Stopping in cab mode

[Ernest2d6]

Stopping a train in cab mode is hard, sometimes I think the damn train has no breaks. I must be doing something wrong, ya I know too fast. Still it doesn't stop as well as the other mode.

must be a trick too it.

 

[b9k9kiwi]

Stopping a train in cab mode is hard, sometimes I think the damn train has no breaks. I must be doing something wrong, ya I know too fast. Still it doesn't stop as well as the other mode.

must be a trick too it.

The 'other' mode (DCC) is like driving a toy train - it doesn't reflect the true dynamics of a full size train in the 'real' world. Hence, in DCC mode, you can bring a train to a grinding halt.

In cab mode, however, real life dynamics are recognised (things like wind resistance, inertia, power to weight ratio etc.), so you need to learn how to drive each locomotive or train and become familiar with its stopping ability.

Yes, if you can't stop in time, then you are going too fast.

 

[cascaderailroad]

You learn how to decrease your speed from highballing, to drive a slower speed under 20 mph. Or press "S" (stop) way before you intend to stop at, and press "A" (apply) upwards of 8-20 times to apply the brakes.

When running at 20 mph you can hit "S" (stop) or "X" (decrease throttle) then "A" (apply), then after the speed gets to 10 mph press "Q" (release), then "C" (dynamic brake) then, "W" (increase throttle) 8 times and you get full dynamic braking.

You can also press "S" (stop), then "R" (reverse), then "W" (increase throttle) upwards of 8 times, and the loco is fighting to reverse its dirrection.

 

[Mart1001]

Stopping a train in cab mode is hard, sometimes I think the damn train has no breaks. I must be doing something wrong, ya I know too fast. Still it doesn't stop as well as the other mode.

must be a trick too it.

I'm pretty new to this myself but here's how I do it.
I learned to use the keyboard pretty quickly rather than trying to grab hold of levers using the mouse.

Now lets say I need to stop pretty sharpish...assumming your Canadian keyboard is setup like my UK version...I'll first press 's' to shut off the throttle completely. Now pressing 'a' will apply the train brake but only a notch at a time and as I'm looking to stop quickly I need to either press it many times quickly or simply press the 'z' key first to apply the brake in 'lap' mode...I aint got a clue what lap mode is but it ain't gonna stop your train very fast so avoid thinking that this is full brakes. Anyway, once in lap mode..pressing 'a' once will drop the lever down one to full application.

So...to simplify...press 's', press 'z', press 'a' and your train will start to slow down pretty quickly.

Now if I am really in an emergency and I can see I ain't gonna stop in time before passing that red, I'll add phase two and that is to reverse the train wheels. Press 'r' this will switch the reverser(this will only engage if the throttle is shut off and as we pressed 's' earlier, this shouldn't be a problem). Now dab the 'w' key a couple of times to apply just a touch of throttle. This will now put the wheels in full reverse and give you something like another 25% stopping power.

So..to simplify the full emergency stop...press 's,z,a,r,w,w'

Once the train has stopped...and you want to get going again. Press 's' to stop the wheels reversing, press 'f' to engage forward gear again, press 'q' to release the brakes completely and apply throttle again using 'w'.

So...now the hardest part is negotiating trackside speeds. Let's say I'm doing 80mph and I see a 60 in half a mile. Let's say my loco has 8 notches and I'm at 8 and accelerating. I'll press 'x' three or four times to drop down to about half throttle and press 'a' a few times(about 4) to apply a strong intitial brake. My speed should start scrubbing off now and as I drop to about 65, I'll press 'q' to release the brake fully as I don't want to slow too much. You can expect the speed to drop to about 50 though after this and this is where I'll need to apply throttle again to help maintain as near to 60 as possible.

Sometimes I may only need to scrub a few mph maybe 3-10mph. for this I will normally just press the 'e' key which applies the independant brake and I'll watch my speed before pressing 'e' again to release it. Sometimes it may need a quick touch of 'a' and then 'q' again to release.

Right...I've gone off on one abit so I'd better close but I hope this helps you abit cause I always find that posting stuff like this actually helps me to learn a few things myself.

Mart.