. This will be routed in the uphill section running up to the long back straight.

Cheers

Dan

[ourwayband]

Very interesting for sure!!!

[Barc 1]

I got all the elevation supports done and finished the bridge deck. I am now ready for routing the gains. Perfect timing as my SCC order arrived with my gains bit, and all of the braiding today. First thing tomorrow I will start that process and see how things move along. I have only used tape in the past so this braiding thing is new to me. I bought the braid with the adhesive tape already attached, so I hope it goes smoothly. Being it is only two lanes, there is no need for lane identification, although I suppose with the overpass, the inside lane isn’t always inside, hmmm

plans to move forward after the gains have been routed include

Dark gray enamel to paint the slots as I read somewhere the MDF can swell if left unpainted in the slots. I am thinking black enamel in a spray can would make quick work of this task.

Track surface will be painted with latex black chalkboard paint

I will use my airbrush to lighten the black with layers of different shades of grey to add depth to the track

Then it will be time to start laying braid.

Sounds easy if you say it fast .

I will post pictures as things progress.

Cheers

Dan

[Barc 1]

Got the benchwork up of the floor and have braided 90% of the track, when I ran out of braid. Another 40 ft and I will be done. Hopefully SCC sells this stuff by the foot, as having to buy another roll would leave me with an excess. Made the mistake of getting the pit area all done instead of getting two lanes complete. Got one complete lane done and did the 9 volt battery test..

I will get started on the control panel wiring while I wait for more braid.

Layout is up on 3 banquet tables. 2 6 foot and an 8 ft.

Pretaped braid was a pleasure to work with and was actually easier than Copper tape.

Each lane is 53 ft long.

[slothead]

Thanks for the detailed updates. I had the sections of the oval I'm building CNC routed and you have me wondering if I could have had gains done too for braid. As is I'm almost ready to paint the track surface before installing the copper tape. I already sealed and primed the back sides of the MDF, and may try spray painting the slots as you mentioned. A clear sealer might be ideal for this since the track surface will be painted with a roller(?).

Looking forward to seeing the track progress.

[Barc 1]

Spray painting the slots was a bad idea.. Horrible coverage and all it did was stink up my garage. I brush painted the slots with an artist brush.

I had a copper tape wood track years ago. It was good, but of course the tape doesn’t stand up like braid. The gains take little time to do. I did this whole track in less than 30 minutes, and that was stopping for a coffee !. The braid went down easy as well.

Don’t be afraid of going with braid. Very simple with the pretaped stuff.

Cheers

[slothead]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Now I know better than to try spray painting the slots. I'll plan on getting a small brush to do what you did.

[CJR RACING]

Dan, I just found this thread. Wow! Like most of the other work you post, very impressive and innovative.

[Barc 1]

The folks at SCC were very helpful and found me 47 feet of orphan pretaped braid that will allow me to complete the track at a reasonable cost.

in the mean time I have been building the lane changers, but required different solenoids then I had on hand so I am waiting on those as well

Spent time doing the tedious things like running power taps and installing junction strips underneath the layout. Almost ready to install the main control panel.

Today I will be installing fascia ,and maybe even cutting up foam for the terrain. All the messy stuff will then be done in the garage, prior to moving this into the basement.

Pictures to follow when completed.

Cheers

Dan

[Barc 1]

Things are progressing after a major setback. Did a final measurement before doing the fascia and the track was 6 inches too big across to fit in the room! Not sure what the heck happened , but my bride was shaking her head. All the family that looked at it, said there is no way that track will fit.So after eating some humble pie I removed 9 inches from the front and back straight and started making progress again. Retaining walls have been added and the terrain carved out off expanded foam. Bridge abutments are in place, so all the major construction is done. I will finish up the braiding in the garage, and then disassemble the track for the move into the basement Here is how it sits now as I wait for more braid.
.

All the backside will be up against a wall so I never bothered with fascia.

I have been working on some track graphics as I toy with the track name. The name may be shortened to Raven Raceway , but I still am considering Raven Wood Raceway or Raven Wing Raceway.

[slothead]

Ravens eat carrion so somewhat ominous, kind of like vultures. Because they can mimic human speech at times they have been considered evil and prophetic. You could soften that, if you care to, by using a cartoon image.

[Barc 1]

Ya the bird gets a bad rap, but I hear what you are saying. On the flipside, they are extremely smart, playful, mate for life and are survivors even in the harshest environments. Long after all those fancy pants song birds have headed south, the Ravens endure.