AFX & Auto World Slot Car: Dodge & BMW Racing & HO Scale Trains

Slot Car Racing: Plymouth Fury 1977 (Auto World Xtraction Thunderjet) vs BMW "Beamer" M1 (AFX Tomy SRT Super Racing Turbo). Trains in video: Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) RR EMD Diesel locomotives E8 and E7 by Lifelike Proto and a mix of Rivarossi, Athearn, Bachman B&O passenger cars. Several years ago, this whole B&O train was stored so that a flash flood caused 2 foot of water in basement that they soaked in many hours. That flood water was below the layout and most other storage was also dry. But after hosing and brushing (inside and out) and drying the flooded trains ran again. Some water stain remained. The HO slot cars were fun to run around the track, they stayed on the track very well. The cars had nice range of speeds on the Parma controllers, so they could be slow through the curves and also sprint on straightaways. Many years ago, the track had banked curves, and everybody floored the cars in more ways than one. Level curves replaced the banked ones, and everybody had to actually drive the cars. We do more like "road rally" than race, like the rally races that go the speed limit and winning is to stay on road and get to end without going off the road. Slot Car Track layout has been engineered to keeps cars rolling. Track sections have jumper soldered wiring. Also feed wires go to several of these jumper wires. Video is not at all in order or continuous, the camera was moved around various view angles during the race and the clips were edited and intermingled. Catching up on previous video files as laptop HD getting too much. The views from the train with slots passing by were done with on board gopro camera on flatcar held by rubber band (which does not meet RR clearances). The gopro is wide on flat car and can hit things too close to track. The wide go pro also if not center balanced by rubber band may cause flat car to wobble and derail flat car wheel. Other shots were from canon camera on tripod. Postproduction also involves masking, screening, and framing. In hollywood movies, even those that used model trains, they do try to keep you from seeing studio ceiling and cameras, lights and equipment. That has been my intention to make videos without distractions, such as light fixtures, ceiling, windows, furnace, water heater, basement stuff and giant people appearing in videos. So, in addition to slot cars and model railroad fun, video narrative production has become an additional hobby. Better lighting is needed. Maybe better cameras.
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