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[quote user="jguess733"]Alan, the railroad is looking great.  I look forward to this post, it helps to keep me motivated and inspired.[/quote]Thanks for the comments and a new Weekly update !Every new process has a learning curve !!!!What started out to be a "simple" replacement of three turnouts became a major rework of Between.  It appeared that I could sightly modify three Fast Tracks # 4.5 turnouts to replace three Atlas snap switches -  WRONG !After one fruitless day of carefully cutting turnouts and track, and trying to get things to fit; I realized that the process was not going to work.  The turnout from the main line into between would work by replacing the lead from the turnout to Between.  I got this one in and the Tortoise installed (along with the switch and LED) without too much of a problem.I then built two new turnouts to replace the mangled ones that I had tried to install in Between proper.  I learned that installing jumpers in the turnouts reduced the number of feeders required to get things connected and working properly.  Here they are in the two new turnouts:[IMG]http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n123/Alan_B/050607-004_r.jpg[/IMG]Now I was ready to get back to my major mess, and try to reconstruct Between (I had completely wiped out the community by this time).[IMG]http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n123/Alan_B/050607-001_r.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n123/Alan_B/050607-002_r.jpg[/IMG]I got the two new turnouts installed:[IMG]http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n123/Alan_B/050607-005_r.jpg[/IMG]I then set the buildings in place to see if things would really work.[IMG]http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n123/Alan_B/050607-007_r.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n123/Alan_B/050607-008_r.jpg[/IMG]An overhead view of the new track layout:[IMG]http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n123/Alan_B/050607-010_r.jpg[/IMG]Now the rest of the learning curve.  I thought that I had followed the video instructions for the turnouts carefully.  It turns out that I did not follow carefully enough on the two replacement turnouts (for the cut up ones that I was replacing).  This was my problem, not Fast Tracks, as the video is very careful in explaining how not to have the problem that I had.  I ended up replacing, turnouts glued down in place, two point rails (one in each turnout) because I did not file them down enough.  Due to the use of the Fast Tracks jig, this turned out to be fairly simple (except for the fact that the turnouts were almost six feet high and three feet back from the edge of the layout).  I made replacement point rails and soldered them into the glued down turnouts.[IMG]http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n123/Alan_B/050607-012_r.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n123/Alan_B/050607-013_r.jpg[/IMG]I ended up with this track layout:[IMG]http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n123/Alan_B/050607-014_r.jpg[/IMG]With this overall view of Between:[IMG]http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n123/Alan_B/050607-015_r.jpg[/IMG]The moral of this story is that a half day process can turn into three solid days of work and then a few more to re-landscape the town.  I will operate this layout for a few days before I start the landscaping process.  By leaning my 200 pounds in the center of Between, I now have a sight out-of-level situation.  I will have to add a prop under the center of Between to correct this (minor problem).Boy what a week !Comments?  Thanks for looking.
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