Ok. First thing first. I didn't make the layout. I bought it at a local train show about 2 weeks ago. Also, I don't have extra money to buy the book. I spent it all on the switches today. With the books again, the closest store that might carry it would be about 1 and a half hours away, and I don't even have my license yet, meaning my mom has to come with me.
I'll just work on this for a while, but if anybody could please make a diagram to show me how to do this, that would be nice. Also, how could you make a new block? The extra turnout is NOT insulated at the turnout. What should I do?
Sabretooth and Steamhead already posted diagrams on this thread. More information on wiring for beginners is available at
NMRA - Expanded Track Plan.
The point I was trying to make is that it's a lot easier to learn wiring from a book that was specifically written and created for that purpose - with lots of diagrams that are time consuming for any of us to duplicate on a volunteer basis. The book I recommended (
Easy-To-Understand Wiring Basics and Atlas Electrical Controls), the cheapest one that does a nice job, can be ordered online from here: https://secure.atlasrr.com/mod1/items.asp?CartId={58E15200-236A-EVEREST4059-9B71-CA51B2BB4F33}&Cc=BOOKS&Bc=
Blocks are formed by creating an electrical gap between sections of rail - either by insulated rail joiners at track section joints, or by physically cutting the rail with a fine saw (Atlas makes a track saw, I prefer a jeweler's saw) or Dremel tool with thin cut-off disk.
Model railroading, as you are discovering, is a lot more than just slapping down track and turning on the power. It is a hobby that teaches and requires an incredible variety of skills and knowledge, including a basic knowledge of DC wiring. In fact, it was through wiring a large Lionel layout and a small HO layout that I got my interest in things electrical, leading to a career in electrical engineering. Telling you step-by-step (attach this wire to this screw) how to wire this layout does not teach you the limited amount of theory you will need to make changes or build your next layout.
Please take the time to understand the diagrams provided you, and then ask more questions.
You said you have Atlas turnouts. They do not need to be insulated at the joints. You do not need any insulated rail joiners at all to run one train (as long as there are no reversing sections). Simply hook up the power pack and go. It is when you try to run 2 trains at the same time that you need blocks, switches, and a second power pack. The purpose of the blocks and the block switches is to keep a train assigned electrically to the correct power pack.
Blocks are train length sections of electrically insulated track. A block switch (Selector in your case) determines which power pack provides power to that block.
As a train controlled by power pack A reaches a block boundary, power pack A is selected for the block the train is coming into. Once the locomotive is past the block boundary, the block it is leaving can (doesn't have to) be turned off, or power pack B selected. In this way, 2 trains can follow each other around a loop, with blocks being selected first for one power pack, and then for the other. To have 2 trains follow each other without stopping at block boundaries to wait takes a minimum of 4 blocks in the loop.
hope this helps