What will happen if I....

[Michael T.]

Does anyone know what will happen if I put two analog trains on the same track with the same controller?

[jettrainfan]

depends, what engine they are and the controller.

Same kind: it might be ok but chances are is that the one will pull the other. But you might have to have them both pointing the same direction.

Different: this could have a few different results. Derailments, uncouples,or it might work out fine.

I don't think any engine harm will happen so give it a try.

[Michael T.]

Well, I tried it and they went at the same speed together perfectly and it worked out.... I just hope it did not damage one of the engines because one of them I just got today.

[jward]

it shouldn't damage the engines. you are lucky that they were not mismatched in speed. then you'd have them bucking each other, but under load they would still probably be fine, as long as the speed difference wasn't too great.

[Michael T.]

Okay thanks guys.

[Doneldon]

There's no trouble doing this.

          --D

[Michael T.]

I Just wanted to let you guys know that the two trains actually did not go at the same speed. One goes slightly faster.

[BaltoOhioRRfan]

I had a set of Athearn Gensis F3 AB and a F7AB couipled together(for a ABBA set_ ran fine first time around, but when i did it again several months later one of the b units started smoking the blue smoke.....


2 engines should be fine on DC but based on what happened to me I wouldn't do no more then 2(the unit may have just been a defect or something was laying on the electrical board) Athearn sent me a new board and it works fine now.

[Michael T.]

Well then I shouldn't do that again.

[Jim Banner]

Don't let someone else's problem with one faulty locomotive spoil your enjoyment of running your locomotives together.  My H0 layout has some pretty steep grades and often uses two or more locomotives  together.  That included running on dc for the first dozen or so years of its life.  Mostly I used pairs of locomotives that were the same make and model and ran about the same speed.  If one went a little faster than the other, I usually put it on the front of the train.  Sometimes I would put four or five locomotives together and pull forty or more cars up my steep, winding grades.  The worst that ever happened was a few broken couplers.

Only once have I seen a locomotive that was damaged by running with others.  It was backwards in a lashup of DCC locomotives so it was continuously fighting the other locomotives.  Fortunately, this cannot happen with dc locomotives.  BOfan didn't mention how he powers his units and I am left wondering if he uses DCC.  If he was using dc, I doubt very much that stringing four of them together had anything to do with the smoking.  If Athearn gave him a new board, I would say they felt it was a faulty unit and not anything that BOfan did that he should not have.

Jim

[BaltoOhioRRfan]

Sorry i failed to menchon it was on DC. I have and still do run 2 Locomotives on trains a lot with no problem at all. once in a while i'll do three, but doing a train long enough for 4 locos gets too fustrating when couplers keep comming undone and derailments.....one of the reasons I don't do 4 anymore, and I'm sure i had nothing to do with the engine smoking, i had only ran it once before doing the 4 unit lashup and then i put it away for a while and then it started smoking again

[Michael T.]

Okay thanks guys. This will really help me have a lot more fun with the hobby!

[Michigan Railfan]

If I may suggest getting a Railpower 1370 Power pack from MRC, you will be able to run more engines from that power pack.  I heard somewhere, that a 1370 can power up to 5 engines on 1 DC track.  It also has AC outputs, so you can light up a building or something like that. Get one from modeltrainstuff.com for only 30 bucks.  Here's the direct link. http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/product_p/mrc-aa370.htm

[Michael T.]

Wow thanks that should really help me! And I won't have any chances of messing up my trains.... and for a good price!

[Michael T.]

Do you have one of these? Do you know if you can give trains certain numbers for them like you can with DCC? How does it work?