The Tale of the Track Tester, Pt. II

With the track plan decided upon, and the layout making progress, there was somewhat of a need to test the work being done. I had previously bought a cheap(ish) loco to do exactly that, but it turned out to be DOA, with the shop having no suitable replacement.

I do have a loco on preorder, a Queensland Class 2300 from Southern Rail Models. However, since this is my first layout and attempt at DCC wiring, I didn't exactly want to use that one as a guinea pig. My reasoning was that if I've done something horribly wrong, I'd rather it blow up a cheapie than the $500 loco I've waited six months for.

However, this time I wanted something that I could take out of the box, put on the track and run. I really didn't feel like a repeat of the previous experience, and also didn't have the time to potentially wait for weeks for a suitable decoder to be shipped from god-knows-where. So while that limited the choices somewhat, eventually I found something suitable.

The new track tester is a Bachmann GE 44-Ton Switcher in Santa Fe Zebra Stripe livery (a paint scheme apparently used in the 1950s and 1960s). New in its box, DCC-equipped and with a very acceptable price - just a bit more than its predecessor (which wasn't DCC-equipped). It's an American livery and therefore won't necessarily fit in with other locos and trains I plan on getting, but that's not what I got it for. It's there to test my layout and tell me where there may be problems. 

It arrived today, and I have so far tested three freshly wired track sections with it, all to a good level of satisfaction. It's not the smoothest runner, but whether that's due to construction quality, decoder programming, or my tracklaying and wiring, I will find out over the course of the coming weeks.

The new Track Tester, a Bachmann GE 44-Ton Switcher, Santa Fe #465

You should also read:

Laying the track

This post should have appeared before the last one, chronologically. However, when I got the new loco and tested my work, I was so stoked that things were working and I was making visible progress, that I just had to fire off a quick post about it.

The Track Plan

It took us a while to come up with this one. We looked at other layouts and track plans, and tried to come up with something that would maximise the usage of our available space, while offering some room for scenic features. Here's what we ended up with.

The Tale of the Track Tester

A few weeks back, after understanding the difference between H0 and 00 gauge, I decided to switch to H0, simply because it offers a much larger variety and is not just limited to primarily British models. I sold my 00 locos and rolling stock, and pre-ordered a H0 scale Queensland Rail 2300 Class diesel loco to start off the new fleet. The reason for this pick is that we live close to the West Moreton system, on which the 2300 is the primary freight workhorse.

Track Mix

If there's one thing I've learned in a rather short time when it comes to model railways, it's that it is probably not the best idea to buy mixed track.