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It' not actually a scale replica of Brooklands, rather a 3.4 mile track (new world record for Scalextrix) built at Brooklands. I'm looking forward to the programme too - as well as the Lego one (me and no. 1 son helped build it!)
Edited by boxsterboy on 17/11/2009 at 14:01
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I can't wait :) There is something wonderful about James May's presenting style. I think it is because he never actually wanted to be a TV presenter.
He has a Fred Dibnah style about him :).
Is the one about the model railways going to be broadcast? Apparently it failed due to vandals.
Edited by Pugugly on 17/11/2009 at 15:59
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Is the one about the model railways going to be broadcast? Apparently it failed due to vandals.
I understand its scheduled to be the last of the series, as trains are his favourite (he said so in that programme he did a few years ago on toys and he left them 'til last then as well)... I think they did have problems, it was 10 miles long along an old trackbed, but I think it failed due to a failed engine rather than the vandals, but we'll just have to wait a see...
I too will be glued to the box at 20.00!!
Edited by b308 on 17/11/2009 at 17:58
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I think they did have problemsit was 10 miles long along an old trackbed but I think it failed due to a failed engine rather than the vandals but we'll just have to wait a see...
As a railway modeller I followed progress on that one with keen interest: for those who find browsing model railway sites a socially acceptable thing to do ;-) there's some on the spot reports in this thread :-
tinyurl.com/yhomqa8
In summary I think the problems boiled down to :-
Laying the track on a cold very wet Devon morning, then the sun came out all afternoon and major problems with thermal expansion of the track resulted.
Some problems with vandals as mentioned putting coins on the line and nicking bits.
Gneral issues with debris etc. on the line, after all the rail is only 100 thou high and it's easy to get stuff jammed between wheel and rail when running outdoors.
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easy to get stuff jammed between wheel and rail when running outdoors.
the odd leaf ?
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Yep, the leaf fall season is a problem for outdoor toy trains as well as 1:1 scale ones :-) Rats eating the track is another one; which is probably less of a problem in real life.
I did read in one of this month's Model Railway Magazines that a guy with a decent size garden layout has managed to run a recent Hornby model for 10 real miles in 24 hours, with a few stops for wheel cleaning but not much else.
Edited by SpamCan61 {P} on 18/11/2009 at 09:34
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Its a good job Hornby don't make real trains then :p
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easy to get stuff jammed between wheel and rail when running outdoors. the odd leaf ?
LOL, but of a woosh moment on my part there PU :--)
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And I helped build the scaletrix at brooklands.
(well I milled about a bit and gave support)
It was interesting. The track at brooklands is cut in several places, one where it fell into he river wey and was never repaired, and several cut throughs for access and roads over the years. So traffic had to be held up and temporary supports made to complete the curcuit.
I was lucky, at the "Powered by Mercedes day" access to the infield parking was along the track, the byfleet bank to be precise. This is not the highest bank but the second highest. On the exit from the event, when there was no-one around, the Altea went round the top at 60 mph.............
Edited by Altea Ego on 17/11/2009 at 15:42
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>>On the exit from the event when there was no-one aroundthe Altea went round the top at 60 mph.............
Impressive - the track is pretty rough these days !
There's a great play-park on the section which leads up to the bridge over the Wey (near the closed road in the TV program). Often go there with the kids as there's a disused go-kart track for them to practice cycling on. The banked track is at its steepest there and you can have fun (if you're a 6 year old at heart) climbing to the top and running down it - even better on your mountain bike ;-)
On a more serious note, Brooklands Museum is a place of pilgrimage for petrol-heads (includes aircraft too). Run by volunteers you can sit in the Sultan of Brunei's plane from the 1970s and play with the controls in the cockpit - the 6 year old speaking again - highly recommended - the smell of oil, metal and leather in the car garages is heavenly.
Mercedes Benz World on the same site is free entry, also great for petrol-heads and welcoming to children - great cafe too.
Hopefully I've done a good sales job for them all !
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> Impressive - the track is pretty rough these days
It was always thus I_C. the concrete slabs were never that thick and poorly laid. When new it was rough and the cars would fly from slab to slab. The Byfleet bank, where you let the kids play and I sometimes run the dog, the bit I drove on, is not actually the highest. the weybridge bank (inside the museum complex) is the highest and steepest.
The combination of MB world and Brooklands museum, is indeed worthy of a full day out, and worth a two hour trip to get here for all who enjoys their cars
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is not actually the highest. the weybridge bank (inside the museum complex) is the highest and steepest.
So I walked the Weybridge bank in November 1995 before the museum tour that was arranged for us grads.
Sounds like a visit again would be worthwhile though.
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>Sounds like a visit again would be worthwhile though
Yes it is. I live nearby and was a friend of the museum for a long time, and now I am retiring I may well voulanteer. As i said, combined with MB world, this site is now worthy of a full day out. Its best to choose a day when the aircraft are open, but gets very busy when there is an event on. (It was heaving for the 40th aniversary of the Capri)
The weybridge bank is steep. Real Steep. It is nearly impossible to climb it right to the top and stay there, and coming down again is a real experience akin to rock climbing.
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> The weybridge bank is steep. Real Steep.
It's like climbing a 'slab' - trick is to keep your feet flat against the surface, getting down involves abandoning instincts and running down it - you can stop when it flattens at the bottom, don't even try to control your descent or you'll end up on your backside.
As I said, I derive the same pleasure as my 6 year old does in doing this, what's really surprising is how far you can get up the banking on your bike and how stable / natural it feels.
We (the children and I) always discuss what it must have been like to do 100mph+ on skinny tyres and spoked wheels with a pair of goggles the only 'nod' to safety - crazy to our modern air-bagged world, but heroic all the same.
Edited by idle_chatterer on 18/11/2009 at 14:40
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