After several weeks of waiting I’ve finally gathered the tools and supplies needed to build turnouts on the staging deck. In my haste to get everything ordered and sorted out, I wasn’t thinking about rail sizes. My entire staging deck is Code 100, while the rest of the railroad will be Code 70 and Code 83. Well, I ordered things thinking that everything will fit, thus forgetting that the foot of the rail in Code 100 is wider. Meh, it doesn’t fit the Frog Helper or the Stock Aid tools I bought (which are for Code 70/83).

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A number of people had suggested I start with the helix because there’s no moving it, if things need to line up with the rest of the yards, as opposed to moving a few yard throat turnouts inch here or there. So I heeded that advice and we are on our way towards building the helix.

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Everyone should be aware by now that laying track directly on top of Extruded (XPS) Foam creates a “drum effect”. Over at the Model Railroad Hobbyist forum there had been some great threads (Foam Drum, Foam Drum II) about this issue, some good science behind it, and possible solutions to minimizing the effect.

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A two part video from a PECO Instruction DVD circa 2000, with good advice for anyone entering the hobby.

Dated by timeless information covering the whole process from scale selection, layout design, benchwork construction, laying trackwork, wiring, scenery as well as operating.

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