diff --git a/packages/ember-routing/lib/system/route.js b/packages/ember-routing/lib/system/route.js
index 38a58d02ca6..c5ac7ef2e03 100644
--- a/packages/ember-routing/lib/system/route.js
+++ b/packages/ember-routing/lib/system/route.js
@@ -1882,27 +1882,45 @@ var Route = EmberObject.extend(ActionHandler, Evented, {
   disconnectOutlet(options) {
     var outletName;
     var parentView;
-    var parent;
     if (!options || typeof options === "string") {
       outletName = options;
     } else {
       outletName = options.outlet;
       parentView = options.parentView;
     }
-
     parentView = parentView && parentView.replace(/\//g, '.');
-    parent = parentRoute(this);
+    outletName = outletName || 'main';
+    this._disconnectOutlet(outletName, parentView);
+    for (var i = 0; i < this.router.router.currentHandlerInfos.length; i++) {
+      // This non-local state munging is sadly necessary to maintain
+      // backward compatibility with our existing semantics, which allow
+      // any route to disconnectOutlet things originally rendered by any
+      // other route. This should all get cut in 2.0.
+      this.router.router.
+        currentHandlerInfos[i].handler._disconnectOutlet(outletName, parentView);
+    }
+  },
+
+  _disconnectOutlet(outletName, parentView) {
+    var parent = parentRoute(this);
     if (parent && parentView === parent.routeName) {
       parentView = undefined;
     }
-    outletName = outletName || 'main';
-
     for (var i = 0; i < this.connections.length; i++) {
       var connection = this.connections[i];
       if (connection.outlet === outletName && connection.into === parentView) {
-        this.connections.splice(i, 1);
+        // This neuters the disconnected outlet such that it doesn't
+        // render anything, but it leaves an entry in the outlet
+        // hierarchy so that any existing other renders that target it
+        // don't suddenly blow up. They will still stick themselves
+        // into its outlets, which won't render anywhere. All of this
+        // statefulness should get the machete in 2.0.
+        this.connections[i] = {
+          into: connection.into,
+          outlet: connection.outlet,
+          name: connection.name
+        };
         run.once(this.router, '_setOutlets');
-        return;
       }
     }
   },
diff --git a/packages/ember-routing/lib/system/router.js b/packages/ember-routing/lib/system/router.js
index 22a0e70fe36..d0aeb3f718e 100644
--- a/packages/ember-routing/lib/system/router.js
+++ b/packages/ember-routing/lib/system/router.js
@@ -199,15 +199,18 @@ var EmberRouter = EmberObject.extend(Evented, {
 
     for (var i = 0; i < handlerInfos.length; i++) {
       route = handlerInfos[i].handler;
-      var connections = normalizedConnections(route);
+      var connections = route.connections;
       var ownState;
       for (var j = 0; j < connections.length; j++) {
         var appended = appendLiveRoute(liveRoutes, defaultParentState, connections[j]);
         liveRoutes = appended.liveRoutes;
-        if (appended.ownState.render.name === route.routeName) {
+        if (appended.ownState.render.name === route.routeName || appended.ownState.render.outlet === 'main') {
           ownState = appended.ownState;
         }
       }
+      if (connections.length === 0) {
+        ownState = representEmptyRoute(liveRoutes, defaultParentState, route);
+      }
       defaultParentState = ownState;
     }
     if (!this._toplevelView) {
@@ -1028,34 +1031,27 @@ function appendLiveRoute(liveRoutes, defaultParentState, renderOptions) {
   };
 }
 
-function normalizedConnections(route) {
-  var connections = route.connections;
-  var mainConnections = [];
-  var otherConnections = [];
-
-  for (var i = 0; i < connections.length; i++) {
-    var connection = connections[i];
-    if (connection.outlet === 'main') {
-      mainConnections.push(connection);
-    } else {
-      otherConnections.push(connection);
-    }
-  }
-
-  if (mainConnections.length === 0) {
-    // There's always an entry to represent the route, even if it
-    // doesn't actually render anything into its own
-    // template. This gives other routes a place to target.
-    mainConnections.push({
-      name: route.routeName,
-      outlet: 'main'
-    });
+function representEmptyRoute(liveRoutes, defaultParentState, route) {
+  // the route didn't render anything
+  var alreadyAppended = findLiveRoute(liveRoutes, route.routeName);
+  if (alreadyAppended) {
+    // But some other route has already rendered our default
+    // template, so that becomes the default target for any
+    // children we may have.
+    return alreadyAppended;
+  } else {
+    // Create an entry to represent our default template name,
+    // just so other routes can target it and inherit its place
+    // in the outlet hierarchy.
+    defaultParentState.outlets.main = {
+      render: {
+        name: route.routeName,
+        outlet: 'main'
+      },
+      outlets: {}
+    };
+    return defaultParentState;
   }
-
-  // We process main connections first, because a main connection may
-  // be targeted by other connections.
-  return mainConnections.concat(otherConnections);
 }
 
-
 export default EmberRouter;
diff --git a/packages/ember/tests/routing/basic_test.js b/packages/ember/tests/routing/basic_test.js
index a92cd6e213f..829e820db43 100644
--- a/packages/ember/tests/routing/basic_test.js
+++ b/packages/ember/tests/routing/basic_test.js
@@ -3607,3 +3607,134 @@ QUnit.test("Can render into a named outlet at the top level, later", function()
   //router._setOutlets();
   equal(Ember.$('#qunit-fixture').text(), "A-The index-B-Hello world-C", "second render");
 });
+
+QUnit.test("Can render routes with no 'main' outlet and their children", function() {
+  Ember.TEMPLATES.application = compile('<div id="application">{{outlet "app"}}</div>');
+  Ember.TEMPLATES.app = compile('<div id="app-common">{{outlet "common"}}</div><div id="app-sub">{{outlet "sub"}}</div>');
+  Ember.TEMPLATES.common = compile('<div id="common"></div>');
+  Ember.TEMPLATES.sub = compile('<div id="sub"></div>');
+
+  Router.map(function() {
+    this.route('app', { path: "/app" }, function() {
+      this.resource('sub', { path: "/sub" });
+    });
+  });
+
+  App.AppRoute = Ember.Route.extend({
+    renderTemplate : function() {
+      this.render('app', {
+        outlet: 'app',
+        into: 'application'
+      });
+      this.render('common', {
+        outlet: 'common',
+        into: 'app'
+      });
+    }
+  });
+
+  App.SubRoute = Ember.Route.extend({
+    renderTemplate : function() {
+      this.render('sub', {
+        outlet: 'sub',
+        into: 'app'
+      });
+    }
+  });
+
+  bootApplication();
+  handleURL('/app');
+  equal(Ember.$('#app-common #common').length, 1, "Finds common while viewing /app");
+  handleURL('/app/sub');
+  equal(Ember.$('#app-common #common').length, 1, "Finds common while viewing /app/sub");
+  equal(Ember.$('#app-sub #sub').length, 1, "Finds sub while viewing /app/sub");
+});
+
+QUnit.test("Tolerates stacked renders", function() {
+  Ember.TEMPLATES.application = compile('{{outlet}}{{outlet "modal"}}');
+  Ember.TEMPLATES.index = compile('hi');
+  Ember.TEMPLATES.layer = compile('layer');
+  App.ApplicationRoute = Ember.Route.extend({
+    actions: {
+      openLayer: function() {
+        this.render('layer', {
+          into: 'application',
+          outlet: 'modal'
+        });
+      },
+      close: function() {
+        this.disconnectOutlet({
+          outlet: 'modal',
+          parentView: 'application'
+        });
+      }
+    }
+  });
+  bootApplication();
+  equal(Ember.$('#qunit-fixture').text().trim(), 'hi');
+  Ember.run(router, 'send', 'openLayer');
+  equal(Ember.$('#qunit-fixture').text().trim(), 'hilayer');
+  Ember.run(router, 'send', 'openLayer');
+  equal(Ember.$('#qunit-fixture').text().trim(), 'hilayer');
+  Ember.run(router, 'send', 'close');
+  equal(Ember.$('#qunit-fixture').text().trim(), 'hi');
+});
+
+QUnit.test("Renders child into parent with non-default template name", function() {
+  Ember.TEMPLATES.application = compile('<div class="a">{{outlet}}</div>');
+  Ember.TEMPLATES['exports/root'] = compile('<div class="b">{{outlet}}</div>');
+  Ember.TEMPLATES['exports/index'] = compile('<div class="c"></div>');
+
+  Router.map(function() {
+    this.route('root', function() {
+    });
+  });
+
+  App.RootRoute = Ember.Route.extend({
+    renderTemplate() {
+      this.render('exports/root');
+    }
+  });
+
+  App.RootIndexRoute = Ember.Route.extend({
+    renderTemplate() {
+      this.render('exports/index');
+    }
+  });
+
+  bootApplication();
+  handleURL('/root');
+  equal(Ember.$('#qunit-fixture .a .b .c').length, 1);
+});
+
+QUnit.test("Allows any route to disconnectOutlet another route's templates", function() {
+  Ember.TEMPLATES.application = compile('{{outlet}}{{outlet "modal"}}');
+  Ember.TEMPLATES.index = compile('hi');
+  Ember.TEMPLATES.layer = compile('layer');
+  App.ApplicationRoute = Ember.Route.extend({
+    actions: {
+      openLayer: function() {
+        this.render('layer', {
+          into: 'application',
+          outlet: 'modal'
+        });
+      }
+    }
+  });
+  App.IndexRoute = Ember.Route.extend({
+    actions: {
+      close: function() {
+        this.disconnectOutlet({
+          parentView: 'application',
+          outlet: 'modal'
+        });
+      }
+    }
+  });
+  bootApplication();
+  equal(Ember.$('#qunit-fixture').text().trim(), 'hi');
+  Ember.run(router, 'send', 'openLayer');
+  equal(Ember.$('#qunit-fixture').text().trim(), 'hilayer');
+  Ember.run(router, 'send', 'close');
+  equal(Ember.$('#qunit-fixture').text().trim(), 'hi');
+});