Old cars on new tracks

[DaveCooke]

I picked up a very nice pair of racing Minis. I tried them on a couple of small layouts using the latest track. Both of them ran very well and didn't come off the track once, so I was very pleased. Are there any long term problems with running older cars on the new track?

Dave

[Andy P.]

The new track runs at 9 volts whereas the old system was 12 or maybe even 15 (dependeing on the age of the cars) so there should be no problems at all. They will only run a little slower.

Some would also say the flatter rails will mean the braids will last longer.

[DaveCooke]

The new track runs at 9 volts whereas the old system was 12 or maybe even 15 (dependeing on the age of the cars) so there should be no problems at all. They will only run a little slower.

Some would also say the flatter rails will mean the braids will last longer.

 

[DaveCooke]

Thanks for the reply Andy. My intention is to use them against each other, rather than against new cars, so both will be affected similarly. I have to say that they still seemed quick!

I'm thinking of getting a second power block and run one lane from each. Does this cause any problems?

Dave 

[woodcote]

Hi Dave. The voltage of the old Micro Scalextric system is 18 volts, the new is 9 volts. The similar geometry of the new and old cars means the braids will sit nicely on the rails and they will chug around at a lower speed. Conversely, the new cars will bomb round an old 18-volt track really quickly!

 

There should not be any long-term issues of running the older cars at a lower voltage. However, running the new cars at higher than 9 volts will almost certainly reduce the life-span of the motors. Having said that, the new cars are incredibly robust and long-lived - the Hornby pop-up shop at St Pancras station in London had a Micro layout running non-stop day-in-day-out for nearly three months. I was told they were the same cars and the same set of pick-ups...

 

Yes, you can use two Micro Scalextric powerbases in a layout as long as you only use one controller in each (each controlling one lane). That is beneficial as each lane will be powered by its own power supply - you don't get that annoying 'surge' when the other car crashes.

 

An 'advanced' alternative is to get a variable voltage DC power supply - offering 9 volts and 18 volts and rated at around 2 amps - and attach that to your powerbase using a plug cut off the end of the new Micro power supply. You can then set that to the voltage appropriate for the cars you are running (old or new) and the extra amps should avoid the dreaded 'surge'.

 

I hope that helps.

[DaveCooke]

Thanks for the replies. I had the minis out on 'old track' last night and I have to say that there didn't seem to be a lot of speed difference from running it on 'new track'. I am impressed by how well they stay on the track, either flavour'. I think my next purchse will be a second power block as it sounds like it has more pros than cons.

Dave.