Function of certain buttons in the middle of the ED250 control panel

[Quacking Duck]

In the middle of the ED250 control panel, below the ETCS display and just right of the "control circuits" switch, there is a group of 4 buttons. The function of one of these, "forbid electrodynamic braking", is rather obvious, and it does what its name suggests. I have little idea of what the other three do.

These other three buttons are named "neutral section", "booster", and "parking". Pressing any of them them while the train is moving appears to have no effect.

I would expect the "neutral section" button to inhibit traction power, but it appears to be entirely possible to apply power, and even to start the train from a stop, while it is in the pressed position.

My best guess regarding the "parking" button would have been that it would control some kind of parking brake, but I know that the parking brake is controlled by the "spring brake" switch toward the right side of the cab, and the "parking" button appears to be a momentary button instead of a toggle button.

I have no idea at all what the "booster" button may do.

What are the functions of these three buttons? Are any of these functions simulated in the game?

[0x8000ffff]

 

 

W dniu 16.04.2026 o 14:02, Quacking Duck napisał(a):

In the middle of the ED250 control panel, below the ETCS display and just right of the "control circuits" switch, there is a group of 4 buttons. The function of one of these, "forbid electrodynamic braking", is rather obvious, and it does what its name suggests. I have little idea of what the other three do.

These other three buttons are named "neutral section", "booster", and "parking". Pressing any of them them while the train is moving appears to have no effect.

I would expect the "neutral section" button to inhibit traction power, but it appears to be entirely possible to apply power, and even to start the train from a stop, while it is in the pressed position.

My best guess regarding the "parking" button would have been that it would control some kind of parking brake, but I know that the parking brake is controlled by the "spring brake" switch toward the right side of the cab, and the "parking" button appears to be a momentary button instead of a toggle button.

I have no idea at all what the "booster" button may do.

What are the functions of these three buttons? Are any of these functions simulated in the game?

In the real ED250 (Alstom Pendolino), the Booster button is not for "extra speed" like in arcade games. Its actual purpose is to force maximum starting current (or increase tractive effort) under specific, difficult starting conditions.

It is primarily used when starting on steep gradients or when rail conditions are extremely poor (slippery tracks). In such cases, the anti-slip systems (WSP) might over-limit the power to prevent wheel spin, potentially stalling the train. Effectively, the Booster modifies the traction inverter characteristics to achieve maximum torque at low speeds, momentarily bypassing certain software limits to ensure the train can get moving.

Note: I am not sure if this functionality is actually implemented in the SimRail simulation yet, as I haven't tested it myself, but that is how the real-world system operat

es

[Quacking Duck]

I wonder whether the difficult starting conditions that would make such a button useful exist within the SimRail world. Would the gradients available within SimRail, combined with the effects of rain, prevent an ED250 under normal settings from starting in the uphill direction?

In some documents[1] relating to railway electrification, I have seen the phrase "booster section", but do not really know what it means. Is there any connection between the "booster" button and such things? I had noticed that this button is next to the "neutral section" button. I therefore suspected that, if the neutral section button is used to handle neutral sections, perhaps the "booster" button is used to handle "booster sections".

Do you know anything about the other two buttons I asked about?

[1] http://www.irot.in/pdf/snt/S7 SIGNALLING IN 25KV AC.pdf This is the first apparently relevant example I found in a Google search, though I am not sure whether it is a representative example of the use of that phrase.

[0x8000ffff]

@Quacking Duck In the Polish-language early access archive, I found the following information:
Booster (white): This is a start-up mode that aids starting in emergency situations. It is used when the train has experienced a failure of some of its drives (e.g., loss of 50% of its traction power) and must start on a difficult section, such as a steep incline.
Parking (yellow): This button activates the parking mode. It allows the train to continue to power up (e.g., heating, lighting, and on-board systems) when the driver's panel is turned off and the ignition key is removed. Certain conditions, such as the parking brake being engaged, must usually be met to activate it.
Neutral Section: This button prepares the train for passage through a so-called isolation section (a location on the railway line where there is a change in power supply or a break in the overhead contact line). When pressed, the train's systems automatically cut off power to the motors and energy recovery systems, protecting the equipment from damage caused by an electric arc.

I didn't know about the function of the last two, I've never used either of them, I don't think they're implemented in the simulator, but if you have the time and inclination to test them, let me know, I'd be happy to know what and how. 😉 

[lewnemejski]

3 hours ago, 0x8000ffff said:

@Quacking Duck In the Polish-language early access archive, I found the following information:
Booster (white): This is a start-up mode that aids starting in emergency situations. It is used when the train has experienced a failure of some of its drives (e.g., loss of 50% of its traction power) and must start on a difficult section, such as a steep incline.
Parking (yellow): This button activates the parking mode. It allows the train to continue to power up (e.g., heating, lighting, and on-board systems) when the driver's panel is turned off and the ignition key is removed. Certain conditions, such as the parking brake being engaged, must usually be met to activate it.
Neutral Section: This button prepares the train for passage through a so-called isolation section (a location on the railway line where there is a change in power supply or a break in the overhead contact line). When pressed, the train's systems automatically cut off power to the motors and energy recovery systems, protecting the equipment from damage caused by an electric arc.

I didn't know about the function of the last two, I've never used either of them, I don't think they're implemented in the simulator, but if you have the time and inclination to test them, let me know, I'd be happy to know what and how. 😉 

I asked developers about them: Booster is not implemented, Parking should work properly, Neutral Section as far as I know does not work and is only used during driving under AC, on DC does nothing. As the game not having any AC routes not worth implementing that functionality.

[Królik Uszasty]

6 godzin temu, Quacking Duck napisał(a):

I wonder whether the difficult starting conditions that would make such a button useful exist within the SimRail world. Would the gradients available within SimRail, combined with the effects of rain, prevent an ED250 under normal settings from starting in the uphill direction?

No. We have about gradients up to 10-12 ‰, what is about equivalent of 20-25% of Pendolino acceleration. It is not a problem even in wet conditions when all inverters and motors are working, but it might be useful when the drive is broken and the available tractive effort is considerably lower.

Some locomotives has a similar hidden feature as they can increase the tractive effort of a single motor from 75 to 85 kN when the other ones are slipping.