diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -24,11 +24,11 @@
 # ARM
     - HOST=arm-linux-gnueabihf PACKAGES="g++-arm-linux-gnueabihf" DEP_OPTS="NO_QT=1" CHECK_DOC=0 GOAL="install" BITCOIN_CONFIG="--enable-glibc-back-compat --enable-reduce-exports"
 # Win32
-    - HOST=i686-w64-mingw32 DPKG_ADD_ARCH="i386" DEP_OPTS="NO_QT=1" PACKAGES="python3 nsis g++-mingw-w64-i686 wine1.6 bc" RUN_TESTS=true GOAL="install" BITCOIN_CONFIG="--enable-reduce-exports"
+    - HOST=i686-w64-mingw32 DPKG_ADD_ARCH="i386" DEP_OPTS="NO_QT=1" PACKAGES="python3 nsis g++-mingw-w64-i686 wine1.6 bc" RUN_TESTS=true GOAL="install" BITCOIN_CONFIG="--enable-reduce-exports" TRAVIS_NOHANG_WORKAROUND=1
 # 32-bit + dash
     - HOST=i686-pc-linux-gnu PACKAGES="g++-multilib bc python3-zmq" DEP_OPTS="NO_QT=1" RUN_TESTS=true GOAL="install" BITCOIN_CONFIG="--enable-zmq --enable-glibc-back-compat --enable-reduce-exports LDFLAGS=-static-libstdc++" USE_SHELL="/bin/dash"
 # Win64
-    - HOST=x86_64-w64-mingw32 DPKG_ADD_ARCH="i386" DEP_OPTS="NO_QT=1" PACKAGES="python3 nsis g++-mingw-w64-x86-64 wine1.6 bc" RUN_TESTS=true GOAL="install" BITCOIN_CONFIG="--enable-reduce-exports"
+    - HOST=x86_64-w64-mingw32 DPKG_ADD_ARCH="i386" DEP_OPTS="NO_QT=1" PACKAGES="python3 nsis g++-mingw-w64-x86-64 wine1.6 bc" RUN_TESTS=true GOAL="install" BITCOIN_CONFIG="--enable-reduce-exports" TRAVIS_NOHANG_WORKAROUND=1
 # bitcoind
     - HOST=x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu PACKAGES="bc python3-zmq" DEP_OPTS="NO_QT=1 NO_UPNP=1 DEBUG=1" RUN_TESTS=true GOAL="install" BITCOIN_CONFIG="--enable-zmq --enable-glibc-back-compat --enable-reduce-exports CPPFLAGS=-DDEBUG_LOCKORDER"
 # No wallet
diff --git a/src/Makefile.test.include b/src/Makefile.test.include
--- a/src/Makefile.test.include
+++ b/src/Makefile.test.include
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@
 # file COPYING or http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php.
 
 TESTS += test/test_bitcoin
+LOG_DRIVER = $(srcdir)/test/test-bitcoin-driver
+EXTRA_DIST += test/test-bitcoin-driver
 bin_PROGRAMS += test/test_bitcoin
 noinst_PROGRAMS += test/test_bitcoin_fuzzy
 TEST_SRCDIR = test
diff --git a/src/test/test-bitcoin-driver b/src/test/test-bitcoin-driver
new file mode 100755
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/test-bitcoin-driver
@@ -0,0 +1,175 @@
+#! /bin/sh
+# test-driver - basic testsuite driver script.
+
+scriptversion=2013-07-13.22; # UTC
+
+# Copyright (C) 2011-2014 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+#
+# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+# the Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option)
+# any later version.
+#
+# This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+# GNU General Public License for more details.
+#
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+# along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+# As a special exception to the GNU General Public License, if you
+# distribute this file as part of a program that contains a
+# configuration script generated by Autoconf, you may include it under
+# the same distribution terms that you use for the rest of that program.
+
+# This file is maintained in Automake, please report
+# bugs to <bug-automake@gnu.org> or send patches to
+# <automake-patches@gnu.org>.
+
+# Make unconditional expansion of undefined variables an error.  This
+# helps a lot in preventing typo-related bugs.
+set -u
+
+usage_error ()
+{
+  echo "$0: $*" >&2
+  print_usage >&2
+  exit 2
+}
+
+print_usage ()
+{
+  cat <<END
+Usage:
+  test-driver --test-name=NAME --log-file=PATH --trs-file=PATH
+              [--expect-failure={yes|no}] [--color-tests={yes|no}]
+              [--enable-hard-errors={yes|no}] [--]
+              TEST-SCRIPT [TEST-SCRIPT-ARGUMENTS]
+The '--test-name', '--log-file' and '--trs-file' options are mandatory.
+END
+}
+
+test_name= # Used for reporting.
+log_file=  # Where to save the output of the test script.
+trs_file=  # Where to save the metadata of the test run.
+expect_failure=no
+color_tests=no
+enable_hard_errors=yes
+while test $# -gt 0; do
+  case $1 in
+  --help) print_usage; exit $?;;
+  --version) echo "test-driver $scriptversion"; exit $?;;
+  --test-name) test_name=$2; shift;;
+  --log-file) log_file=$2; shift;;
+  --trs-file) trs_file=$2; shift;;
+  --color-tests) color_tests=$2; shift;;
+  --expect-failure) expect_failure=$2; shift;;
+  --enable-hard-errors) enable_hard_errors=$2; shift;;
+  --) shift; break;;
+  -*) usage_error "invalid option: '$1'";;
+   *) break;;
+  esac
+  shift
+done
+
+missing_opts=
+test x"$test_name" = x && missing_opts="$missing_opts --test-name"
+test x"$log_file"  = x && missing_opts="$missing_opts --log-file"
+test x"$trs_file"  = x && missing_opts="$missing_opts --trs-file"
+if test x"$missing_opts" != x; then
+  usage_error "the following mandatory options are missing:$missing_opts"
+fi
+
+if test $# -eq 0; then
+  usage_error "missing argument"
+fi
+
+if test $color_tests = yes; then
+  # Keep this in sync with 'lib/am/check.am:$(am__tty_colors)'.
+  red='' # Red.
+  grn='' # Green.
+  lgn='' # Light green.
+  blu='' # Blue.
+  mgn='' # Magenta.
+  std=''     # No color.
+else
+  red= grn= lgn= blu= mgn= std=
+fi
+
+do_exit='rm -f $log_file $trs_file; (exit $st); exit $st'
+trap "st=129; $do_exit" 1
+trap "st=130; $do_exit" 2
+trap "st=141; $do_exit" 13
+trap "st=143; $do_exit" 15
+
+
+# Test script is run here.
+# If TRAVIS_NOHANG_WORKAROUND is defined, also print
+# to stdout -- to keep Travis happy and from timing out.
+
+# temporarily allow undefined variables for the below line
+set +u 
+if [ -n "$TRAVIS_NOHANG_WORKAROUND" ]; then
+# TRAVIS WORKAROUND -- TODO: remove when issue is resolved!
+# See: http://reviews.bitcoinabc.org/T44
+#      http://reviews.bitcoinabc.org/D497
+#
+# Basically for MinGW/Win32 builds test_bitcoin sometimes
+# takes *forever* to run without producing any output.
+# This causes Travis's 10-minute timer to expire and
+# the build to be cancelled.  Builds in such a situation
+# do eventually complete.  As a workaround, this driver
+# permits output to stdout, so travis is happy
+# (see src/test/test_bitcoin.cpp) -- test_bitcoin prints
+# '.....' to the console as it runs.
+#
+	"$@" | tee $log_file 2>&1
+else
+	"$@" >$log_file 2>&1
+fi
+estatus=$?
+# got back to undefined is bad mode....
+set -u
+
+
+
+if test $enable_hard_errors = no && test $estatus -eq 99; then
+  tweaked_estatus=1
+else
+  tweaked_estatus=$estatus
+fi
+
+case $tweaked_estatus:$expect_failure in
+  0:yes) col=$red res=XPASS recheck=yes gcopy=yes;;
+  0:*)   col=$grn res=PASS  recheck=no  gcopy=no;;
+  77:*)  col=$blu res=SKIP  recheck=no  gcopy=yes;;
+  99:*)  col=$mgn res=ERROR recheck=yes gcopy=yes;;
+  *:yes) col=$lgn res=XFAIL recheck=no  gcopy=yes;;
+  *:*)   col=$red res=FAIL  recheck=yes gcopy=yes;;
+esac
+
+# Report the test outcome and exit status in the logs, so that one can
+# know whether the test passed or failed simply by looking at the '.log'
+# file, without the need of also peaking into the corresponding '.trs'
+# file (automake bug#11814).
+echo "$res $test_name (exit status: $estatus)" >>$log_file
+
+# Report outcome to console.
+echo "${col}${res}${std}: $test_name"
+
+# Register the test result, and other relevant metadata.
+echo ":test-result: $res" > $trs_file
+echo ":global-test-result: $res" >> $trs_file
+echo ":recheck: $recheck" >> $trs_file
+echo ":copy-in-global-log: $gcopy" >> $trs_file
+
+# Local Variables:
+# mode: shell-script
+# sh-indentation: 2
+# eval: (add-hook 'write-file-hooks 'time-stamp)
+# time-stamp-start: "scriptversion="
+# time-stamp-format: "%:y-%02m-%02d.%02H"
+# time-stamp-time-zone: "UTC"
+# time-stamp-end: "; # UTC"
+# End:
diff --git a/src/test/test_bitcoin.cpp b/src/test/test_bitcoin.cpp
--- a/src/test/test_bitcoin.cpp
+++ b/src/test/test_bitcoin.cpp
@@ -25,7 +25,16 @@
 
 #include "test/testutil.h"
 
+#include <cstdio>
+#include <iostream>
+
+#include <atomic>
+#include <chrono>
+#include <condition_variable>
+#include <functional>
+#include <list>
 #include <memory>
+#include <thread>
 
 #include <boost/filesystem.hpp>
 #include <boost/test/unit_test.hpp>
@@ -182,3 +191,72 @@
 bool ShutdownRequested() {
     return false;
 }
+
+namespace {
+// A place to put misc. setup code eg "the travis workaround" that needs to run
+// at program startup and exit
+struct Init {
+    Init();
+    ~Init();
+
+    std::list<std::function<void(void)>> cleanup;
+};
+
+Init init;
+
+Init::Init() {
+
+    if (getenv("TRAVIS_NOHANG_WORKAROUND")) {
+        // This is a workaround for MinGW/Win32 builds on Travis sometimes
+        // hanging due to no output received by Travis after a 10-minute
+        // timeout.
+        // The strategy here is to let the jobs finish however long they take
+        // on Travis, by feeding Travis output.  We start a parallel thread
+        // that just prints out '.' once per second.
+        struct Private {
+            Private() : stop(false) {}
+            std::atomic_bool stop;
+            std::thread thr;
+            std::condition_variable cond;
+            std::mutex mut;
+        } *p = new Private;
+
+        p->thr = std::thread([p] {
+            // thread func.. print dots
+            std::unique_lock<std::mutex> lock(p->mut);
+            unsigned ctr = 0;
+            while (!p->stop) {
+                if (ctr) {
+                    // skip first period to allow app to print first
+                    std::cerr << "." << std::flush;
+                }
+                if (!(++ctr % 79)) {
+                    // newline once in a while to keep travis happy
+                    std::cerr << std::endl;
+                }
+                p->cond.wait_for(lock, std::chrono::milliseconds(1000));
+            }
+        });
+
+        cleanup.emplace_back([p]() {
+            // cleanup function to kill the thread and delete the struct
+            p->mut.lock();
+            p->stop = true;
+            p->cond.notify_all();
+            p->mut.unlock();
+            if (p->thr.joinable()) {
+                p->thr.join();
+            }
+            delete p;
+        });
+    }
+}
+
+Init::~Init() {
+    for (auto &f : cleanup) {
+        if (f) {
+            f();
+        }
+    }
+}
+} // end anonymous namespace