Starting the adventure

[oldjohnny]

Thanks to beardogracing I found this forum...wow...

my name is john Aitken, started in slotcars in very early '60s with scalextric and boyhood fascination with F1, built balsa bodied cars on brass chassis using pirated motors from scalex cars, eventually vac formed bodies ....things petered out after about ten years, although my full scale interests led me through rallying, formula ford...came back to modelling in my if fifties and discovered slot cars had changed...and now retired it's my prime hobby..the car energy seems unabated, my involvement and interest in full size waned with my renewed enthusiasm for slot cars..

presently I run a carera track..under modification as have moved back into the house from a dedicated shed so am grappling with smaller layout surface..and really using the carrera as stepping stone to routed ..

I live in a rather remote part of British Columbia Canada, so my racing is pretty much solitary although my wife and fellow car nut is an occasional companion...as are two cats...the cats limit landscaping on the track, or at least keep the model trees and shrubbery well trimmed, track figures in terror, and racing regularly interrupted by catzilla assaults...

been setting up workspace directed towards slotcars...back to soldering, working with brass..and keen to learn from folks more experienced...

john

[f143]

Hello there John, welcome to the forum, Regards Nigel

[Mark Huber]

Oct 28, 2013 5:10:29 GMT -5 oldjohnny said:

Thanks to beardogracing I found this forum...wow...



I live in a rather remote part of British Columbia Canada, so my racing is pretty much solitary although my wife and fellow car nut is an occasional companion...as are two cats...the cats limit landscaping on the track, or at least keep the model trees and shrubbery well trimmed, track figures in terror, and racing regularly interrupted by catzilla assaults...

been setting up workspace directed towards slotcars...back to soldering, working with brass..and keen to learn from folks more experienced...

john

Welcome John. It's nice to see another "Westerner" on the board. My mom's family  is from Saskatchewan, and I now have relatives in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Ontario and BC. How remote is remote? Are we talking land of 9 month winters remote?

I hope you enjoy the board and look forward to your participation.

Cheers,

Mark H ... Helena, Montana

[oldjohnny]

Place called Lardeau ..100 km north of Nelson at top of Kootenay lake ...we converted a forestry station....end of the paved road....no cell service..and that's generally a good thing...we used to visit Whitefish years ago..Flathead Lake...nice country ..

[Peter Seager-Thomas]

Hi John, welcome to the forum.

I don't think solitary racing is too unusual. Whilst I do get to race perhaps once a month, most track time is spent setting up cars and racing against the lap timer. It's amazing the difference it makes if you have a time to beat.
I'd guess this is where the scratcbuilder has the advantage, a fair bit of time is spent building cars as opposed to racing them.

Peter.

[oldjohnny]

I think there are two hobbies to slot cars....at least...building, racing, and adding to both the qualification of achieving a measure of scale fidelity..my 1/1 car and bicycle racing experience tended to focus on driving and leaving the wrenching to those better able. I find building models the more satisfying aspect of slotcars though..less needing to somehow beat someone, more on the gee whiz factor in seeing how we all strive to better results in our building..that's one of the cool factors to these sites..the best are those which encourage one another..