John has very generously sent in this idea to share with others in the hobby:

Whether you have a small layout or a room-sized empire, it’s essential to test the track as you build. One way of doing this is to use an older, inexpensive, or seldom-used locomotive to run over the track as you check for bumps, kinks, and other obstructions. If this locomotive runs fairly well, then your “good” engines will run like clockwork. However, it is important to see that this test locomotive actually runs and runs well enough to try out the track.

To Pre-Test the Test locomotive, which takes a short amount of time, set the track up in a semi-circle. Include straight, rerailer, curved, and small-pieces of track, along with a switch and siding, hooked up to a power pack (as shown in the accompanying photo). I used Kato N-Scale Unitrack and a small trolley, and slowly ran it in both directions, watching for hesitations, stops, derailing, and slowing down with flickering lights on the straights and curves, and looking for stalling in or out of the switch. A lot of locos hesitate slightly on switches, but should only stall out or derail if the switch is set improperly.

If your locomotive passes this Pre-Test, then it can be used as you put down track on your layout. By doing this small test, which only takes a few minutes, it gives you a reliable locomotive that has a “purpose in life” while your more-expensive diesels, electrics, and/or steam engines run on your layout.

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