The headlight of the E8 proves that track power has been installed on the lower level flextrack. I wanted to make sure the 8 feet of track was installed correctly and was smooth. Each piece of rail was soldered to a feeder wire that was soldered to the bus wires underneath, even though the rail joiners were soldered. I believe that a little bit of extra effort now pays off down road to avoid any electrical problems.



The next step is to start preparing for laying ties. I used a piece of Atlas code 80 flextrack, weighted down, to mark off the line against which the ties will be laid. This particular area of the layout is going to be a challenge, because this is where I am going to build my first curved turnout.



The next photo shows the four lines I drew using this method to mark off where the curved turnout will be built. Also shown are the handful of ties already glued in place that cover the area from the right-hand side of the layout up to the point of where the turnout's throwbar will be.



On the left-hand side of the layout I started off by printing and taping N-scale #8 turnout templates (downloaded from the Fast Tracks web site). This allowed me to place them such that Tortoise placed under the layout would not interfere with the benchwork. I then used the same method to mark off where the ties will be that will connect these turnouts and the track coming from the tunnel. I used whatever weights I needed to keep the flextrack in alignment and used a ruler to line that up with the templates.



Here's a higher angle shot. The templates were later glued to the subroadbed. Now comes the fun of laying a ton of ties!