train information / properties for locomotive driver

[TrainEngineer]

Hi, somehow the train driver / locomotive driver needs to know following data about its train:
- length in metres / feet
- total mass in metric tons / imperial tonnes 
- maximum allowed speed of the train in km/h or mph

- brake percentage in %

- Number of cars

- train type

I would suggest to provide this visible to the user at any time. 

[stronzio]

+ 1

I'm not sure if/how Brake % is calculated in game and I even suspect that it's a parameter that would probably not make much sense to a lot of people, even though is one of the most (if not THE MOST) important things to know for a driver, but at least max permitted speed, mass and length should be definitely be made known. Brake setting for freight train would also be useful (G/P), though that's a bit more complicated matter

I'd also like to have an extended realistic timetable with speeds/mileposts and locations (à la maszyna), what we have now  makes it very hard to drive without hud ON atm

Edited December 14, 2022 by stronzio

[hyzwar]

+1

[oli806]

When driving the E186 as a light loco I get the impression that the indirect breaking system is very slow-acting, as if it was in G mode. Is there any way to set the breaking mode of the loco? Or at least to adjust it automatically, because it feels odd to drive a light loco that breakes like a whole long freight train.

[stronzio]

You can change the brake timing in the "setting" menu of the TDD (obsl. softkey), however I don't advise using the train brake while running light as it is slow and not much effective, it's much better to directly use the traction lever into the "EB" sector... and you'd be braking electrically anyway. Also, I'm not sure that G/P/R influence how EB works in-game, I haven't checked it enough (it does IRL though)

Edited December 14, 2022 by stronzio

[Allah macht frei]

As I have just suggested here, those information might be added to timetable sheet and that menu getting bigger to contain all the information, together with passing points showing mileposts.

 

@stronzio For the braking, I don't know how much it differs as brakepipe flow strength between Pax and Freight , but I felt it ingame that; like supposed to be in some of trains in real, passenger setting applies wagons BUT SIMULTANENOUSLY RELEASES LOCOMOTIVE brakes, whereas in freight it doesn't. This way, passenger wagons don't get jolted by loco, which makes discomfort. I kinda felt that jolting in freight services, but not in passenger.

For US locomotives however, it also changes reservoir pressure (Freight-Pax is like  90 - ~120 psi)

Edited December 14, 2022 by Allah macht frei

[stronzio]

On UIC distributors G/P/R setting has no effect on the air flow in the brake pipe, it simply changes how fast the brake cylinders fill/empty and also by how much (G = slow, P = normal, R = P but higher working pressure/stronger braking). Each vehicle has its own setting that has to be set separately, there are regulations in place on how this should happen but that would be too long to explain and each country has its own specificities anyway 

All this comes into play only when the train brake is used, direct brake for example will always have the same fixed timings.

On more modern locomotives it also affects how dynamic braking will react, similarly to what happens during pneumatic action, so it will be slower/faster/powerful accordingly but always when working with the train brake. In this case EDB (if available) will always supersede pneumatic (in short: the loco brakes only electrically most of the time), that's why it doesn't make too much sense to use TB when running light, the separate function on the traction lever is faster and more precise... Think about it as you are using the direct brake of the locomotive, but with EDB.

The only practical utility of using the train brake is to have the compressor run more ofter (because you'd still be dumping air in the brake pipe each time you want to slow down) and to automatically have air in the BCs when about to stop (EDB will eventually will no longer be available and air will compensate) but at this point I'd just use some small application of direct brake

Btw I checked and simrail seems to simulate different reaction times of the EDB in G and P, I'm not sure if "R" makes any difference as I think that in-game P=R and G=P but slower, which isn't 100% prototypical but it's better than nothing I guess... It also appears the 22xxx trains default to G, so that explains the sluggines.

 

(Btw I guess we're off topic now)

[BigVern]

IMHO this information should be shown against trains in the pick list. Frustrating to think you have chosen a nice heavy freight train but get a light engine. Likewise for freight show whether empty or loaded.

[oli806]

To avoid getting a light engine do not choose train described with an L in front (like LTE). Freight trains are described as Txx (like TME) or similar. Letters L and T describe the polish words for light engine or train.