Well, I got a little bored today. Still waiting on a few parts for my steamers, so I can’t finish those. So, I started digging around the shelves and found an old MRC Prodigy Express set up that I received from a friend who passed away. My layout is Digitrax now, but MRC was my first DCC system. They work well and are very user friendly. I then had an epiphany.
I took some old Kato unitrack, attached a female JST plug to it, and then glued it to a piece of 1x4. Then I attached male plugs to my PR3 programmer and the MRC system. I also attached a female plug to my decoder tester as well so it can plug into the MRC unit to test decoders. It works great. Now I can program, test, and break in locos right on the work bench. It was a good thing my wife didn’t have any chores for me today. The locos on the track in the photo is just to hold the track down while the glue dries.
I have a piece of HO flex track mounted on a 1 x 3 piece of maple left over from a project decades ago. It has a spare Power cab panel on one end and a plastic version of the KDee coupler height gauge on the other. I also have the USB interface for the Power Cab and my Lok programmer on a shelf that is used with it. My Lenovo netbook has all the software ready to go anytime. When the test track is not in use it hangs on the side of the little workbench. The rollers are a great addition. The test track has become an invaluable tool.
Make sure you can replace the roller bearings. I have a set I believe are made by Bachman that have non replaceable bearings. I’ve lost 2 rollers on them. The other set has no name as to manufacturer and the bearings are easily replaced.
I started with a Digitrax Zephyr, but switched to CVP eventually. I set up a circle of Kato track on a separate 4’ by 4’ flat shelf under one of the reverse loops. I can power it with a DC power pack, or with the Zephyr, like for testing or break-in runs. I also have a switch set up so I can use the track to program with the Zephyr.
