clifford show roadway project
 

Hi guys, we need to come up with a roadway sysem for clifford, does anyone have any ideas? last years worked (kind of) in a pinch but I think it would be good if we came up with some sort of "standard" so everyone could make a few panels or whatever that will all join up .

whats everyone think? also have to take into account how sharkeys inspection station will connect and possibly other buildings / units.

Re: clifford show roadway project
 

Just curious Shawn.... Do you still have the sheets from last year?
I'm assuming we want to change the layout from last year? How about each of us make up a simple sketch of what we think would work? Then we can figure out who can make what and bring it all together?

Mario

Re: clifford show roadway project
 

So I said a simple drawing so dont laugh at my purty drawring...lol

Working from last years set up i thought it would be nice to just add a few things. Exact locations can vary of course. The gravel pit thing is for my new loader and dump trailer. Of course i will build and bring those areas:D. I thought 2 areas for hauling from one point to another back and forth. I thought a staging area would be nice to keep human traffic on the layout to a minimum.
Lets talk! whats good, whats bad??

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...psdc08b8e7.png

Mario

Re: clifford show roadway project
 

a roundabout? are you crazy those things suck lol (jk), ya mario I like the looks of that, so from what i see its about the same length as last year but maybe twice as wide? I still have the old panels but i think they are not worth using, too thin and will likely warp bad again like last time. also, how to join them? I think last years method would work if we used actual plywood instead of chip board for the pieces underneath.

Re: clifford show roadway project
 

This girl thinks you guys are doing a wonderful job and I will sit back and look pretty while you guys exercise your brains and muscles..lol..Shawn, have you talked Jen into operating some of your RC's so I'm not the only woman....

Re: clifford show roadway project
 

LOL Mama Sue, she wont, shes afraid of damaging one of them or someone elses ( even tho ive told her a million times she'd be fine), my daughter wants to in the worst way but shes only 6 and so far ive only let her drive around trailerless. My brother is getting married this summer and is talking of doing it that weekend! nothing in stone yet tho! Ill find a way to pull it all off....

Re: clifford show roadway project
 

Roundabout? Yup, it's gonna be around about 25C , sunny skies and a great event :) lol

I figured it would be better to add width instead of length to the course. That was 2 nice straight stretches last year, way longer than the roads at the Indy event ( except for cruising the hallways of the Marriott which was a blast:D )
Anyway, twice as wide would be ideal. I know that's a lot more lumber but to have at least a 4 ft expansion instead of 8?
Another thing, if Dwayne brings his real truck that means we have compressed air which means I can bring a nail gun for any on site assembly. We should try and use last years material which is already bought and paid for and yes, if we use something like a 1X6 to secure the sheet joints the uneven edges won't happen? This way, the cost of this years layout is only an expansion instead of a complete revamp. Plywood is great but it's not cheap:eek:

I'm sure all your plans will work out Shawn. Remember how one minute I wasn't going to make it to the show and at the last minute things worked out:):);):D

Mario

Re: clifford show roadway project
 

Dwayne, is there any chance they would let us use the covered picnic area so we wouldn't have to struggle with the uneven ground???

Re: clifford show roadway project
 

Sorry Mike, I talked to Dwayne, it ain't gonna happen.
Even a flat dirt surface would work, the sheets could be so much thinner , lighter, cheaper....the reason for last years location was for exposure to the crowds as we were in the center of it all.

Re: clifford show roadway project
 

it would be nice to have enough of those pop up tents to cover the entire area I for one was roasted at the end of the day and spent more time in my tent due to the heat than I really wanted too... wonder how much trouble it would be to get a big tent.

Re: clifford show roadway project
 

I was wondering the same thing...It would add overhead protection from the sun/heat and maybe keep the ground a bit cooler..Just wasn't sure about price or what's in the area.

Re: clifford show roadway project
 

I agree sharkey, problem here is nobody knows how to use them, and I find alot of them are too small. Theres two that we drive through saturday going to market and they are so small rigs end up hopping curbs just to get around them! our truck is ok (26' freightliner) but I feel sorry for the rig drivers.

on the roadway topic, I still have all the old panels, tarped up outside, have to see if they are still useable. I think they would be ok if we had a better joining method. maybe we sould arrange a get together like Rev suggested in his other thread, we could try some stuff out....

Re: clifford show roadway project
 

Hi guys,

I don't know what your panels look like or how you had them arranged so I might be way off here, but what about making a temple and using a router to make a duel dovetail shape? Like this: http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/person...erflyjoint.jpg

Re: clifford show roadway project
 

Shawn those trucks running over the curbs on the inside of the roundabouts is exactly the way they are supposed to work and exactly how they were designed...I had to sit through a city planning meeting last year on how they are built and why they are designed the way they are...however tons of people don't know what they are doing once inside them, that is true. Personally I love them, just like Sharkey says they keep the traffic moving!

Re: clifford show roadway project
 

Heres a few pics from last years show. You can see the dishing of the sheets and the edges were killer if you caught one going too fast:eek:
it worked fine for the first few hours but then the sun was so hot that day it warped the boards and melted anyone standing in it!
Yeah, some type of tent would be nice but it would need to be pretty big to cover the entire course:eek:
Susan and I did purchase the exact same canopy that you guys have and i think we can borrow another from a friend which gets us up to 5 canopys ?

anyway, heres the pics of what was a decent first time track and a great time!:D

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...ps91ecf1d5.jpg

Notice alot of bumpers are lower than the boards, trucks are leaning...:D

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2504e8af.jpg

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...pse2055b42.jpg

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8b560655.jpg

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/...psc677e517.jpg

Re: clifford show roadway project
 

Roundabouts are the reason my trailer runs on the sidewalk, they are poorly engineered, and too small for the Neighborhood.
Cheer's, Neil.

Re: clifford show roadway project
 

whatever we do guys ...using the covered concrete slab is out of the question..the park is owned by the rotary club and they get revenue from the beer and food tents there and we cannot ask them for it ..like last year the prez is going to give us the same area i believe so we are in the middle of the park.it is fast approaching so we need to figure out something very soon and get started on it.:)

Re: clifford show roadway project
 

i think the old panels may work if we change the way they are joined. last year we used strips of particle board about 8 inches wide underneath , the probelm was the screws pulled out after a while. I think if we used wider strips of actual plywood so teh screws have something to bite into it may be better? between the different material and larger overlap it may fix the dishing, whats everyone think?

Re: clifford show roadway project
 

What about those double c clips that are used on roofing sheets of plywood or particle board? Hope some of the carpenters will chime in!
Cheers, Neil.

Re: clifford show roadway project
 

That's exactly what I was thinking of Neil! I thought they called them H clips but ya, like a double C to hold the sheets in place. We could drill a small hole through them and screw into sheets.
What exactly are they called so when I go to the hardware store the guy knows what I'm talkin bout?

Mario