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I won't be using those saying,  have decided to even cut the length back even more to 26 by 31 feet stage one  and designed the layout to be contentious running from station platform and come onto another more running time, will still have two reverse loops and the stations be the two passing loops  till the bridge goes in stage two and be a third passing loop. If the main platform tracks are in use I can bypass onto the triple track , be a lot of fun Stage  2/B  there be a forth platform and two tracks   second track a passing loop. be a lot of fun indeed, this will get trains to running faster, but firstly I will have to set up the bridge so I can get the station modules the same height. Tony from down under keeping on moving ahead.  

Hi scoobyra,  Great idea, you don't have to go every 12 inches, II solder feeder wire to   every length of track even the smaller  lengths near the track joiners I solder my feeder wires, what gauge wire do you use, I  15 strand  wire smaller wire for the feeders , I have no issues . Tony from down under, my new layout will be rewiring and using the same wire on all blocks, sadly only using DC hopefully Christmas change to DCC.

Hahaha....good point....along with “today it was too windy” There’s a power bus with track feeds roughly every 12’ and then (when I get around to it) flexible jumpers across every rail join. 

You might want to copy that so you can paste it in in future - saves a lot of typing! You'll find the rail joiners will be conductive for some time but it's probably best to make a start on the soldering while the rails are still nice and clean.  How have you decided to go about adding power feeds? I've noticed a few track feeds in previous photos, are you running bus wires round beneath the track base? If so, are you bonding across fishplates or adding each individual feed from the power bus?

37411 and 37419 have been in the weathering shop today receiving an initial coat of weathering to the loco bodies. Just a simple brush on, wipe off routine using enamel paints to dirty them up a bit. I'll get the airbrush out to the chassis and add a little more grime to the roof and bonnet tops at the same time. In the photo above it looks like 411 has lost some of the front cab glazing at the drivers side but it's just how it appears in the picture. What does look strange is how the tooling from the 419 model differs from that of 411. The front cab windows look squashed - not as deep as those on 411. Did Bachmann change things at some point between these two models? I hadn't noticed it previously until I saw these photos.

You should see some of the derailments my 2 kittens have caused! I'd be at one end thinking "Hmm, where's the train gone" Only to walk down and find half in the flower bed and the other half on the grass! The buggers never do it whilst I'm watching though!

Nearly completed the station area....I’d have done it today if it wasn’t for the rain!   I need to start wiring the sections up soon so that I’m not relying on the rail joiners.