by mrstumpyHO » Fri Jan 01, 2016 9:50 am
You 1/43 folks are not alone. There is a very small band of slotless enthusiasts around the country. These are folks who collect and race the old Tyco, Aurora, and Ideal stuff from the seventies through the nineties. (There are other brands as well.) There is not even a regular forum or e-mail list, we just sort of stumble across each other from time to time.
As far as costs and travel, I used to race with two T-jet clubs, which meant that I went to races twice a month and sometimes more. Some races were seventy or eighty miles away, one way. I did it for several years, and the travel just got to be too much. And this without the costs of food and motels. I also used to do as many as ten train shows a year (my other major hobby) and tired of that as well due to costs and time away from home. One thing that I have learned is NEVER to take the costs and problems of travel lightly. No matter how well you plan, there is always the unforeseen.
I still race T-jets with a few friends, maybe once a month, and I play around with slotless stuff. The slotless equipment allows me to challenge myself without travel or having a scheduled race to go to. Not the best solution, or the most desirable, but it works for me.
Stumpy in Ahia :character-oldtimer: