switch tracks

blahblahtrain

New Member
okay, sorry but i'm new at this. i just connected two tracks with a switch track, and now i have a problem where two trains on each track runs at the same time off one box? is their any way i can fix this?
 
If you want to run the two trains independently, there are two ways of doing this:

1) DC block control - Electrically separate blocks of track, and control current going to each block by using electrical switches. This is rather cumbersome.

2) Digital Command Control (DCC) - Install a DCC decoder in each of your locomotive, and get a DCC command station, power supply and a throttle for each train. This is the easiest way to run multiple trains independently of each other on one layout.

Google DCC or post in the DCC forum if you want to learn more about it.

Good luck!
 
the way i take your message is you have a main line and a 2nd line. any how there are 2 ways cab control (i dont know a dang thing about) and dcc (digital command control) by far the best metthod:D
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
If you want to run two trains separately or just park one on a siding while the other one runs on dc, you will need to isolate the siding as Long Island Tom mentioned. To do this, you need to cut one rail, and install insulation of some sort. You can buy insulated rail joiners made of soft plastic, or you can cut the rail and use styrene to keep the tracks separated. Some of the guys in the modular club like to use bread clips, the plastic tab that holds the bread wrapper together. You cut a gap in the rail to fit the thickness of the piece of styrene you have, glue the styrene in place with acc (super glue), and then after the glue sets, trim the styrene to the shape of the rail and smooth it out. When you are done the insulator will almost completely disappear. If the siding is double ended, you need to isolate both ends. Only one rail needs to be isolated. but if you are going to do more than one section of the layout, you need to make sure that the rail or rails you insulate are always the same one electrically. Don't do an inside rail on one side and an outside rail on another place. By the way, the term "inside rail" is somewhat of a misnomer. In an oval the inside rail will always be on the inside, but on any sort of figure 8 the inside and outside rails trade places, but they are still common to each other. Not keeping them straight can cause a short circuit.

If you want to have more than one train running simultaneously, you will need a separate throttle for each train and a way to switch rail power from one throttle to another. If you haven't bought your extra throttle, yet, give serious consideration to dcc. Some of the basic systems are not much more expensive than the price of 2 good dc throttles, and the capabilities of dcc ore light years beyond dc.
 
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