The compatibility of older Scalextric cars and newer Scalextric tracks (and vice versa)
Utilize your new Scalextric cars on older Scalextric tracks and your vintage Scalextric cars on modern tracks with these straightforward tips and tricks.
Abstract
Since the late 1950s, Scalextric has been manufacturing tracks and cars in various forms, using several different standards over the years. These variations apply to both the cars and the tracks. Despite the changes, some fundamental features have stayed consistent. The track includes a slot and two conductor rails on either side, while the cars use the slot for guidance and electrical contacts to connect with the rails. Additionally, the system’s voltage and current requirements remain largely unchanged.
This article outlines the compatibility between older, newer, and Digital Scalextric systems, highlighting what works together and providing solutions for what doesn’t.
Introduction
Over the years, the track design has featured a slot that has largely stayed the same. Scalextric cars are equipped with a pin or blade that fits into this slot, guiding the car around the track. On either side of the slot, there are two electrical conductor rails, the dimensions of which have also remained consistent. The cars typically have two electrical contacts, often made of flat braided wire, which touch the conductor rails to transfer electrical current to the car. The system’s nominal voltage has remained between 12 and 14 volts for both the power systems and the car motors, with a similar current draw.
This article explores the compatibility of Scalextric cars and tracks produced from 1960 to the present day, including the Digital control system.
Scalextric Track
Scalextric track pieces serve several essential functions:
- Providing a consistent surface for cars to race on.
- Featuring a slot to guide cars around the circuit.
- Delivering electrical current to power the car motors.
Over the years, the mechanical design of Scalextric tracks has evolved significantly, with various standards introduced. The earliest tracks, known as “rubber tracks,” were poorly designed with weak connections between pieces. In 1963, plastic track pieces were introduced, offering strong, reliable connections. This version is commonly referred to as Classic Scalextric track. In 2002, the design was updated to Scalextric Sport track, which featured an improved connection system. As of 2013, the Sport track design remains the current standard.
Despite these changes, the slot and conductor rails on the tracks have remained largely consistent, ensuring compatibility with the cars. However, there are some notable differences. Classic Scalextric tracks included a wide variety of pieces with built-in obstacles such as chicanes, hay bales, banked curves, and even rocks, which are less common in the Sport track system.
The Classic track also had a deeply grained surface, providing excellent mechanical grip for car tires during cornering and acceleration. With the introduction of Magnatraction technology, the Sport track surface features much lighter graining, resulting in a smoother appearance and feel.
Timeline of Scalextric Track Designs:
- 1960 to 1962: Rubber track.
- 1963 to 2001: Classic track.
- 2002 to present: Sport track.
Classic and Sport Scalextric tracks use different clipping mechanisms to connect pieces. A special converter track is available to link Classic and Sport track systems seamlessly.
Scalextric Cars
The fundamental design of Scalextric cars has remained largely consistent over time. At the front of each car, there is a guiding mechanism—either a blade or a pin—that keeps the car on track. Blade guides rotate underneath the car to navigate corners, while pin guides are typically fixed and rely on their narrow shape to rotate within the track slot.
On either side of the guide blade or pin, two metal conductors (usually flat woven braids) make contact with the conductor rails on the track. These braids transfer electricity from the rails to the motor via short wires. The motor then powers the rear axle through a straightforward gear system, propelling the car forward.
Older Scalextric cars often featured a lot of vertical movement in their front axles, with front wheels sometimes not even touching the track. These cars relied entirely on the guide and braids for support. Modern Scalextric cars typically have fixed front axles, ensuring the front wheels rest on the track surface, which is more realistic as the wheels rotate with the car’s movement.
In recent years, Scalextric Digital has introduced new functionality. Digital cars include a small electronic chip that processes power from the track to drive the motor. The chip also controls a downward-facing LED that communicates with specific track pieces to enable lane changes.
Electrical Specifications
The core electrical specifications of Scalextric systems have remained the same since 1960. The analogue system operates at 12 to 14 volts with a series resistive control mechanism. Over time, motor designs have become more efficient, resulting in lower current draw.
Scalextric Digital operates differently, supplying constant power across the entire track layout. Cars are controlled via digital signals transmitted throughout the circuit, allowing for enhanced features such as lane switching.
Compatibility – using old cars on new tracks
Generally, it’s easier to run new Scalextric cars on older track layouts. Electrically, they draw less current and all feature guide blades instead of pins. The main issue arises with the fixed front axle, which limits the use of many older obstacles. As the front wheels pass over an obstacle, they lift the contact braids away from the conductor rails, causing the car to stop. Obstacles that cannot be used with newer Scalextric cars include:
- Banked curves
- Hump-backed bridges
- Bumpy or rocky track sections
Additionally, due to the front axle design, new Scalextric cars require a very flat track surface. Older, warped, bent, or misshapen track pieces may cause problems for these cars.
Scalextric cars equipped with a Scalextric Digital chip can still be used on analogue layouts.
Scalextric cars manufactured since 2016 have an additional compatibility issue with older Classic Scalextric tracks. The depth of the guide blade was increased by 1 mm in 2016, likely to improve retention in the Sport track slot. On older tracks, this extra depth can cause the guide blade to catch on the bottom of the slot, resulting in a bumpy ride. The simple fix is to remove the 1mm from the bottom of the guide blade.
Compatibility – Analogue and Digital
Scalextric uses two types of control systems: Analogue and Digital. The Analogue system is the traditional method, where the hand controller uses a simple resistive wire winding to regulate the DC voltage sent to the track and cars. The wires from the car’s braids connect directly to the DC motor.
The Digital system, on the other hand, uses digital data messages sent from the controller to a microprocessor in the car. The track supplies a constant AC power, which also feeds into the car’s microprocessor. The microprocessor then controls the power to the DC motor using Pulse Width Modulation (PWM), based on the digital signals. This means there is no direct electrical connection from the track to the motor in a digital car.
Digital cars are fully compatible with an analogue power system, but analogue cars will not function on a digital power system and could be permanently damaged if used.
General Compatibility
Overall, there is excellent compatibility between old and new Scalextric cars and tracks. Newer Scalextric cars can run smoothly on older track layouts, provided the layout is flat and free from obstacles like rocks or banked curves. Older cars may require some updates, particularly for better grip on newer tracks. Scalextric cars with pin guides should avoid layouts with crossovers or lane-changing features.
