Making of multi-element smoking article rod

Oval or other non-circular cross-section filter tipped cigarettes are assembled by feeding, in axial-orientation controlled manner, tobacco rods and filter rods along first and second feed paths to an intercalation station at which the filter rods are intercalated with the tobacco rods, closing the rods up to provide units each comprising two tobacco rods and an intermediately disposed filter rod, applying a wrapper to each unit to provide a double length cigarette assembly and severing the assembly to provide two cigarettes.