Back in the days before people had computers and TV sets as their source of entertainment many of us enjoyed slot car racing and model trains. A slot car racing track was often a social hub where family and friends could come together and have some fun just being together.
Fast Facts
- Back before computer games were invented model trains and slot car racing tracks provided hours of family fun and entertainment – and provided family bonding – a family that plays together tends to stay together and appreciate each other.
- A beautiful 16 feet by 8 feet slot car and train layout is up for sale at Bring-a-Trailer.
When I was young in the 1950’s and 1960’s there were no computers, and hence no computer games. The television, if you had one, was in black and white, and screen size was somewhere around 15 to 25 inches.
So as children we had model trains, a slot car track, and we used to make plastic kits of interesting things, or we’d enjoy the Meccano set.
These are things I’ve retained an interest in even through to the present day. I think that time spent around the slot car track with family and friends is without doubt going to be a much happier and healthier social time than sitting at a computer screen playing “games” that so often serve up murder as entertainment.
I sometimes wonder if the “entertainment” industry has ever really considered the effect of “murder for entertainment” on young minds, even as they advocate “gun control” as being the solution to violent crime?
Back when I was enjoying model trains and slot car racing our family did not have a lot of money, so we were limited to tracks that would fit onto a dining table, tracks that had to be taken apart ready for the evening meal. I used to dream of having a permanent layout: and my dreams were of something that would fill a decent sized room – when I was young it was fine to dream of big things – even without the expectation that the dream might ever be fulfilled.
So when I was surfing the Internet recently looking for nothing in particular and stumbled upon an utterly fabulous model trains and slot car track beautifully created I was instantly drawn.
Back when I was a boy the expected size for a train layout was 6 feet by 8 feet. But the layout I found on Bring a Trailer is 16 feet by 8 feet: the sort of thing that fills up garage space and turns it into a family playroom.
Both the train track and the slot car raceway are made in the common standard “HO” scale, which is essentially “Half O” scale (Note: “O” scale is the scale size used by the iconic American Lionel trains).
The raceway is a rather creative four lane track that provides challenge and excitement as it weaves through curves and hills passing over bridges, through tunnels, and has a long speed straight set diagonally across the layout: a layout that provides banked turns and chicanes, and guard rails to help save your car from the mistakes of over exuberance that one is likely to make.
So expansive and creative is the car racing track that the designer has provided color coded labels around the circuit to make it easier for racers to identify which lane their car is in at any time.
The train tracks that run around the perimeter of the road racing circuit include tunnels and provide a potentially more peaceful time in contrast to the adrenaline pumping road racing.
The whole layout is set on a wood frame and has castors to make it more conveniently movable.
The set also comes with slot cars that suit the track.
This whole layout is currently for sale on the Bring-a-Trailer online auction site, and you will find the sale page with more details if you click here.
Media Credit: All pictures and video courtesy Bring-a-Trailer.
Jon Branch is the founder and senior editor of Revivaler and has written a significant number of articles for various publications including official Buying Guides for eBay, classic car articles for Hagerty, magazine articles for both the Australian Shooters Journal and the Australian Shooter, and he’s a long time contributor to Silodrome.
Jon has done radio, television, magazine and newspaper interviews on various issues, and has traveled extensively, having lived in Britain, Australia, China and Hong Kong. His travels have taken him to Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan and a number of other countries. He has studied the Japanese sword arts and has a long history of involvement in the shooting sports, which has included authoring submissions to government on various firearms related issues and assisting in the design and establishment of shooting ranges.
