I know that it is generally accepted that gaps in the tracks be staggered to some degree,...for both power districts and reverse zones. But how little, 0R how much is acceptable??   Is 1/2" acceptable between power districts??

Many have been asking me for a CVT Turnout tutorial, this will be the first part in a multipart series on this topic. It is also a stand alone tutorial on making turnout throwbars that look proper and are durable for operations. I will start off by saying that this is an advanced tutorial, and the tools listed to use are not required, but highly suggested(especially the resistance soldering equipment.)

I’ve posted a couple of new videos dealing with installing Peco turnouts.  The first video demos how to prepare your Peco turnout for installation on a DCC layout.  I took the good descriptive info from a couple of sites and turned that into a “how-to” video.  We show you how to add some jumpers to the turnout to improve electrical connectivity and, in the case of electrofrogs, point out the importance of snipping the 2 connecting wires under the turnout that come from the factory.  Here’s the link:

Greetings all,

I’ve been involved in discussions regarding superelevation here before and the pros and the cons.

I was trying styrene risers but if I so much as sneeze they fly into nowhere and otherwise the just move too much anyway.  I didn’t want to glue them in case I need to make adjustments.

Im now trying automotive detailing masking tape, 1/4 inch so that it’s easy to put on curves. I have a lot of it.

For anyone who has used tape for this a few questions: