Broken Couplers on Walong Stall

[shilton2437]

I'm new to Trainz (recently purchased Railroad Simulator 2012), and I am having some difficulty getting the hang of pulling a large load up a hill without broken couplers. Take the session Walong Stall in Mojave Sub. I have coupled up to the stalled train, and now I want to head back towards Summit. I take it nice and slow, but not matter how slow or smooth (at least I think it is slow smooth, like no more than 5mph) I don't get very far before I get broken couplers (usually no further than the first switch which is just yards from my starting point).

This topic does not seem to be covered in the tutorials, nor have I been able to find any walkthroughs that would demonstrate what would seem to be a fairly common and important skill.

When I put the driver on automatic, there is no problem even at acceleration speeds much greater than I dare try. And I have read in other posts how one can change the physics rule to make this easier. I have done this and it has allowed me to pull the train to Summit. But it seems to me that I should be able to do this on the default setting in what is a "medium" difficulty session.

I would appreciate any tips, suggestions, or helpful links that could help me master this skill.
Thanks.

 

[scratchy]

I completed this activity the other day, it should be fairly straightforward to get the train up the hill. After coupling to the train stick it in throttle 2 then release the brakes. You can use the sander (V) to help also. As long as you don't put it in notch 8 straight from moving off (you should be in it once you reach about 16-18mph), you shouldn't have a problem.
Hope that helps, Rich

 

[shilton2437]

Thanks for the advice. It's interesting that when I put it in throttle 2 straight away, the weight of the train pulls me backwards (I am using the sander, altho I don't see anything happening on the tracks so maybe I am not using it correctly). Then I had an idea. I looked at the controls in the cab when I put it in automatic "driver," and the automatic driver put it in throttle 5 right off the bat. I tried that, and it worked. So I wonder if the lesson here is not to start off too slow (as well as not too fast), at least when going uphill. I feel as if I'm still grappling with the basic principles of how to avoid broken couplers when pulling heavy trains under different circumstances, but I definitely don't have the hang of it yet. I appreciate your advice.

 

[sawyer811]

Not really in a railroad's "Rulebook" but something I've found that works both in real life and (to a lesser degree) trainz is to kick sand, open the throttle, THEN release the brakes: you're already spinning the wheels a bit, and you're grinding the sand down under them to give you some more "Bite" usually gives me a little more oomph if I get stuck halfway up one of my WIP layout's hills (which seems to happen alot, lol)

 

[Conductorphil]

I've also been having problems with this session, but I'll take your advice and try it tonight...