Toe end, always

Dear "N Scale",

As a basic and standing rule, for any form of 2-rail turnout,
turnouts should always have power fed (connected) from the TOE (throw-rod) end.

This makes feeder-position planning simpler, and makes tracing-down-a-track-array to locate appropriate downstream gaps/insulation-points/secondary-feeders quite easy.

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

 "where to place the feeder

There's lots of ways to place feeders, depending on the track configuration ,the bus wire location, etc.   If I recall correctly these code 80 turnots are the Ntrak standard so it might be useful to see what they recommend for power feeding......DaveB 

I dont add feeders to my

I dont add feeders to my switches but what I do like to do is put feeders on all 3 tracks that enter the switch. this way Power loss is only at the plastic frog. I use peco code 83 and have yet to have issues doing it this way.

I dont add feeders to my

Same here.  But if you want to add feeders to the toe of the switch without soldering them to the rail, why not solder feeders to the rail joiners that attach to the turnout?

Belts and Suspenders Approach

When it come to track wiring I take Joe F's Belts and Suspenders approach and solder feeders to every section of track. As a believer in this approach and in powered frogs, I find that is especially true for N switches. I do not have any of the newer Atlas N Code 80 switches, but I believe that they are wired the same as the Code 55 switches which I do have. The Atlas installation instruction show wires to rail joiners (which I do not recommend) and the frog power drop, but Atlas has provided solder points on the bottom of the switches for the rails as well as the frogs.

You do have to take care not to melt the ties, but this is true for soldering any track feeders. Even if you do melt the ties a little, it will usually be hidden under the switch. [I sort of cheat, as I have a spot welder for attaching feeders.]

Add feeders to the frog

I have found it necessary to add feeders to the frog on my HO Code 80 layout.  When moving slow through the switch my locomotives would sometime stall going through the switch.

.

I'm about to start laying track too, and checking the Atlas Code 80 turnouts here, respective stock rail and closure rails are shorted, which saves me from having to do that (I had done it previously on PECO H0 Code 100 insulfrog turnouts).

Reason you want them shorted is so that you don't rely on the point rails making contact with the stock rails for conductivity along the closure rails.

Having said that, I usually drop feeders not too far after the switch heels, towards the frog. As I mentioned, for PECO I had to install shorts across the rails, so feeder wires also acted as shorts between stock and closure rails.

In reality, with Atlas Code 80 turnout you could get away without using drop feeders on it, and rely on the connections from the toe and frog sides. Optionally, you could solder the rail joiners, but I advise against that because replacing the turnouts later will be harder.

Putting feeders on the turnouts is also handy when you want to do occupancy detection on the turnout itself, although it means turnouts need to be isolated as well.

Many modelers who do BOD (Block Occupancy Detection) choose not to because it adds extra cost to the equipment needed, or choose to make the entire ladder a single block of track as a happy medium (obviously if a train is already on the ladder, nothing else could go there).

That was my mistake...

"choose to make the entire ladder a single block of track as a happy medium (obviously if a train is already on the ladder, nothing else could go there"

That was my mistake on my switching layout. On such a small layout the length of all the switches combined is quite significant and the net result was a decrease in track capacity because I had to clear all the turnouts and not just the foul point.

On my next layout I will (learn to solder properly and then) put insulated rail joiners on each end of the turnout, add feeders and turn each switch into one block. At least where multiple trains are liable to share the same ladder space.

Every piece

I solder feeders to every section of track no matter how short.  This includes treating a turnout as “three” separate pieces of track with feeders attached near the end of each of the three sections. 
 

The extra trouble and effort will pay for itself once you start running trains.

Joe