Saturday November 06, 2004

Christmas Track You Can Build
by Cindy Wise

Who says a Christmas Tree needs a train? For us slot racers out there, what we really want around the tree is a race track! This is a small project I decided some of you dedicated slot car folks would enjoy.

First, I used Artin track due to the fact it is inexpensive. You could use any track though, and even different scales such as 1/43 would work. I designed a small square oval that would fit around the base of our tree using 7 standard straights, 1 two lane power base, 4 R-1 curves and 4 Half R-1's. Again, you can be creative and make any type of oval or design you wish, I just kept things simple.

Next, I decided to paint the track to make it look more like a "snow covered road". This is pretty easy to do, and I used the same methods as were used to create our Dixon Hills Speedway. Using some old electrical tape, I masked off the rails. Then I trimmed the excess tape away with a knife. You can use any tape really, as I have used both electrical and masking and both do the job well.

The I went outside and gave it a good "dusting" of flat white paint. Any inexpensive paint will do here, so don't think you need some special, expensive brand. We located ours at the local Dollar General and it works perfectly.

I didn't paint it completely, rather just 2 coats. This allowed some of the track to show through and I liked that effect.

After I let it dry for about an hour, I removed the tape and placed it on our table where our tree goes. Carrera released a "Christmas car" a little over a year ago and they can still be found in some shops. I think it is perfect for a layout such as this. Using your imagination, you can certainly create a wonderful Christmas display with any slot car track.

- Cindy