I’m learning how to build my own turnouts using a paper template and spiking the ties and rails before soldering. I have to thank “Fast Tracks” for their videos which taught me the basic steps to build a turnout. But, with several different sizes and shapes of turnouts on my layout I could not afford to purchase their metal jigs. With each turnout built I am improving my method and speed. Who knows, some day I may actually get to run a train.

I’m in the process of building by hand a bunch of switches (turnouts) for my layout. While it takes more time than buying them, it costs lots less and I enjoy the building process. You can download templates for any size and shape switch from various places on the internet.

I have started building the staging yard and digital programming track for my layout. The fascia board will have on-off switches for each track, so engines on those tracks do not draw power while idling.

The programming track, the closest track, will also be able to be switched to an operations track and will be part of a reversing “Y” in staging. You may notice the full size piece of rail I use as a weight, I won’t be running trains on it.