Vintage Strombecker layout

[ourwayband]

While I understand most of us here run on wood,I still find the ol' plastic fun and just brings back good feelings of how slot cars started out.I recently bought a Strombecker set off of e-bay .I had to clean the track and adjust each piece,but she now runs well.I was trying to capture the spirit of what a Dad might would have made his son back in the 60's.This is only the track from this set.I haven't landscaped and such,but having fun with it as is.We are running ol' Eldons and also newer cars with the mags removed.I cheated and added boarders with Foam board.The table is about 4+1/2 feet by 9 or so.Made it to fit my space.Had dreams of a oval but just didn't have the room.While this is not a huge layout,she is fun :D Printed off some vintage advertising to add to the charm.We have adjustable power for each lane .Hope ya'll enjoy!
Rusty

[HomeRacingWorld]

What a great layout. Very nicely done.

[LAMing]

Great idea! Love your "theme" you have in your slot room.

My first Strombecker set had the Berlinetta (black) and XKE (red). My second mega-set had a red Dino Coupe and blue Cheetah. Added more cars and other accessories. Raced those sets to death and had a ton of fun in the process.

Some of my best slot memories have that blue "Strombecker" emblem on them!

Andre

[Wolseley Hornet]

Yes indeed.

Big's nice, but a track doesn't have to be big to be lots of fun.

And if you can fit it in the house so you can race without freezing off bits of your anatomy, so much the better.

And a hefty dose of nostalgia, for good measure . . . What's not to like?

David.

[ourwayband]

hey Thanks Harry,David ,Bibbster and Andre!!
Bibbster,
I'm ready to race when ever you are.
Andre,
to me these sets represent what I could have had under the tree
Christmas Morning,and a lot of folks did.Not the most expensive out there,
but they had a good track system and are just plan fun to run on.
I can also run a mag Ghost car against some no mag cars when
the urge strikes..
Thanks again guys!

Rusty

[Mseitz]

Looks very similar to the eldon set I raced set up on 4x8 plywood atop the family pool table.
Only wish mine had your power supply.

What would be really cool is to find some of the great trackside accessories Strombecker made to go with your layout. Pit crew figures, pit garages, grand stands and control towers - Strombecker made them all. Be prepared to pay but it would sure go well together.

[dreinecke]

Very cool track! I love the simplicity of it, and it really does take me back. The foam slide-outs are a great touch and I think it is perfect as is.

[oldstromguy]

I still run on plastic. Went to Artin 1/32 several years ago, and sold all of my Strombecker track and sets. IMO...There were some excellent track brands back in the day, and as you've discovered, with a little TLC they can be returned to their former glory.
Great job!

[Cobra Freak]

I still race on plastic. Just starting out. I like this sort of setup. Less is more! Lots of people don't get that.

[RazorJon]

I love plastic, that looks like a cool little road course Rusty :banana-rock:

[ourwayband]

hey thanks guys!!
Mseitz ,I would love to find some of the Strombecker building and such.I'm keeping an eye out for them.They just don't seem to pop up often.
Thanks David,looking at your well detailed track makes the rest of us want to try harder. :)
Thanks oldstromguy ,I too like the artin,had dreams of a large oval here but just didn't have the room.
Thanks Cobra and welcome the HRW!.
Jon you are the man when it comes to a great so-called plastic layout!!You have what several of us dream about. :)
Thanks

Rusty

[LAMing]

Rusty:

Speaking of Christmas and Strombecker...

One of my (if not THE most memorable) Christmas past was the year I got my second Strombecker set (1966?). I had a new brother-in-law (he was 6 years older than I) and that Christmas Eve I unwrapped a huge box. Once the paper was pulled back, it was a no-frills cardboard box with a large and familiar blue Strombecker logo on it. Turns out mom and dad had picked up this mega set from a secondary source: Western Auto. In retrospect, the set appears to have been a no-frills version (i.e. no gadget tracks) of the "European Rallye" set that Strombecker offered in more affluent stores. I think I recall my set having 55' feet of track?

Anyway, excited as can be, I took the set downstairs and set up the exact raceway illustrated in the instructions. It covered almost all of the usable floor in the downstairs den! Thereon, Randy (that new brother-in-law!) and I raced and raced and raced... until about 4 AM Christmas day. We both had so much fun racing that red Dino coupe and blue Cheetah against each other. The den was full of the smell of ozone and hot controllers. (MMmmmm... such a sweet aroma!)

Just last October, Randy went home to be with the Lord via a massive heart attack. Randy's passing has made that wonderful Christmas memory even more special to me.

Yup... lots of GREAT memories recorded around my Strombecker sets.

Andre

[DHansen]

Great looking track set up. Most of the time the K.I.S.S. approach is the best way to do things. And I like your wall decorations. I did the same thing with a Riggens box top and used the side and end flaps for bill boards around my home track.

[ourwayband]

Thanks DHansen!Some of that ol' box art is classic.Neat idea on the bill boards too.
Andre,you've got some great memories that nothing can take away.To me that is what a lot of this hobby is about.Good times and great memories!Thanks for sharing.
Strombecker really had some value in their sets,55 feet is huge.
Rusty

[Cobra Freak]