Advice Needed

To be completely honest, I have read your post a few times and I still cant seem to figure out what exactly youre asking.

I read post several times also and there seems to be a question in there somewhere but it escapes me.

Are you two rail or three rail?

OK Kevin, I think I understand.  You have a shelf layout with a single power pack and you have 4 locomotives.  You read a book that talked about adding another power pack and being able to run 2 locomotives at once, independent from each other.

The book was describing "cab control" wiring.  Each segment of track (a yard track, a passing siding, the main line between two points) is wired to a 3 position toggle switch.  The toggle lets you select whether the track segment is powered from power pack A, is powered from power pack B or is turned off.  You could be running one locomotive in your yard on power pack A and at the same time another operator could be running another locomotive at the other end of the layout using power pack B.  You need to pay attention to where the ends of the track segments (called "blocks") are so you can make sure your locomotive doesn't stray onto track controlled by the other power pack.

It is possible to install receivers or decoders into the locomotives so that they can be run under what is called command control.  In this system, each locomotive can be separately addressed and controlled even if that locomotive is in the midst of other locomotives.  A given locomotive won't move (even though the track has power) until it is addressed or commanded to move.

Hope this helps.

OK  Lets start again

Firstly it is 3 rail.

I have a book on American Modelling from 1965 which shows an Atlas track Plan.

The diagram show two ovals connected by a set of points/switches.

So we have two oval connected together.

The descriptions of the track plan is as follows:

Title:  Two Train Operation with Seperate Power Supplies.

Quote from the text accompanying the diagram..

The Atlas plan now involves the use of two seperate power packs on a 'common' wiring basis, permitting a simple form of cab control in which two locos may now be operated simutaneously and independently of each others actions.  Note that less wiring is involved which goes to prove sometimes you can expand the operating potential without necessarily increasing the amount of wiring.

Unquote..

The diagram show the two ovals connected together by what I assume is an isolated switch.

The first controller is wired/connected to the outer oval as normal

The second controller is wired/connected to the inner oval with one wire only

The two controllers are the connected to each other by the common.

My question is, is this possible to have two locomotive operation on and end to end layout or will it work only with the double oval configuration.

I have almost 12 mtrs of track and 4 points/switches..

I hope this is a little clearer..

Thanks for your patience and replies.

Kevin

First off, if its and Atlas book from 1965, it is probably talking about HO or N gauge and is using DC current.

If I understand you correctly, it is two loops, one inside the other with a pair of switches/turn outs allowing one train to get from one loop to the other? IF that is what you are asking, it can be done but each loop would share a common ground but would have separate power from two different transformers that would have to be phased with one another. You would also need to place an insulating pin in the center rail between the two switches, this would isolate the two loops from one another electrically. But once the one loco moved into the same loop as the other loco, both locos would be controlled simultaneously by the same transformer. I hope this makes sense.

Ok, I read your post again and I guess what you want, is to have two strips of track next to each other with two pair of switches(4 switches total) allowing each train to cross back from one track to the other? This can be done but you need an insulating pin in the center rail between each pair of switches.

It is much easier to wire a 2 loop layout for 2 train independent operation than it is to wire a point to point layout for 2 train operation. It can be done by separating the different tracks into blocks and isolate the center rail of these blocks from one another with insulating pins. The common rails from all the blocks can be wired together and wired to the transformers but the transformers MUST be in phase with each other. A system of single pole double throw switches should be wired to the individual blocks to give you the 2 train control. Throw the spst switch into the up position for train a and into the down position for train b in that block.

Ron