Triang Minic Motorways

[poliss]

Minic Motorways are a bit old hat these days. Modern systems don't need slots and can be digitally controlled.

See this demo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTO2Gmksuyg

[walkingthedog]

Sorry Steamdriven but I think systems like the Faller vehicles knock the old Minic vehicles for six. 

[The son of Triangman]

Minic motorways would be a welcome return or something new similar, with all those 1950's and 60's UK outline lorries, buses and cars and the road/rail sections allowing you to integrate the road system into the rail system.

[Steamdrivendavy]

Minic Motorways are a bit old hat these days. Modern systems don't need slots and can be digitally controlled.

See this demo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTO2Gmksuyg

Wow... That's impressive.  Guess I'm too old school ha.  Thank you.

 

[Bulver]

For me, the Faller system is more up-to-date with regard to electronics, (no pickup groove, battery powered) but having watched the video referred to, and a couple of others, it appears to me to be a little jerky and not as smooth as one might expect.  I remember the Triang product ran in a similar fashion, but that was last produced some 30 to 40 years ago.  Also, the Faller product, whilst running on a magnetic guide system, still needs a pickup at the front.  Lastly, and I guess, importantly, for those of us running systems based on BR times or earlier, there is understandably a lack of UK outline models, which is where the Triang  Minic scored well.  Having made these observations, I do not know what the solution is!!  there was an article in one of the mags some time ago, where a Faller chassis was married to a UK outline lorry, and that looked the part.

[Tony57]

 Hi

There were several other minature working road set around at the same time as minic motorways including a set called Tyco US trucking, ( don't know the link but there is a great youtube video showing a set working, as there are showing minic motorways working.)  Yes it would be great to have British outline vehicles moving around the layout base boards instead of sitting there static.

The issue at present with minic motorways is there are no new vehicles and spare parts are getting harder to find, track is easy to get hold of and there is a group of minic motorway users who produced replacement silicone rubber for the track, I have replace meters of the stuff and it dead easy to do. The sides of the track is made of a brass like material and is hard wearing. (Would be great if Hornby group of companies could help out on the spares side of things).

In relation to new Minic Motorway vehicles it would be easy for Micro Scalextrics and Corgi (and others) to work together to produce motorised chassis for many 1/76 vehicles ( [easy] box type lorrries, single and double decker buses, coaches, small vans and larger cars [harder] flat beds, drop side, tippers, trailer tractor units ) to convert them to run on current minic motorway track, if the demand was there, then new track  system could be developed. They could also develop a possible faller type chassis so as to convert the above list of vehicals to rechargable battery powered units.

[poliss]

I picked that video because it demonstrated what the system can do vis-à-vis junctions.

This video shows them running more smoothly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTS3JBPFYr0

There's an updated system coming, or may already be here, with 'satellite' control. (The satellite is actually ultrasound.)

Other HO systems are available. I've seen several videos where British outline vehicles have been converted to the Faller system.

In N Scale, you can get a RTR track system, like Minic, but without the slots.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpYaryP0ikg

[walkingthedog]

I'd have said there are plenty of 1:76 modern vehicles available. 

[rayarpino]

Minic was lovely and a great innovation for its day. It has become a hallowed collectors'item and so it should remain, except the spare parts issue. But I have yet to see anyone making something that doesn't make money. And who would be prepared to go back to a three rail 00 train system? Except those who swear by the name of an ancient German manufacturer of quality. 

Despite its charms, it is an outdated system in every aspect, including the mouldings. Let's have an up to date digital system and exploit the possibilities of 3-d printing, or rather moulding that could provide us with practically any model of car, lorry, etc.,  past and present. I believe there is a Dutch firml producing working bicycles in HO, but don't remember if they use a 'third rail'. 

[walkingthedog]

Working bicycles with lights rayarpin. 

[Tony57]

 Hi,

Being one of those people who loves Minic Motorways and the concept of having moving road vehicles as well as moving trains on my layout. Yes Minic has it limitations but as a level entry road system it is more affordable to build up over time than some of the other systems on the market. I started with an oval of track, added a couple of cars, brought more track then several more vehicles and so on just as I did with my railway collection.

 With today's scale model transport all you would need is for a manufacturer to develop a minic motorway compatible motorised chassis that would match the vehicles unmotorised one,  so all you need to do is to unscrew the two screws holding in the unmotorised one fit the motorised one, do up the screws,  Little johnny's inert model now can be driven around the roads likein real life, not every model car could be converted but a selection could be as could selections of vans, lorries, coaches and buses.

Start it simple, if the concept takes off then develop it to DCC with working lights, indicators, brake lights stop start at traffic lights, computer controlled electriclly operated junctions and roundabouts, buses stopping at bus stop laybys etc etc. I am not saying Hornby does it but as a group of companies why not? (Corgie trackside and ommibus plus micro scalextric could do it and Hornby Railway for road rail interactions)

 

 

[poliss]

Working bicycles have been around for years now WTD. Try doing this with Minic Motorways. ;-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-Ry4XJNJSs

[JohnnyGee]

I'm slowly collecting the parts to put together the car transporter setup where you can drive the car onto the railcar and then chuff away with it.

[micky.b]

As a member of the minic motorway owners group just to say a couple of members have been chipping their vehicals to run on a DCC system so it is possible. As the person who raised this issue on the old forum it heartening to see others have the same view

as me on how nice it is to see moving vehicals on a model railway layout. Ok there are issues with minic like the rubber that hold the track apart perishes over time but one of the unknow things about minic is you can reverse the vehicals, slowly or at speed,

which can not be done with micro or normal scalextics. The rail track has to be super 4 to be compatible with the minic rail/road track sections that are available or use plenty of converter rails.
The cars are a little large compaired to corgi trackside/

scaledale but the fire engine, breakdown lorry, Red and Green double decker buses, luxuary coach and Bedford TK lorries are spot on. I am using the scaledale bus depot with my minic buses.

I would like Hornby group of companies develop motorised chassies,

so most trackside and scaledale vehicals could be motorised to run on old or new minic and/or micro scalextric track and interact with current railway systems. This would be a cheap road system to produce as most of the moulds required are already available.

 

[Chrissaf]

micky.b

.

Please read TIPs 2 & 3 in my TIPs page. I very nearly removed your last post because I thought it was a malformed quote. Where in fact it is all your own new text but incorrectly placed within a quote text box that should have been removed. The TIPs 2 & 3 explain how to remove the yellow quote highlight (too late now as the 10 minute edit period has elapsed).

.

https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/forum/tips-on-using-the-forum/

.

I really do wonder if there is any real benefit in resurrecting a 5 year old thread.

[jane1707819582]

 @ Micky

Are there any details about the minic owners group ?

[96RAF]

Any help Jane2 

 

http://www.minicmotorways.org.uk/

[The Duke 71000]

As someone has already mentioned, there is the Faller roadway system. Being German designed and made it is a fairly sophisticated system. Their range includes roadway (German style) as well as an increasing range of road vehicles. As mentioned above it is possible to create your own roadway as the guidance system (a wire) can be buried in/under any surface except possibly a ploughed field.

However as this is the Hornby fan website, possibly it is worth mentioning that the Faller road vehicles are HO scale not OO. I can't see any reason why Hornby couldn't make OO vehicles suitable for use on this system, and steal some of Faller's thunder !!!!  

The Duke 71000

[TheManCave]

That would be great I know my friends dad made a conveyer belt system on his layout and glued some cars to it but with technology today this has to be easily achievable

[Timothy-345026]

Hi I wondered if anyone has any knowledge on how to put these together? I’ve just been given minic motorways M1503 set. It has all the parts from the manual. But you have to supply your own transformer. The controller is (in terms of the cables) similar to a 1980s scalextric. So looks like you would connect two wires to a transformer and then a connector clips under the track. These original controllers have the clips to connect under the track - but the track has no connections underneath. It has one straight piece of track that has 4 holes in the side. There are 6 short lengths of connection cable supplied that connect into those holes, but I do not know how they connect to the speed controllers. Any help is much appreciated as I’m pulling my hair out 😀

[Tony57]

Hi Timothy,

Have you sorted out the issue? sorry for the delay in responding, I don't look at the wish list section very often.

You do not have to use the hand controllers as you can use a standard train controller / transformer to control the cars / lorries. All you need to do is to run 2 wires from each controller straight to the power track one for each lane. I use a H&M duette for this task. Most show exhibitors use controllers rather than hand controllers.

There are two types of hand controllers, the first is just a stop and go, the other has a reversing switch which changes the direction of travel.

If you need to use the hand controllers they only have 2 pairs of wires, two wires should have loops on them and the other two should have pins on them, the loops are fitted to a transformer the pins are pushed in to the holes on the side of the power track M1604 The left hand pair of holes connect the near side track the right hand pair connect to the far side track.

If using as a sports track the cars can be driven in the same direction, as a road left hand lane is in 1 direction the right hand lane in the opposite direction.

[Rog RJ]

Always used a Duette with my Minic Motorway. Worked very well.

Never used both railway and motorway at the same time though as I never had enough room for both.

[Rana Temporia]

I had a bag of slot cars given to me years ago which I think were 4mm and possibly Aurora. The track was similar to the Minic track I’ve seen but as I never actually had that system I can’t say if it’s the same. They actually ran very well and as Rog says, I used a railway controller with them. There were some British cars amongst them, notably a Ford Escort. No idea what happened to them, they may have gone to a charity shop years ago.

Playcraft also did a similar system that was advertised as HO and I think the track was grey.

It was the discussion on controllers that made me answer this thread. Has anyone tried a PWM controller with the cars? As it gives the full voltage with each pulse it might help with dirt on the track or sticky mechanisms.