Nothing too exotic here. My test track is in with my staging area. There's a little bit of bench space in front of it. At the far end is my NCE PowerCab, which feeds the HO and HOn3 tracks. The piece of N gauge is from getting a recent conversion from HOn30 going before I started the mods to take it to HOn3. I used a set of test leads to get power to it, either DCC or DC. I have a DC pack that I hook up with test leads when I need it.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Not much to mine, about 4' of flex track on a shelf. I have a Kadee gauge which can be set on the track when needed, and an old Scintilla power pack hooked to the track with jumpers. When repairing or re-building locomotives, I usually connect the jumpers directly to the motor, and don't track test it until any binds or other problems are cleared up. Once a locomotive is running properly, it gets more testing on the layout, most specifically for pulling ability and clearance issues.
Wayne
How many of you have a test track for your cars and engines? What does yours look like? How do you use it?
My test track is a figure eight on a 4x8 in my workroom. The thick plywood rests on a set of storage shelves in the center of the room. The 18inch radius is a great way to test the engines and cars' coupler swing and truck pivot. There is a 15inch radius curve on the let spur used for testing tight turns similar to those in an industrial park. One spur (where the red caboose is parked) has a coupler height gauge.
When complete there will be an N gauge circle in the middle. All tracks will be DC or DCC at the flick of a switch.
Show us your test track?
The Cedar Branch & Western--The Hillbilly Line!