Model animation—bringing models to life—adds enormously to the interest and enjoyment of any layout or individual model! This entry describes an animated car that you can use to test the train handling capabilities of your operating crew. The idea is derived from a car that the late John Allen built to “check” his engineers. This project also demonstrates why I originally built the decoders designed around an Arduino Pro Mini (see: http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/24316 ). It provides a useful, powered control platform on which to build other projects like this one