Having completed the first two baseboard structures, it is time for a change. All of the kit and materials for making hand built soldered copperclad sleeper track is now assembled, so a good excuse to get started on the switches (I think switch is the correct term as the point is just one part of a switch; however. . . .)

On a point of semantics, I should also add that when I last made my own track, the sleepers were made of PCB, short for printed circuit board. That acronym is apparently now used to describe a chemical. So now sleepers are "copper clad". Back in the early 1970s you could by copper clad sleepers already cut to length for standard track. My source (C & L Finescale) sells long strips that have to be cut up. This makes sense for the switches but is rather tedious for regular track.

So, having printed off my Templot plan (at 100% scale - most important!) I began to glue the sleepers down with UHU glue stick. This washes off easily when the track is cleaned prior to painting. Then I started to add the bullhead rail.

I am building the release crossover at the town end of the platform so it makes sense to build them together. This is particularly important as the prototype was oddly shaped to accommodate the end loading platform:

http://warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrss535a.htm

The photo exaggerates the shape but I wanted to include this in the model.

The outer rails were added first, then I fabricated the v-shaped frog, using the track gauges to make sure I had the right spacing.

Next, the point rails were added after filing down the moveable blades. I used my Dremel to do the filing, with a small drum sander attachment. At all times I used the Templot "go by" and then the track gauges to ensure the rails were in the right place prior to soldering. A couple of solder tacks, then check again before finishing off.

Finally, the check rails were added, using the check gauges and a 1mm shim of brass sheet to set the correct gap:

At this stage the completed parts of the switch can be tested using, in my case, the front bogie of my Finecast King, currently being renovated.

With one of the switches nearly finished, I sat back and admired my work:

A few comments:

I probably use too much solder. But I would rather use more than less, as long as the solder doesn't interfere with the running. It is true that the solder hardly represents proper chairs, but most OO gauge track chairs are out of scale anyway. Besides, once painted the solder will blend into the background.

The switch blades will be connected to a stretcher bar (from C & L Finescale) and this will be actuated by a Tortoise switch motor.

At the present time there is no insulation between rails and the frog is not isolated electrically. The copper cladding will have to be carefully removed down the center of each sleeper. Again, I seem to remember that regular PCB sleepers were already gapped by the vendor back when I was young.

So, one switch down, one half started and three more and a double slip to go.

Edited because I forgot one photo.