Diesel Throttle
- Thread starter spiffy101
- Start date
Throttle on a electric loco is usually based aroud mechanism that transmits power from the generator / pickup to the motors. Most commonly one that has fixed settings is used. Making one that can go from 0 to 100% smoothly would be very expensive. I think some passanger loco's have what is known as Combined Power Hendle, which acts as a throttle from 0 to 100% (as in smooth transition) if pushed forward past 0, and as a break if pulled.
I think the Acela in MSTS had it.
I think the Acela in MSTS had it.
Our American/Canadian built locos were all 8 notch locos, but our British built English Electric locos were all 10 notch locos. When Mitsubishi built locos for us in the 1960s based around the wildly inappropriate Caterpillar D398 motor they were required to build them in the 10 notch format. This was to make them compatible with the old English diesels which were near the end of their useful life. After that all locos were US based 8 notch locos which made multiple operation diabolically confusing!
Some of our shunt locos (switchers) had ten notches and some had one notch. One notch? Yup, one notch. The throttle was pulled into the notch 1 position and for the rest of its movement it worked directly on the injector cable to the two motors so that although it was still in notch 1 you could rev up the engines to get more power. It was actually easier to drive than to describe!
Sorry, what was the original question again? :hehe:
Cheers
Nix
Some of our shunt locos (switchers) had ten notches and some had one notch. One notch? Yup, one notch. The throttle was pulled into the notch 1 position and for the rest of its movement it worked directly on the injector cable to the two motors so that although it was still in notch 1 you could rev up the engines to get more power. It was actually easier to drive than to describe!
Sorry, what was the original question again? :hehe:
Cheers
Nix
Wikipedia has a pretty comprehensive explanation of the 8 notch controller for diesel locos at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_locomotive. Scroll down to the section titled Diesel-electric control.
Bob
Bob
Harry_James_Potter
General Thrash
it depends on the builders and the control systems they choose to impliment.
One reason for having notched locos is that the driver can select a notch that allows rapid acceleration without taking the needle into the overload section on the ammeter.
Another is the way the contactors work (Some SR EMUs with the old style Shunt, Series, Parallel and Weak-Field controllers can be hand-notched through the resistances in series and parallel thus giving the driver finer control over his train.)
regards
Harry.
Well, I find it extremely hard to couple up to a couple of cars since the train excelerates so fast and goes up to 20 on notch 2. I would thing having a percentage system up to a certain number. Then, it goes back to notches, like what the brakes do. I guess if I used the independent brake, it would be easier, but it is still a hastle since I can't see where I am going from the cab.
Harry_James_Potter
General Thrash
Quite simple.
do it the way that real drivers do...
1. with train brake released and loco brake applied, bring in notch 1 on the juice. You will NOT need notch 2.
2. from outside the locomotive, use numeric keypad '4' to release the brake.
3. control the pressure in the independent brake cylinder using keypad '4' by tapping it to apply and then quickly tapping it again to release.
That way, you get roughly the same apply/release methods that most of our mainline drivers seem to get.
Remember. You will NEVER need notch 2 when coupling a light loco or small train to a much longer one.
regards
Harry
G'day spiffy101,
It is common practice here in Victoria, Australia (and I suspect many other places world wide) for railway companies to paint one or two sleepers (read 'ties') in their yards to mark the "fouling point" in any given road (read 'track') but this is only to indicate the point in that road beyond which a driver should not pass (lest he foul the road beside him/her), without, of course, appropriate permission. How to control the train (using the brake) to accomplish this is left entirely to the individual driver. Mind you, some do get it horribly wrong...
Jerker {
}
It is common practice here in Victoria, Australia (and I suspect many other places world wide) for railway companies to paint one or two sleepers (read 'ties') in their yards to mark the "fouling point" in any given road (read 'track') but this is only to indicate the point in that road beyond which a driver should not pass (lest he foul the road beside him/her), without, of course, appropriate permission. How to control the train (using the brake) to accomplish this is left entirely to the individual driver. Mind you, some do get it horribly wrong...
Jerker {
}
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Harry_James_Potter
General Thrash
Some do and some don't. It all comes down to driver knowledge and knowing where he can stop without fouling the incoming or outgoing roads.
Some yards even have friendly shunters who know the yard like the back of their hands and will tell you when you are in the right place.
regards
Harry
Notch one or more commonly called first notch does not increase the diesel revs over idle it just engages the generator/alternator, so even if you had 100 notches it wouldn't make any difference as idle is still idle and that is as slow as you go without slipping it in and out of first notch.
Cheers David
and that is as slow as you go without slipping it in and out of first notch.Cheers David
Thanks. I haven't tried the diesel braking technique, but I will. I asked the yard limit thing because at the CN yard, theres a bridge at the starting point of the yard, and another right before the smaller sidings start. I also realized in the Marias Pass route that if I engaged my brakes at the bridge exiting Shelby, I'd stop perfectly, within ten feet, of the signal.