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I have a book to share

PostPosted: Fri Jul 14, 2017 7:14 pm
by mattb
For a lot of you guys, slots cars are as much about what you can make, build and find as the actual slot cars. You walk around a hardware store and see something that is not designed for slot racing, but it would work for some purpose you can see.

The guys that basically took slot cars to where we are were real pioneers with electric car racing. If any of you have seen any of the issues of Model Maker (the English hobby mag from the 50's and 60's) you may have seen some of the early efforts of the English guys racing diesel cars (tether cars) on a line or on a track with gutters. There were a few articles on rail racing and the design of cars and tracks. I assume you guys know what a rail car is. Rail cars were the pre-cursor to slot cars. They ran on a raised round rail about 1/2 inch high and got electric from that rail and from a wire nailed flat to the track. All these pioneers made everything, designed everything and until later years had no store bought parts of any kind.

15-20 years ago an older guy I got to know because of his love for all things hobby had a copy of the 1959 MAP(Model Aeronautical Press) book, "Model Car Rail Racing'. He loaned me his copy and I made a photo copy of it, as I found it so interesting. Recently I bought a copy from book store in England, not so much for the reading, but because I wanted to have clear pictures instead of the old grainy ones in my copy.

Since I have a "real" copy now the photo copy is extra and it's not worth anything to speak of. What I would like to do is loan it to all of you guys that are interested in the origins of our hobby and the great craftsmanship and ingenuity these early guys had.

What I will do is mail it to first guy that asks for it. If a few of you guys are interested, you can just post to this thread and hopefully each guy can mail to the next guy down, if there are several of you that want to read it. I would think 2-3 weeks should be sufficient time for somebody to read it and pass it on.

I have seen the video of Ken Wallis' slot track he built in 1942 and it is really the first system like ours, but who gets credit is another topic.

Guys that just buy plastic cars and put them on the shelf could probably care less, but if you make bodies, tires and solder chassis, then you will have a real appreciation for guys that machine all their parts, carve their bodies and make it all work!

If anybody is interested, just post here.

First rail track in America was in Kalamazoo, Mi. Must have had a good club there and a guy named Tom Cook was behind the Kalamazoo club.

mattb

Re: I have a book to share

PostPosted: Fri Jul 14, 2017 7:51 pm
by waaytoomuchintothis
Good god, man, send it to me!!!

Pm to follow!

Re: I have a book to share

PostPosted: Fri Jul 14, 2017 8:07 pm
by mattb
Rob is first and anybody else just post here to be after him.

mb

Re: I have a book to share

PostPosted: Fri Jul 14, 2017 8:14 pm
by 4424ever
I would definitely like to read through this material no doubt there are some gems to be found in it!

Re: I have a book to share

PostPosted: Fri Jul 14, 2017 9:21 pm
by waaytoomuchintothis
Yep, this will be the list I follow.

Re: I have a book to share

PostPosted: Thu Jul 20, 2017 4:29 pm
by mattb
The book is in the mail. I thought maybe I could get some good scans of the pix in the book and put them here, but I can't get them to come out as I would like.

Some of you guys may remember this event, it was on all the slot car forums back then. Here is alink to some good reading about rail cars and racing.

http://scratchbuilt.com/articles/JD_railracers.html

Re: I have a book to share

PostPosted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 10:31 am
by Racie35
You're a good guy Matt

Re: I have a book to share

PostPosted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 11:52 am
by waaytoomuchintothis
4424ever has received it now, the beat goes on...

Re: I have a book to share

PostPosted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 1:02 pm
by mattb
A lot of you guys would enjoy seeing and reading about what model car racers were doing in 1957 and this is about the only written record. Let the guys here know and you can get on the list. All it will cost you is $2 or so to mail it to the nest guy on the list.

Re: I have a book to share

PostPosted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 4:29 pm
by 4424ever
Rob payed more than that but we all know what a good guy Rob is :music-rockout: who will be next :shhh: