I'm working on laying out my control slide-out, and I need to allot space for a programming track. I will be using Unitrack and a Digitrax Zephyr. What length should I plan on the programming track being?
Are you doing a loop track or straight? With a loop you can wire it for programming and testing. I use a 12" piece of straight track and that's more than enough.
I am planning on just a short section of thrack, not a loop. The layout isn't much biggern than a loop....LOL...a 36" HCD shortened to 65" long.
I built a separate small oval as a test track. I can test both DC and DCC on this track with the flip of a switch.
I use a 20-041 terminal track and a 20-010 straight section. About ten inches of track. I also have K1 loop to test run when the layout is not available (under construction). Martin Myers
Thanks folks. I was hoping to get by with a bit less than a foot, and it sounds like that will be workable. I wish I had space for a permanent test loop, but for now the dining room table will have to work for a temporary one.
Not a big issue ... does the engine fit? ... that's enough ... nailed a piece flex trak to a 2 foot stick ... can run 2 or 3 engine consist back and forth ... how much testing do you need? ... BTW, what's the point of test trak anyway ... after you prove the decoder installation, all functions, then run it on the layout ... but then I do fine work in place other than the train layout ... so the programming trak is simple and portable ... :tb-nerd:
Like the others have said, only needs to be as long as your longest loco. You can also designate an electrically isolated siding on the layout as your programming track, just put in a toggle switch to convert the siding back over to regular operation when not needed for programming. Mike
Last winter, when I was starting a big layout in an out-building, I started building a small layout for testing purposes and to play with when I could not get out to the train building. Health issues torpedoed the big layout, and I started planning something small and accessible for me in my current condition. Then I realized that the test layout was bigger than the main layout....LOL. If and when I finish the main layout, I may still finish the test one...it's not like I won't have enough leftover Unitrack...LOL.
I had and old Atlas Track plan that had a spur as a program track so I tried to do the same thing on my latest layout. It was kind of a pain so I grabbed a Bachmann straight terminal piece out of an old set and I’m now using it. It works great because it’s already wired and with the ridged roadbed, I can just toss it under the layout when not in use.
