It’s a matter of preference, but I would disagree with that statement. This isn’t my original concept, by the way. Someone else mentioned it in a a similar thread some years ago.
How much do you handle your locomotives? As long as you’re relatively careful, moving older Athearn BBs around by hand, on and off the layout, isn’t going to cause much damage. But, think about a Proto 0-6-0. It’s got a lot of fine details. That’s an engine that I don’t like to handle, so I’d rather drive it on to a programming track than lift it there with my usually-reliable, but sometimes clumsy or dirty fingers.
Mr B.
I was just giving the OP another option on placement of a programming track. Mine at the work bench is great in the fact if I have to do additional work on a loco its at the bench already. I don’t like working on locos or rolling stock on the layout. Every thing goes on the test track before it goes on the layout. One of the reasons why I have little troubles with equipment during operations. Another good thing about the test track/program track is wheel cleaning and loco maintenance is done at the bench and not on the layout.
Besides. My 2 P2K 0-6-0’s are handled all the time. They frequent the show circuit on the modules. I also bring a lot of other delicate steamers along also. No expensive Brass stuff for me. The only thing ever broken was a hopper car and a caboose in a rear end collision. Easily repaired when I returned home.
If you have been to either the Brockton, Hub show, and South Shores show you have probably seen my steamers and modules. We used to do the Old Colony and Little Roady before they stopped doing shows. We used to set up at the Marshfield library to commemorate the opening of the station before the town cut funding. Then of course is our show on the Cape and NYE first night in Chatham.
Pete