2 Trains/1 Layout

[Anonymous]

Building 4x8 o-27 layout for grandson. How do you set it up to run 2 trains?

[IRONROOSTER]

The easiest way is to have two separate loops of track each with their own throttle. Each train is then controlled by it's own throttle. To run both trains over the same track requires insulated rail joiners and toggle switches or a command control system such as TMCC. I suggest you get a book at your LHS on wiring toy train layouts. You can look at some of the modeling pages on the Model Railroader and Classic Toy Trains magazine sites above and the NMRA beginner pages at http://www.nmra.org/beginner/ A lot of this is for 2 rail trains but can be adapted to 3 rail pretty easily.
Enjoy
Paul

[cwclark]

DCC (digital command control) is the latest stuff but for a 4 x 8 (especially in O-27) you may want to just go with traditional "block wiring" and add 2 track turnouts that form two tracks out of the one (an inside curve siding from the mainline you might say)...you could increase the size of the layout a bit then you could run an oval inside an oval with crossover tracks that connect the two ovals ...that would require 4 turnouts...it would also force you to increase the layout to a 5 X 9 to get the radii you need to run such a set-up. in O-27...to wire block wiring you will need to insulate the rails from one point to another and add on/off toggle switches electrically connecting or disconnecting the power for a particular section of track to control a train in those sections of track...wiring is too hard to explain here, so your best bet is to purchase a book to show you how it's done...Purchase a "how to "book on O-27 from any good Hobby shop ...they should be capable of supplying you with the books you will need to complete the wiring to run two trains on the same layout...Chuck[:D]