The track plan for this layout is fairly simple and was shown in this post. Happy with the fit of the various track pieces wires were soldered to the fishplates strategic points. This is a neat way of in effect hiding wires and avoiding that soldered blob on the side of the rail. You do learn over the years and I do now wire power cables at each point so that both the entry and both exits have power to them rather than relying on the point itself. It may seem over the top but better safe than sorry as I have learnt over the years!, In addition as I was going to use both DC and DCC on the layout it made sense at this early stage to take this approach. The picture below shows the initial wiring in place. It needs tidying but it works. As I was going to use DCC, a tip I think I saw on a British Railway Modelling DVD was to twist the wires together to minimise electrical interference. I have no idea of the science behind it but that is what I did and it also avoids loose wires flapping about so even if the science doesn't work there is something to be said for doing it! In addition, although not doing it at this stage, holes were cut under the points to allow point motors to be retro fitted should I want to in the future - as I get older I think smarter! The track was fastened down to the baseboard using small blobs of superglue on the sleeper base. Track pins are a normal choice for most but gluing avoids those unsightly mushroom heads of the pin tops in the sleepers. You can also lift the track fairly easily if you only use small blobs of superglue by sliding a thin bladed screwdriver under the sleeper base and breaking the bond if an alteration to the track is needed. Eventually the ballast that will be applied will provide the final bond of the track to the baseboard.
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