Vintage Aurora ThunderJet 500 Slot Car Track Version
The layout fits neatly on a...
Full sheet of AC- ½ inch plywood, and was often the practice for many basement layouts during the 1960’s. The plywood was sanded smooth prior to assembly. Lathing strips border the plywood sheet and serve to arrest any hurtling cars. These are glued and screw inset onto the plywood base. The plywood was painted a Valspar color in acrylic semi-gloss called Orient Blush, as it looks like and represents the desert surrounding the actual Riverside International Raceway. The lathing strips are painted in acrylic semi-gloss black. Both colors compliment the black track well. The original 1969 version of Riverside featured a banked curve off of the back straight dogleg, so the use of Speed Curves seemed appropriate. Each piece of track was cleaned using WD40 on a paper towel, and corrosion on the rails and underside rail tabs were removed with Kleen Strip naval jelly which can be found at Walmart or various automotive specialty stores. Excessive wiping of the painted areas on the track such as lane strips is avoided during cleaning. Track ends and underside areas are cleaned with Windex and Q-Tips. The track sections were carefully connected to adjoining pieces with all types of Aurora and aftermarket lock tabs available during the 1960’s, being careful not to produce bumps or nonconductive slot sections. As many original Aurora slot car track guard rails and posts from our basement layout were utilized. Track was screwed in placed using original black Aurora track screws, part number 8352-15. Turns are numbered using a Dymo Lable gun in the same sequence as the original 1969 Riverside Long Course. Each lane and corresponding controller is also labeled in the same manner.
Track scenery is...
Currently a work in progress. Various HO scale slot cars that graced our basement 1960’s layout were found and include my favorite... a red MGA. I am currently painting a set of Aurora Start/Finish pylons for the layout, and hope to have an Aurora Dual Pit Stop and Grandstand in the near future. Other buildings, such as various manufacturers’ Judges’Stand, Entrance Building, Restroom, etc. will also hopefully be added in time. Track maintenance is an important aspect of the vintage racing experience and should be performed with each track use. The track is brushed clean prior to each race using a two inch acrylic trim brush, paying particular attention to the slot, joiners, terminal track, and guard rails. The plywood base is easily cleaned of any dust and lint with a Clorox Wipe or damp cotton rag. Paper towels will tear and deposit lint on the track service and are therefore avoided.
Below is a breakdown of...
The various track sections used to create Riverside International Slot Car Raceway:
One can vary...
The different specialty tracks as desired, but the end result either way is a very interesting and fast road course, just as it was done in the heyday of HO slot cars.
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