This evening I set myself a challenge:

I was going to try adding a decoder to the little 1F.

Unfortunately, the varnish had not quite set, but as I was in a set-challenge mode, I gave myself instead one evening to produce a turnout soldered up from PCB sleepers and easitrac rail!

The process you see here took 2.5 hours in total, and the is finished apart from adding check rails and tie bar.

The rail is soldered straight onto the sleepers ( a little untidily in places), which have been pre-cut here and there to hopefully avoid shorts when I feed current in. My conclusions after the piccies:

So what did I learn?

This turnout took less time to make than an easitrac one, is stronger and my ittle test truck rides through more smoothly.

It has been something of an eye opener, as the process was no more difficult, and in some respects easier, than using the milled bases and glued components!

Needless to say, I think I know which I will be using in future, though I would still use the easitrac plain rail, as it is brilliantly easy and simple to make!

Finally, here is the state of pay with the tank engine:

Chris