Willow Springs Under Way -- Track Laying Started

Willow Springs side of the layout, with track-work started.

I have started the track-work on the Willow Springs side of the layout, focusing on the mainline and the siding. In addition to positioning several of the mainline turnouts, cutting the track between them, and dropping feeders and frog jumpers for this first section, I went ahead and prepped all the other turnouts. I explained the step-by-step process for hidden feeders on this earlier post, and the process for prepping the turnouts is explained in this video by Luke Towan on Youtube. On this side I will be using slow motion turnout motors. A few years ago, on the layout of one of my Seattle modular friends, we witnessed that the Peco switch rod springs need to be removed when doing this; somehow, with the switch rod spring in place, the timing is off between the switch throwing and polarity of the frog changing which led to shorts.

Underside of Peco Electrofrog turnout with frog isolated (1),
point and stock rails soldered (2), and feeder wire soldered to
frog (4).

Having prepped the Peco Electrofrog turnouts for DCC friendliness on the rest of the layout and made the decision to skip the point rail jumper step, the process goes fairly quickly now:

1. Snip jumper wires connecting center rails to the frog
2. Solder point rails to stock rails
3. Remove the Peco switch rod spring (since I will be using Tortoise switch machines)
4. Solder green feeder wire to underside of frog
5. Check continuity with multi-meter
6. Trim off ties for rail for rail joiners
7. Drill out holes for track nails at the underside dimples

While I had been planning on waiting on constructing the curved trestle bridge, I have decided to start on it as part of the  track-work for this side of the layout. That will have to be a different post.