DickF

Thanks Nigel assurance greatly appreciated

Suppose I have an H&M duette for controlling two loops with a centre off position. I have the output terminals connected differently so that clockwise turn makes the locos go chimney-first on the inner and outer loops ie in opposite directions. Suppose I use common return, can I now connect the -ve on one controlled o/p to the +ve on the other controlled o/p? The controllers are apparently on different windings of the transformer. Or would anyone advise that eg clockwise is always R to L (say)?

Thanks to both replies. I was toying with using another (transformerless) controller fed from the DC outlet on a separate H&M Executive as well as using the H&M Executive, so 4 controllers overall with common return. That now appears to be a definite no no so I will have to abandon that (although I think somewhere I may possibly have an old transformer/rectifier that would be ok to use?) You may have guessed that I am trying to minimise expenditure using as much as I can from a treasure trove from years ago uncovered in my loft when we recently downsized!

Having studied various comments and links can anyone confirm that my ancient H&M Duette is suitable for common return? Control knobs are labelled Independent Outputs A and B respectively.

Thanks all for replies

I have a quantity of Triang locos and rolling stock dating from the 1950s through to the 1970s. I started with the Triang grey plastic track, supplemented by the Series 3 track. I am sentimentally attached to these models and would like to be able to run them on some commercial track currently available – obviously they are analogue control. I did build a layout in the 1980s with the then Hornby track but I think they had trouble on the points. Last year I tried the locos on a friend’s Peco Streamline layout and they ran well in the forward direction. On a piece of test track in the reverse direction however they frequently (but not always) rode up on point frogs and derailed. So my question is ‘Does anyone know of any track that I could reliably run these models on?’. I appreciate that the quality of currently available models is vastly superior to that of even a few years ago, and I would also like to run some of those on the yet to be built layout. I apologise in advance if I offend any modellers for whom realism is essential! Also unsure if this is the right category – can anyone suggest an alternative?