[woodcote]

Phew! I'm glad the area has kept some of its 'charm'. Very nice little houses on Station Road. The pub near Penge East was somewhere we'd go quite often - we liked the landlord. Then he got sent down for a long stretch for a shockingly brutal assault on a rival publican.

Anyway, thank you Richard for reminding me about the track. Should get a few hours to requisition the kitchen floor over the next few days - and there are a few things to try...

   

That plan has been worked and re-worked many times and the corners built and tested. The key parts to look at with the whole track together are...

1. The top left corner and the pit entry - does it have to be the R3-R2-R3 with 3/4 of a straight before the pit-entry (one foot before the sensor). Or could I use my preferred corner of 4 x R3 and just a half straight? I'm not so bothered about getting in the pits (slow down!), more worried about a non-pitting car hanging out round the corner and catching the lane change flipper open...
   
2. Where best for the powerbase? It's going to be ARC Pro, with the option of swapping in a C7042 Advanced 6-car powerbase (or ARC Air) from time to time (maybe). The best place is probably on the lower straight, parallel to the pits. But I still have a hankering for a CLC at the end of that straight - and a LC button push over the ARC Pro sensors is not a great idea even with the latest powerbase update...
   
3. XLC or CLC? The original design was with the CLC. But then I re-worked both corners - especially the bottom right corner with the lovely R4-1/2str-R3-R3-R3 tightening to the R2-R1-R1-R2 and the evil reverse R1. Now it makes sense to have the XLC going in to the R4 and another XLC going into the top right bend. Those would be the only two lane changers, but I think they are in the right places for experimenting with a racing line and - potentially - for some close racing action...
   
4. Elevation - that's going to be trial and error. The layout is rather Monte Carlo-esque, but in terms of scenics I will use the terraces and railway station at Crystal Palace for inspiration - not like the real circuit, but in keeping with the setting. The front stretches are obviously lower. Mike (mikefi) at WHO has used some lovely looping ramps to get elevation on our digital tracks, so I will look to get part of the elevation done in those two looped curves and then gentle, steady gradients up the right-hand-side and down the pit straight. Elevations aren't great for using pace cars, but I'm not a fan of them anyway - I'd rather race against the clock or other people. Or just run some laps.
   
5. And I'll see how it drives with a range of digital and analogue cars, with and without magnets. And be prepared to swap around some track pieces (I have extras) within the space constraints - 280cms across the top and 283cms down the side. I'll be using Scalextric borders to begin with to give an idea of run-off space.
   

Here's a bit more saloon car action - in colour - from 1964...