What a difference a Jigsaw and a pair of Xuron cutters makes!

After the frustration of last time we shifted tactics:

•  Locate point motors directly onto the track rather than going through the board, by Jigsawing holes big enough for the whole motor. Massive win in terms of ease of installation and having the perfect actuation and electrical contact.  Easily worth the small loss of credibility for not doing things the hard wayl! 
•  Goodbye Hornby, hello Peco! I'm still disappointed by this as Hornby was the company of my childhood, but the wastage rate of Hornby points due to the spring popping out was too high. 
•  Goodbye settrack, hello streamline points! Where space allows we moved to bigger radius points. 
•  Fettling tight radius curves by cutting settrack rather than using flexitrack that always kinked into first radius - This is still a work in progress somehow

The results speak for themselves  - Petty reliable operation for most trains (the dropped Mallard is still being weird and the 0-6-0 is a bit temperamental) and all point motors working after only a few hours of installation. 

The satisfaction derived from driving a loco out of the sidings, around both loops and back home was a great Christmas present. One year exactly since the first bodge job on the back of a door and the Woods Railroad company is finally a going concern!!