Cool things you have noticed in SimRail

[Gazz292]

A thread to post the cool things that you have noticed in SimRail.

 

• ALL Trains; Bugs on the windscreen:
  You need to use the washers as well as the wipers to clean them off, AND you need to run the washers for long enough to fully clean the screen.
  Not using the washers or using insufficient water and you don't get all the bugs in the wipe area removed.
   
• All Trains; Variable dwell times in stations:
  If you are running late, instead of being made to wait the normal 3+ minutes in a station, you will be told to wait a much shorter time, usually something like 15 seconds, Thus giving you a chance to regain lost time when you get going again.
  If you arrive early then of course you wait until your departure time.
   
• Stations; The digital displays and announcements:
  Some stations have the digital displays working, they are very detailed and even include delay banners with your actual delay time on them.
  The announcements at the stations that have them working are pretty cool, if you are late the announcement apologises for your delay, and tells the passengers how late you are along with where the train is stopping at after this station, it's destination, where it's from, which platform and track number to find it, to stand back as it's departing etc!
  
   
• EU07; Low voltage Volt and Ammeters actually work (the 2 left upright gauges):
  The voltage shown will slowly rise as the batteries are charged (from 90 to about 125 volts)
  At the same time the current will drop from about +40 amps to zero (middle of the gauge) as the batteries reach float voltage.
  The needles will jump realistically when the compressor starts up, showing the surge of the compressors motor when it's starting, and when the compressor shuts off the ammeter and voltmeter will spike a little and fall back, showing the rotary converters regulator adjusting the output as the load changes suddenly.
  The rotary converter is basically a 3KV motor driving a 125 volt motor as a generator, an old way to convert DC voltages (with AC you'd use a transformer, but Poland's OLE is 3KV DC)

 

• Locomotives; Rough riding, suspension movements:
  The way the locomotives ride, especially the EU07, In outside view you can see the body moving independent of the bogies as the loco sways side to side as it's moving along.
  And going over points / switches you get realistic lurches and bumps as the 80 ton loco "bounces" heavily over the uneven track work.
   
• Locomotives; Coupling details:
  Currently only working in single player mode, but to uncouple a wagon / coach you have to do more than just click in the coupler area.
  I've noticed from the language files there's entries relating to disconnecting the individual brake and air hoses, the electrical cables if used then the screw coupler, as well as attaching the hoses, cables and screw coupler when coupling up.
  The brake systems seem to be well simulated, leaving a brake hose disconnected and you will not be able to release the brakes on the train.
   
• Ai trains; Headlights:
  When an Ai train is routed over the left hand track (wrong line running) it changes it's headlights to show this, with the left hand light being changed to red.
  When you do the TRAXX tutorial, you are shown how to change the headlights for wrong line running, and there are many different combinations of white and red lights to set, depending on what your train is doing, i.e. running empty, light loco and so on, some trains even have a SOS mode, that flashes the headlights to warn others something is wrong.
  
   
• All Trains; Random Bang and 'ooooh' noise:
  So it turns out this noise is part of the sim that's used to train real drivers, where the instructor places a human on the track that gets run over (to see how the trainee handles the situation... i've seen this on tram training simulators)
  We should not be hearing this noise in our version of SimRail, so we are asked to report it as a bug so the dev's can remove the appropriate sound markers.
  (please send in a separate bug report with details of where you heard this sound)

 

I'll update this post with other peoples observations of cool things SimRail does as they are posted (assuming i can edit it for long enough)

Edited December 30, 2022 by Gazz292
Added extra observations

[Thistle Whistle]

Well here's a question for you... and I can't believe nobody has mentioned it yet (unless I've missed it), but have you heard the bang and an 'ooh'?

I think it's supposed to happen occasionally went you go over a bumpy switch at speed.  There's a bang then a man's voice that goes 'ooh!' in a slightly comedic way.

But I think it is a little glitched as it can happen randomly, even when stationary.

I can't believe I'm the only one who's heard it, but I've asked on the servers and nobody has a clue what I'm talking about.

So please someone tell me I'm not going mad.

But I think it's a really cool feature. Just a nice light hearted touch to make you smile while you're driving, and if it's all as intended, then well done SimRail Team! Spot on. 👏

Edited December 16, 2022 by Thistle Whistle
Speeling

[Gazz292]

oh yes i've heard that too,
i have been wondering what the sound is for. convincing myself i was not hearing someone going 'ooh' and it was something like an air operated contacter operating.

[Thistle Whistle]

3 minutes ago, Gazz292 said:

oh yes i've heard that too,
i have been wondering what the sound is for. convincing myself i was not hearing someone going 'ooh' and it was something like an air operated contacter operating.

😂 That's class. Well I'm glad I'm not the only one! 

I mean, I THINK it's an 'ooh!'

Maybe I'm wrong. 🤷

I'm guessing it's just a little joke, but it's a great idea.

[TheShotte]

Oh man, so many cool things. Yeah the bugs on windshield and washer working are sick. I personally love the way the suspension works. When watching your train with the outside cameras, you can see the EU07 swaying left to right at high speed, or bobbing up and down when going over switches and crossings. Coming from TS and TSW, where the trains literally just move back and forth (I'm not counting tilting on superelevated track because that's natural for the track). Both the trains and world feel much more alive in SimRail.

[giBBer8]

The whole signal box experience is fantastic, watching the track circuit lights slowly getting closer, and the realistic speed the routes are set.

I can almost hear the point motors winding across...

[Gazz292]

Re: the loco moving around... i read a post where someone didn't like it, saying it was unrealistic!

If anyone has ever ridden in a real locomotive, they will know they ride rough, you have a lot of weight on those springs and close coupled wheels,
The average locomotive weighs around 80 tons.

So every little defect in the track is going to be felt through the seat of your pants,
The loco lurches and jumps and rocks and sways, your neck and back muscles will be sore for weeks when you first start driving, from trying to correct the movements all the time.

It feels nice and smooth when you are a passenger sat in the carriages as they weigh about 15 tons, have widely spaced bogies and much softer springs / air suspension, So it's a similar nice ride for the driver on an EMU / DMU (excepting the British class 140-143 Pacers, aka the nodding donkeys)

[TheShotte]

44 minutes ago, Gazz292 said:

Re: the loco moving around... i read a post where someone didn't like it, saying it was unrealistic!

Just because no other train simulator does it, doesn't mean it's unrealistic, it simply means SimRail is more advanced and they need to get over themselves and swallow the fact that they've spent hundreds/thousands of dollars on a simulator that will now essentially be inferior. At least that's how I mostly feel.

Edited December 17, 2022 by TheShotte

[SurvivorSean]

I love the new updates to the UI in the signal boxes now.  I don't know what all the signal locations mean except when they are lined for me and they're on my board.  But knowing what light they have is pretty cool I think.  Not sure how realistic it is but I don't care, I just like it.

Thanks

Sean

[Gazz292]

little edit for what i've recently noticed with the volt and ammeter for the batteries,
they both move realistically.
as in the voltage creeps up as the batteries get charged, and the current drops down to zero,

I am guessing the ammeter is measuring current into and out of the batteries, hence why it dosent show the compressor current drawn, as the rotary converter will be providing that current once the batteries are fully charged.

:

I've also noticed there's a battery charge input selector knife switch in under the small flap (to the right of the flap for the main battery switch and circuit breakers)
this knife switch has an internal and external position,

Wonder if we will arrive for our duty starting at the depot in the middle of winter and find the loco's batteries flat, and need to plug in external power to 'jumps start' the low voltage side of the loco... as without that we can't raise the panto and get main current to run the rotary converter that drops the 3KV DC to 125 volts DC for the control circuits.

 

[SurvivorSean]

I noticed Yoda.  Seriously I shared the picture on the Steam page.  Not sure how I snd it over here.

Thanks

Sean

[TheShotte]

When you're writing a post, on the bottom of the text field there is an area that let's you attach files to your post. You should be able to attach the screenshot directly to the forum post itself.

[SurvivorSean]

I'll have to find it again.  Perhaps Monday.

[oli806]

The seals on the relay panels have multiple/randomized appearances.

[Schyrsivochter]

At a few stations, the passenger information displays on the platforms actually work and display correct information – even delays!

And the displays on the side of the Elf EMUs also show the correct train number, destination, and upcoming stops. :>

Edited December 25, 2022 by Schyrsivochter

[Krtek-JC]

The only time I saw the displays actually showing something before this game was on Pro Train Perfect. However these are tailor made to only fit on the train at that time, whereas in Multiplayer of Simrail it is something entirely different to have the displays fitting.

Also as I was dispatching I was once again just marvelling on how the trains that I put through actually get across outside - including those played by people outside. Even more funny: at some point I had a longer time waiting for the signal to go so I could meet the dispatcher in the signal box personally XD

[Christophe]

You can uncouple the cars, or just both air hoses independently, or just the train bus bar.

[Schyrsivochter]

20 hours ago, Christophe said:

You can uncouple the cars, or just both air hoses independently, or just the train bus bar.

When? Where??

[robert357 - W7 FTW]

In single player.

[TheShotte]

You can indeed couple and uncouple in the singleplayer scenarios. I haven't tested the passenger EU07 one, but in the E186 TRAXX scenario, I was able to uncouple all but one car, pull up a bit, switch directions, back up to the uncoupled cars and recouple up to them. This didn't break the game at all and I was still able to continue with the scenario. Once you connect and open the brake lines, you can hear the brakes start pressurizing. It's pretty neat.

  

As I suspected earlier, un/coupling is fully implemented, and was just disabled for MP.

Edited December 27, 2022 by TheShotte

[Stele]

W dniu 16.12.2022 o 23:03, Gazz292 napisał(a):

Every so often you hear a bang followed by an 'oooh' noise, i thought it might have been an air operated breaker / contactor operating, but it might be the sound of the driver hitting something solid in the cab as the loco lurches, and the 'oooh' is the driver in pain?

It's a bug. There must be "obstacle" used in training scenerios by instructor to spook up trainee by placing human on tracks. He gives such sound when run over. If it plays in normal scenerios, somebody must have placed it as prop on the map. Plese report such localisations i it still happens as they're to be removed.

[Gazz292]

Thank you for telling us what this strange 'bang and oooh' noise is for,

Can you keep it in the sim, but place the serial griefers who deliberately disrupt those of us who take this Sim seriously on the tracks for us to run over 🤕🤠

[DiscoBreak]

On 12/26/2022 at 2:21 AM, Christophe said:

You can uncouple the cars, or just both air hoses independently, or just the train bus bar.

 

I noticed something cool regarding wagons/coaches during the EP07 tutorial. If you disconnect the brake hose to the coaches before starting up the locomotive, the brake will remain "on" on the coaches (as they should as long as there is air in the system). You can not depart (because the brakes are engaged) until you connect the brake hose on the coaches and fill their brake system with enough air to release the brakes. 

I also tried to only disconnect the brake hose to the last coach with the same result, indicating that the brake system is individually simulated for each vehicle.

 

 

[Schyrsivochter]

14 hours ago, DiscoBreak said:

I noticed something cool regarding wagons/coaches during the EP07 tutorial. If you disconnect the brake hose to the coaches before starting up the locomotive, the brake will remain "on" on the coaches (as they should as long as there is air in the system). You can not depart (because the brakes are engaged) until you connect the brake hose on the coaches and fill their brake system with enough air to release the brakes. 

I also tried to only disconnect the brake hose to the last coach with the same result, indicating that the brake system is individually simulated for each vehicle.

The goods run in the Prologue with the Traxx locomotive included a brake test. Not sure if the current playtest is the same, but I wonder – if I disconnected the brakes before starting up the locomotive, will the brake test fail? Or is it scripted to always succeed? Hmmm. I shall try this out.

[jiklobka]

On 12/27/2022 at 7:30 PM, Stele said:

It's a bug. There must be "obstacle" used in training scenerios by instructor to spook up trainee by placing human on tracks. He gives such sound when run over. If it plays in normal scenerios, somebody must have placed it as prop on the map. Plese report such localisations i it still happens as they're to be removed.

One location I found is on the bridge in km 311,7, direction KZ -> SG