I am using code 100 track in my lower staging yard, mostly because it is less expensive than the code 70 I use elsewhere, and I had a lot of track on hand to use.  

I re-laid my yard throat with Shinohara switches after trying some tight radius Peco switches that didn't work well with my long freight and passenger cars.  I sacrificed some staging capacity in order to get better operation, or at least that was the plan. 

I found out by accident (yes, it was really an accident :-) how acrylic paint (i.e. weathering) can be removed:

1. glass fiber eraser
2. isopropyl alcohol
3. methylated spirit
4. mouthwash
5. methylated spirit, mouthwash, water

My mother in law was nice enough a couple years ago to buy me a Bachmann 2-8-0 Spectrum consolidation locomotive in N scale.

I didn't have a place for it on the layout at that time so after a very brief test run it just sat on my display shelf till last week. It came into service as my Bachmann F9 loco stripped the white plastic worm gears and isn't running any more.

The parts for the F unit are cheap and easy to change but Bachmann doesn't have any so repairs aren't possible apparently.

I am having a problem installing a Tortise switch on my main line. The first two went in with little or no trouble; the third one is a royal pain. . . The problem is the adjustment so the switch throws in both directions. Here are the details:

1. The hole is more than big enough for the throw rod travel.

2. The original wire has been replaced with a stiffer piano wire with the correct bend.

3. The switch functions well when not inserted into position (ie. in my hand tested with power).