Compatibility between old and new Scalextric cars and Scalextric track

Use your new Scalextric cars on your old Scalextric track and your old Scalextric cars on your new Scalextric track with these simple hints and tips

Abstract

Scalextric (in one form or other) have been producing Scalextric track and Scalextric cars since the late 1950s and over this time several different standards have been used. This is for both the cars and the track. However, some of the basic principles have remained the same. The track has a slot and two conductor rails on each side. The cars use the slot to guide them around the layout and electrical contacts to touch the conductor rails. Also, the system voltage and current requirement are similar too.

This article explains what is compatible from old to new to Digital and what is not, and what you can do about it.

Introduction

Over the years the track has a slot that has broadly remained unchanged, the cars have a pin or blade that runs in this slot to guide the car around the track. Each side of the slot there are two electrical conductor rails who's dimensions have broadly remained unchanged. The Scalextric cars then have 2 contacts, usually made from flat braided wire that touch each conductor to carry the electric current into the car. The nominal electrical voltage has remained at 12 Volts to 14 Volts for both the power systems and the motors in the cars and the current draw has remained similar too.

This article considers the compatibility of cars and track produced from 1960 to the present day including the Digital control system.

Scalextric Track

The Scalextric track pieces provide several key requirements:

• A known surface for the cars to race on.
• A slot in order to guide the cars around the circuit.
• A method of supplying electrical current to the motors in the cars.

Mechanically the Scalextric track may appear quite different from old to new and had several different standards over the years. The very first track pieces produced were known as "rubber track" and wasn't well designed with poor fixings between the track pieces. In 1963 a plastic track was introduced with good positive fixings between the track pieces. This plastic track is now often referred to as the Classic Scalextric track. In 2002 the track design changed to the Scalextric Sport track design which had an improved fixing method between the track pieces. At the time of witting in 2013, this is the current track design.

Throughout this period the slot in the track and the conductor rails have remained largely unchanged in specification which means the key interface to the Scalextric car has also remained unchanged. One area of difference is that the Classic Scalextric track range offered many track pieces that contained obstacles such as chicanes, hay bails, backed curves and even rocks. None of these are available to the same degree with the Scalextric Sport track system.

Further, the Classic Scalextric track range had a deep graining on the surface giving the car tyres good mechanical grip for cornering and acceleration. With the introduction of Magnatraction the Sport track range didn't need such heavy graining and so has a much lighter surface graining giving a smoother appearance and feel to the track surface.

• 1960 to 1962: Rubber track.
• 1963 to 2001: Classic track.
• 2002 to present: Sport track.

Classic Scalextric track and Sport Scalextric track use different clipping arrangements to connect together. There is a special piece of converter track that can be used to join together Classic Scalextric tack and Sport Scalextric track.

Scalextric Cars

The Scalextric cars have changed little in their basic layout throughout this time. There is a method at the front of the cars to locate or guide them around the track which is either in the shape of a blade or a pin. The blade guides need to rotate in the underside of the Scalextric car to allow the car to take corners while the pin guides tend to be fixed and not rotate. With pin guides the pin is narrow enough to rotate in the slot itself.

Each side of the guide blade or pin there are two metal conductors, usually in the form of flat woven metal braids. These braids rub along the conductor rails providing the necessary two electrical contacts between the track and the car. The motor is then connected to the braids with short lengths of wire. The motor drives the rear axle via a simple gear mechanism which in turn drives the car forward.

Older Scalextric cars tended to have plenty of up/down movement of their front axles and sometimes the front wheels were no where near the track surface. The front of these cars rests solely on the guide and braids. Later Scalextric cars have removed this movement with most running fixed front axles where the front wheels run on the track surface. This is much more realistic as the front wheels rotate as the car moves along the track layout.

In more recent times Scalextric Digital has been introduced. In Scalextric Digital cars there is a small electric circuit (chip) fitted to the car where power from the track goes into the chip and the output from the chip drives the motor. The chip also drives an LED which points downward and which communicates to track pieces to change lanes.

Electrical

The basic electrical specification has remained unchanged from 1960 to the present. The analogue system voltage is 12 Volts to 14 Volts with a series resistive control method. The electrical current drawn by the motors has reduced over the years with the introduction of more efficient motors.

Scalextric Digital uses a completely different way to control the cars. Constant power is supplied to the whole track layout and the cars are controlled with digital signals that again go around the whole circuit.

Compatibility - old cars on new track

There are several factors concerning the use of old Scalextric cars on new Scalextric track. The first of which relates to the change in the surface grain from Classic to Sport track. The older Scalextric cars without Magnatraction will have little mechanical grip from their rear tyres making acceleration and in particular cornering difficult. This can be overcome by fitting Magnatraction magnets and/or MAX Grip tyres. With some ingenuity magnets can be fitted to all of the older Scalextric cars and MAX Grip tyres are available for all the older Scalextric cars too.

The other difficulty concerns the pin guides. The later track layouts used obstacles such as crossovers and the modern Scalextric Digital layouts use lane change pieces or points in the railway vernacular. Essentially, the pin guide doesn't provide any directional stability which means as a car with a pin guide passes over a crossover piece of track it stands a good chance of moving to the wrong lane or slot. To use Scalextric cars with pin guides on later layouts either the lane change or crossover pieces of track need to be removed from the layout or the cars can be converted to use guide blades instead of pins.

The older Scalextric motors tend to consume more electrical current than the newer Scalextric cars. As such the newer power supplies associated with newer Scalextric layouts may not provide sufficient current to allow two older Scalextric cars to race at full power.

Non digital Scalextric cars cannot be used on the Scalextric Digital system as the electrical systems are not compatible. NOTE, a traditional analogue Scalextric car may sustain permanent damage if placed onto a live Scalextric Sport track layout.

Compatibility - new cars on old track

On the whole it is easier to operate new Scalextric cars on the older Scalextric track layouts. Electrically they consume less current and all have guides blades rather than pins. The key problem concerns the fixed front axle as this prevents many of the older obstacles from being used. As the front wheels traverse an obstacle they lift the contact braids away from the conductor rails on the track and the car stops. Obstacles that cannot be used with new Scalextric cars include:

• Banked curves.
• Hump backed bridges.
• Bumpy or rocky track.

Additionally, because of the front axle the new Scalextric cars need a very flat surface on which to operate. Old warped, bent or out of shape track pieces may cause problems for the newer Scalextric cars.

Scalextric cars fitted with a Scalextric Digital chip can be used on analogue layouts.

Compatibility - Analogue and Digital

There are two types of control mechanisms used by Scalextric, these are Analogue and Digital. The Analogue control system is the traditional method which uses a basic resistive winding of wire in the hand controller to control the D.C. voltage sent to the track and car. In the car the wires from the braids connect directly to the D.C. motor.

The Digital system uses frequent digital data messages from the controller to a microprocessor fitted to the car. The track has a permanent A.C. power supply which also goes to the microprocessor in the car. The microprocessor in the car then controls a Pulse Width Modulated (PWM) power feed to the D.C. motor based on the digital data messages from the controller. Therefore there is no direct connection from the track to the motor in a digital car.

Digital cars will work perfectly normally on an analogue power system but analogue cars do not work the Digital power system. Analogue cars may be permanently damaged by the Digital power system.

General

On the whole there is very good compatibility between the old and new Scalextric cars and Scalextric track. Newer Scalextric cars can run well on older Scalextric layouts as long as the layout is flat and contains no sudden changes in height such as rocks or banked curves. Older cars may need some updates to run well on the newer track especially concerning grip. Scalextric cars with pin guides need to avoid layouts with any form of crossover or lane change method.

About the author:

Gary Harding has been working with Scalextric cars for over 40 years and now operates Scalextric Car Restorations in the UK. Scalextric Car Restorations is a Worldwide internet based business that offers for sale high quality Scalextric cars and Scalextric parts from the 1960s to the present day. All the restoration work is carried out to the highest standards with the highest quality parts available. Only the best cars are selected and the final result is a car that is genuinely like new.

Further help and advice relating to this article or Scalextric cars in general can be found at:

http://www.scalextric-car.co.uk

Scalextric slot car parts Neodymium magnatraction magnet kit

Transform your slot car's performance with these upgraded Neodymium magnatraction magnets

Improved track performance with minimal effort.

These Scalextric spares Neodymium Iron Boron magnets have a gauss level which is typically 2 - 4 times higher than standard Alnico magnets. They are nickel-plated for improved corrosion resistance and appearance.

They are suitable for all slot cars; Artin, Ninco, SCX, Scalextric, SCX Scalextric, Tri-ang and many more.

This kit is great if you are not sure which Scalextric spares magnets would be best suited for your car. This kit contains:

Quantity	Description
2	Bar magnet 12mm x 6mm x 1.5mm (1/2" x 1/4" x 1/16" approx.)
2	Bar magnet 25mm x 6mm x 1.5mm (1" x 1/4" x 1/16" approx.)
1	Bar magnet 25mm x 6mm x 3mm (1/2" x 1/4" x 1/8" approx.)
2	Button magnet 8mm x 3mm (1/4" x 1/8" approx.)
2	Button magnet 8mm x 5mm (1/4" x 3/16" approx.)
1	Button magnet 10mm x 5mm (3/8" x 3/16" approx.)

Please see our Neodymium Magnet Safety Page for further information.

Our unique Magnet Downforce Calculator gives the magnetic attraction force for this magnet at given distances from the track. Ideal for locating the magnet.

Another great Scalextric solution from Scalextric Car Restorations

10 reasons why your Scalextric car stops or hesitates on the track

In order for your Scalextric car to give the best lap times under race conditions the track and car must both be in the best of condition. It is common for a car to hesitate or stop on the track spoiling the usual enjoyment Scalextric car racing can give. Listed below is a simple fault finder that will quickly resolve your problem.

Do other cars pause, slow or hesitate at the same point on the track?
For a Scalextric car to give its best performance the track must be in good condition. Below are some common faults found in track layouts.
1.  Dirty or dusty track
It is common for Scalextric cars to drop a small amount of oil onto the track conductor rails as the car is used. This oil builds up over time and can hold onto any dust that may land on the track. Dirty and dusty track can be wiped clean with a cloth.
2.  Tarnished track rails
Over time the bright metal plating on the surface of the Scalextric track rails will oxidise resulting in a rough and high electrical resistance surface. The high resistance will reduce the performance of any Scalextric car while the rough surface will cause increased ware to the pick up braids. The track rails need to be cleaned with a track polishing pad to return the rails to a bright clean and smooth finish.
3.  Poor track rail connections
It is well known that in a medium to large track layout the joints between the individual track pieces can offer high electrical resistance causing a car to slow or hesitate at the far end of the layout. The solution is to electrically connect the track pieces together with a track power booster cable.
Does the car hesitate on left hand corners, right hand corners or the straights only?
It is clearly important that the electrical current flows from the track rails to the car’s motor with as little resistance as possible. Over time several faults can occur with Scalextric cars to reduce their track performance.
4.  Pick up braids
The car’s pick up braids need to be in good clean condition and both be in constant contact with the track rails. If the braids are worn or very dirty then they will need to be replaced with new braids, these are available as normal tin plate finish braids and pure copper braids.
5.  Poor wire connection to the pick up braids
The connection between the pick up braids and the wires are critical to the performance of any Scalextric car. Most of the cars from the 1970 through to the 1990s used little metal pins to connect the wires to the braids. These pick up pins must be present and clean to give the best connection.
6.  Motor connection wire broken
As the guide pivots over time it can cause the motor wire to fracture internally. The motor wire should be replaced if this is found to be the cause. It might be easier to replace the whole guide assembly with the wires already fitted.
Does the car sound normal but moves slowly or not at all?
This can be caused by a mechanical problem between the motor and getting the power down to the track.
7.  Broken motor pinion gear
One of the most common faults is that the motor pinion gear (the little white gear on the motor shaft) can split. This allows the gear to turn on the shaft. A new motor pinion gear is required to fix this problem.
8.  Damaged rear axle gear
It is common for the gear on the rear axle to have damaged teeth. This is especially true if the motor pinion gear is broken. A replacement rear axle gear is required to remedy this problem.
9.  Loose rear wheel
It is common for the rear wheels to become loose on the axle shaft. If this is the only problem then the wheels can be glued into position or alternatively replacement rear wheels can be fitted.
10.  Tyres with little grip
In order for your Scalextric car to give the best lap times under race conditions the car tyres will need to give their best performance. It is necessary to keep the tyres in good condition. Even the best replacement tyres will reduce in performance if not maintained. Replacement tyres are available for most Scalextric cars and are easy to find with our unique tyre finder.
There are many other possible faults especially with the earlier cars with the open frame motors. This is intended as a simple fault finding guide only. If the information above does not resolve the fault then contact us for further information.

This great maintenance guide is brought to you by Scalextric Car Restorations at:

www.scalextric-car.co.uk

7 steps to improve the performance of your classic Scalextric car

Lap times improved from 18.72 seconds to 6.44 seconds. Read on to find out how we did it…..

Abstract

Frequently the older Scalextric cars can seem slow and difficult to race by the standards set by modern Scalextric cars. This article shows that in seven simple steps a typical Scalextric car from the 1970s can be updated to give track times nearly 3 times faster compared to the car when found. This was all accomplished with some basic servicing and with some readily available replacement parts.

Introduction

The older Scalextric cars from the 1970s and 1980s are great models but can seem slow and difficult to race by the standards set by modern Scalextric cars. Luckily these classic Scalextric cars can be upgraded to greatly enhance their track performance making them competitive on the track while not removing any of the enjoyment and skill required for the older Scalextric cars.
This article lists seven simple changes to greatly improve your classic Scalextric car. We have based this article on a 1970s Scalextric C.052 Ford Escort RS1600 which was selected as being typical of the Scalextric cars of the period. It was not prepared before the test apart from ensuring the motor operated as expected and the car was complete, electrically and mechanically with no obvious faults. The tyres were not cracked or split to any great degree and still had grip when run on classic Scalextric track. Our overall impression is that this car had been stood unused for a long period of time.

The seven steps

The results are based on a Scalextric Sport track with a test circuit specifically designed for this test. Built from the modern Sport Scalextric track the surface offers little mechanical grip with a smoother surface compared to the original classic Scalextric track. It incorporated tight inner corner hairpin sections, long straights, chicanes, corners that tightened, corners that opened out. Essentially all types of challenges.
Step 1: After conducting a visual inspection we measured the best lap times the car could achieve. The best lap time achieved was 18.72 seconds. Then the car was given an electrical service with new; copper pick up braids, pick up pins and wires from the pick up assembly to the motor. A retest gave a new lap time of 15.22 seconds which is an improvement of around 18%.
Step 2: Then, the car given a full lubrication service with all the motor and axle bearings given a small drop of oil each. Also, the gears were lightly coated with Teflon impregnated grease. A retest of the car gave a new best lap time of 13.77 seconds which is a further improvement of around 9.5%.
Step 3: After the lubrication service slightly wider axles were fitted and a little weight added to the rear of the chassis. Again the car was tested of the track and this time gave a best lap time of 12.50 seconds which is an improvement of 9.2%.
Step 4: Next a set of high grip replacement SuperSlix tyres were fitted to the rear wheel hubs. A retest gave a new best lap time of 9.99 seconds which is a further 20.1%.
Step 5: With the improvement made so far the next step was to replace the original Johnson motor with a new Mabuchi motor. This more powerful and lighter motor slightly increased the car’s lap time probably due to problems in getting the power down to the track. The best lap time recorded was 10.49 seconds which is a degradation of 0.5%.
Step 6: In order to give the car a chance to use the power available from the Mabuchi motor a Neodymium magnet was added to the chassis of the Escort. The best lap time achieved was 9.12 seconds which was an improvement of 25.5%
Step 7: Our final change was to add MAX Grip tyres as some tyre slip was clearly evident even with the Neodymium magnet present. These replacement SuperSlix tyres are manufactured from a latex material and give outstanding track grip. The best lap achieved a time of 6.44 seconds which was a further improvement of 25.5%

Conclusion

The overall improvement in lap times make this car competitive on the track while not removing any of the enjoyment and skill required. With these simple changes this car was almost a staggering 3 times faster than when purchased.
A more detailed account of the parts used and the results of each step can be can be found at Scalextric Car Restorations.

About the author:

Gary Harding has been working with Scalextric cars for over 30 years and now operates Scalextric Car Restorations in the UK. Scalextric Car Restorations is a Worldwide internet based business that offers for sale high quality Scalextric cars and Scalextric parts from the 1960s to the present day. All the restoration work is carried out to the highest standards with the highest quality parts available. Only the best cars are selected and the final result is a car that is genuinely like new.
Further help and advice relating to this article or Scalextric cars in general can be found at:
http://www.scalextric-car.co.uk

Scalextric cars in need of a good service

We see many older Scalextric cars that have been in storage for a while or maybe cars that haven’t been used much lately and they don’t run very well on the track.  The owners very often think the car is worn out and good only as scrap.  This is often far from the case.



Frequently all that’s needed is a good service and a clean.  With the older Scalextric cars which have an unknown history almost anything could be causing bad running.  On the electrical side we need to provide a good electrical circuit from the track to the motor armature windings.  On the mechanical side everything needs to be free to rotate and be lubricated a little.

Firstly check all the electrical connections and if you are unsure replace the parts as just about all the Scalextric spare parts required are available.  Clean and refit all the electrical parts to the original design where possible which might include soldering the wires to their fittings.

For the mechanical parts ensure everything turns freely at slow speed by rotating by hand.  Some Scalextric cars fitted with the early RX motor suffer from binding of the gears which is a specialist job to rectify.  Also, ensure the gears mesh properly with all the gears feeling the same as you rotate the rear axle.  Finally, add a tiny drop of light engineering oil to all the bearings and a smear of Teflon grease to the gears.

Another great insight from Scalextric Car Restorations

7 steps to improve the track performance of your classic Scalextric car

Lap times improved from 18.72 seconds to 6.44 seconds. Read on to find out how we did it…..
Abstract
Frequently the older Scalextric cars can seem slow and difficult to race by the standards set by modern Scalextric cars.  This article shows that in seven simple steps a typical Scalextric car from the 1970s can be updated to give track times nearly 3 times faster compared to the car when found.  This was all accomplished with some basic servicing and with some readily available replacement parts.
Introduction
The older Scalextric cars from the 1970s and 1980s are great models but can seem slow and difficult to race by the standards set by modern Scalextric cars.  Luckily these classic Scalextric cars can be upgraded to greatly enhance their track performance making them competitive on the track while not removing any of the enjoyment and skill required for the older Scalextric cars.
This article lists seven simple changes to greatly improve your classic Scalextric car.  We have based this article on a 1970s Scalextric C.052 Ford Escort RS1600 which was selected as being typical of the Scalextric cars of the period.  It was not prepared before the test apart from ensuring the motor operated as expected and the car was complete, electrically and mechanically with no obvious faults.  The tyres were not cracked or split to any great degree and still had grip when run on classic Scalextric track.  Our overall impression is that this car had been stood unused for a long period of time.
The seven steps
The results are based on a Scalextric Sport track with a test circuit specifically designed for this test.  Built from the modern Sport Scalextric track the surface offers little mechanical grip with a smoother surface compared to the original classic Scalextric track. It incorporated tight inner corner hairpin sections, long straights, chicanes, corners that tightened, corners that opened out. Essentially all types of challenges.
Step 1:  After conducting a visual inspection we measured the best lap times the car could achieve.  The best lap time achieved was 18.72 seconds.  Then the car was given an electrical service with new; copper pick up braids, pick up pins and wires from the pick up assembly to the motor.  A retest gave a new lap time of 15.22 seconds which is an improvement of around 18%.
Step 2:  Then, the car given a full lubrication service with all the motor and axle bearings given a small drop of oil each.  Also, the gears were lightly coated with Teflon impregnated grease.  A retest of the car gave a new best lap time of 13.77 seconds which is a further improvement of around 9.5%.
Step 3:  After the lubrication service slightly wider axles were fitted and a little weight added to the rear of the chassis.  Again the car was tested of the track and this time gave a best lap time of 12.50 seconds which is an improvement of 9.2%.
Step 4:  Next a set of high grip replacement SuperSlix tyres were fitted to the rear wheel hubs.  A retest gave a new best lap time of 9.99 seconds which is a further 20.1%.
Step 5:  With the improvement made so far the next step was to replace the original Johnson motor with a new Mabuchi motor.  This more powerful and lighter motor slightly increased the car’s lap time probably due to problems in getting the power down to the track.  The best lap time recorded was 10.49 seconds which is a degradation of 0.5%.
Step 6:  In order to give the car a chance to use the power available from the Mabuchi motor a Neodymium magnet was added to the chassis of the Escort.  The best lap time achieved was 9.12 seconds which was an improvement of 25.5%
Step 7:  Our final change was to add MAX Grip tyres as some tyre slip was clearly evident even with the Neodymium magnet present.  These replacement SuperSlix tyres are manufactured from a latex material and give outstanding track grip.  The best lap achieved a time of 6.44 seconds which was a further improvement of 25.5%
Conclusion
The overall improvement in lap times make this car competitive on the track while not removing any of the enjoyment and skill required.  With these simple changes this car was almost a staggering 3 times faster than when purchased.
A more detailed account of the parts used and the results of each step can be can be found at Scalextric Car Restorations.
About the author:
Gary Harding has been working with Scalextric cars for over 30 years and now operates Scalextric Car Restorations in the UK.  Scalextric Car Restorations is a Worldwide internet based business that offers for sale high quality Scalextric cars and Scalextric parts from the 1960s to the present day. All the restoration work is carried out to the highest standards with the highest quality parts available. Only the best cars are selected and the final result is a car that is genuinely like new.
Further help and advice relating to this article or Scalextric cars in general can be found at:
http://www.scalextric-car.co.uk