New layout after a 25 year vacation

[GrampysTrains]

Hi fwcrr and Jamie: I also use Atlas CL switches, and esp. after painting and ballasting, the rivet, on older Atlas, and also on newer ones without the rivet, I found that the rivets or plates, sometimes lost conductivity. My remedy was to add feeders to the point rails. The points now always have power. Here's a photo. DJ.

[Lab Rat]

now thats the solution to all problems add a feeder. good work grampy

[fwcrr]

do the feeders go to both rails? And what method works the best for soldering without melting plastic ties?
thanks,
Norm

[GrampysTrains]

Hi: Both point rails need power. This is the way I do it. I drill a small hole,(.035), in the bottom part of the rail. Then, a 1/8" hole next to the rail for the wire. Then I put a small hook in the end of the wire and insert it into the small hole and solder it. I did this to all my switches, after they were laid, painted, and ballasted. DJ.

[fwcrr]

Just a little background. I had originally planned on having a yard cover part of the lower level of the layout, but decided that it was a calamity waiting to happen. I re-thunk the idea and decided on a stand-alone yard measuring 24X48" that would be 7" above the lower level, but would use about 30 feet of running to achieve this, which I calculated to be a bit less than a 3% grade. The yard has yet to be built. I finally laid some track 2 days ago, and successfully ran a 4-8-4 steamer up it pulling 12 cars, which is more than enough for me (the video shows 8, but I ran more later). I have a video posted where you can see the action. I even stuck in some steam engine sound FX to liven it up. The video isn't the greatest, as it was taken with my point & shoot camera, but it conveys what I wanted it to. I still have to take Grampy's Trains advice on wiring the turnouts, as the locomotives tend to sputter thru them, and I have a couple of spots where the track has to be improved, but, all in all, I'm pleased with my efforts over the past 2 months. Here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkr7PML_Cw4