SJ EPISODE 7: Building a New Track Part 1 - Planning

The new track build series kicks off with what I hope will be a fun and interesting group of videos that will help take viewers on my personal track-building journey. As mentioned previously, I want to start at Ground Zero and proceed through the entire process, and in this first installment, I review some of the most essential considerations that slot track builders will want to think about before they start laying parts and pieces out on the table.

In the video, I cover issues like what kind or racing that will take place, the space available, building a table for the track, power and control, and basic approaches to scenery.  I also note some other topics that might be considered do's-and-dont's, but really are items that you should think about before going to far. Everyone's tastes and preferences are different, so feel free to make your own rules as you go! The video can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH5Owd2g7pFJ1USpI_ntriw?sub_confirmation=1

Twitter to get "X"d out - Moving to Instagram

Even from the beginning, Twitter (now "X") has not been the best place to post content - at least not for slot car enthusiasts. There were enough accounts to make it worthwhile, but as time has gone on, fewer and fewer of them have bothered to post content there. The most prolific posters seemed to be several Japanese commercial tracks and stores, which always offered the challenge of translating whatever text content accompanied their (often beautiful) photography.

As a result, I've finally decided to post whatever additional content I have over on Instagram. I had opened an account not too long ago, but had only posted a handful of photos - as much a placeholder as anything else. I was pleasantly surprised to see that a number of folks in the slot car community are already on there - so I'm thinking this will be worth the effort.

Another factor in this decision was the fact that the owner of so-called "X" has generally ruined what was once a fun and engaging platform. I had accounts for several of my areas of interest in addition to slot cars. But the final nail in the coffin was when they removed the ability to post "latest tweets" onto your web page, which was an important component of my site's home page. In any case, while I am not deleting the "X" account, I will no longer post anything new there...I haven't been doing that for a while, anyway.  My next task is to delete references to Twitter on my web page and YouTube videos, and replace them with links to Instagram. The instagram page is at: https://www.instagram.com/slotjournal/

SJ EPISODE 6: Back in the YouTube Saddle Again - with The New Track

In the much delayed Episode 6, I talk a little bit about my absence from YouTube and some of the life changes I've been going through (retirement, grandfatherhood). Thankfully there's been plenty of great slot car content on YouTube over the intervening months, so that's a good thing.  I also explain how and why I've temporarily set the track control tower project aside to work on a new priority - namely, a track to race on. We'll get back to the tower in a bit, but the main goal now is to take my subscribers on a trip to see how the track is planned, built and completed - from A to Z.

After we get a look at where things stand now in construction, I spend a couple of moments taking about some things and people I've come across on YouTube and Facebook. I always enjoy giving a shout-out to people who are taking the time to share their hobby activities, as well as their ideas and tips that can add to our enjoyment.  Hope you like the episode - you can find it HERE.

Welcome Back...with The New Track

 Yes, it's been way too long since I posted here or put out a video...but a lot has happened over the intervening months.I spend much of the Summer vacationing and traveling, then received a nice retirement offer from my employer that was simply too good to turn down. Of course, a lot of planning and paperwork goes along with the territory, and that took a lot of time and effort as well.

Add to that the fact that I became a first-time grandpa in late September and you can understand that I've been a little busy. That has been a lot of fun for me, but now that the holidays have come and gone, I'm ready to devote some serious time to the hobby.

Over the last month or so, I've started on construction for the new track - it's very similar to the last one I had. The New Schweizering features more R3 and R4 turns, has a better flow and some additional adjustments to not only improve flow but also to provide better support, electrical systems for lights and wiring, and scenery improvements. I'm re-using some components from the old track (like the castle) and rebuilding most everything else from scratch.

I've got  a few pics here, but since construction has begun, I've been documenting most of it through some videos and photos, so you'll be seeing some of that here and on my Facebook site. YouTube videos are coming as well, so be on the lookout!