TS12 (Tutorial 4: Dynamic Break Trouble)

[shamayne]

Heya everyone,
I hope I found the correct Sub-Forum for my question, if not, just give me a slap and throw me into the cellar or somewhere appropriate.

Well, I just installed this game and was busy doing the turorial stuff. After getting pretty panicky with the 3rd one (I simply can't get used to the cab controls for these E-thingies) it was time to do the last one.

So far so good, everything worked fine until the session dialogs told me to learn and use the dynamic braking. I try to reference what I write, with what you can see on screen using the default layout, so here goes:
After you coupled the freight and switched the junction to go to the airport the game tells me to use dynamic braking when I get to the downhill section after the passenger station. I should turn down the throttle (done, I turned of throttle using the mini control panel in the bottom right corner. Second lever from left to zero). It tells me further to apply dynamic breaks either using C or the lever something in cab view. Again I used the mini control to push the middle lever to the top (The throttle display upper right on the screen turns colour to blue). Now I get the explanation that I can manage the force of the brake with the throttle control. I think it is again the second lever from left on the mini panel on screen, right?
If I push it up the whole way, the engine sounds like it's gonna explode but there seems to be no braking applied. I was passing the passenger station with about 10 mph and still, nothing happens. When I reach the downhill section the train just starts speeding up and I really want to understand how this works.

Of course, I could use the train brake but this wouldn't really help me understand this dynamic braking and what I can accomlish with it, when working as it is supposed to do. Am I missing something vital here like putting the driving direction lever into reverse?

Sheesh, I am just a blonde guy, trying to understand what is going on. I don't want to kill thousands of millions of innocent cargo-pixels.

So, if someone could be so nice and explain to me what I am doing wrong or what I don't understand I would be very thankful. Up until this point I could understand the explanations quite good, at least after the second time reading bus this one leaves me at a total loss.

THanks in advance,
Sham

 

[Jerker]

G'day shamayne,

...I guess you're in the right spot, Sham, I certainly would have placed your question here if I were asking it...

..let's throw an answer or two at you...

...firstly, an explanation of how Dynamic Braking works can be obtained from the 'wikipedia', here, in a form that is probably easier for you to understand than any I could offer (those who know me here would agree that any explanation I would provide would be far too technical for most folks - no matter how 'simple' I tried to make it)...

...as for how to use 'the device', well, here's how I would have done it when I was "on the footplate"...

...approaching the crest of a long steep grade (the best circumstance in which to use Dynamic Braking), I would have the train under control so that it would 'top' the grade at about 10 or 15 Miles per hour (20 to 25 Kph) and as the train slowly 'crested', I would reduce the throttle one notch at a time over a 10 or 15 second period (or 2 notches at a time over a shorter period if I had become distracted) until reaching notch 1 where I would leave it for about 10 or 20 seconds to allow the train to stabilise as it crested over the peak (it would seem from your description that you, in fact, were doing precisely that). After the short wait, I would place the throttle to the off position and select Dynamic Brake. After a further short interval (to allow the locomotive to stabilise), I would then place the Dynamic Brake lever (or the throttle, if the locomotive has a combined lever arrangement) into notch 1 and wait another 20 seconds to allow the train to stabilise ("bunch up" as we would say in "Train Driver speak"). I would then gradually 'apply' the Dynamic Brake (by moving the lever to the maximum position). One thing the 'wiki' doesn't say is that when you select for Dynamic Braking, most modern day locomotives also engage the engine's regulator and force the engine to 'rev' (without applying power) to the equivalent of notch 5, this is to provide additional insistence for the cooling fans to improve the cooling of the resistance grids and to also 'speed up' the air compressor for faster charging of the air brakes. I could well understand that this action, along with the noise now being made by the traction motors being turned into generators could easily make you think that the locomotive might be about to explode but you need not fear any such occurrence (unless something is severely deficient, somewhere). Despite the braking effect, the speed of the train WILL increase but this increase should be at a much slower rate than it would be without the presence of the Dynamic Braking. Now, depending upon the circumstances (the weight of the train, the steepness of the grade and the maximum permissible speed of the train), this increase of speed may be such that the train does NOT reach the third of those options (if that is the case, then you are very lucky). Conversely (and this is more likely to be the case), the speed of the train will eventually reach a point where it will clearly exceed the maximum and so one is then forced to resort to 'friction' braking on the train to bring it back "under the needful control" (as our Rules and Regulations were wont to state). If this was needed, I would generally make a minimum application of the air brake and allow it to take effect, eventually reducing the speed of the train down to no more than 15 Mph/25 Kph (noting, that in order to do so, I would actually release the brakes when the train was still at about 20 Mph/35Kph (by the time the air brake fully released, the desired speed had been reached). All through this, the Dynamic Brake would be still very much in use in notch 8. I would continue this alternation of Dynamic/air brake control of the train until a point near the bottom of the grade where (depending upon the circumstance), I would release both brakes (or just the Dynamic Brake) so that the train would be able to accelerate to the bottom of the dip reaching close to the the maximum speed set down (or be in a position to act upon signals - or any other special requirements), so as to be able to ascend the next grade with the best possible momentum. Having slowly disengaged the Dynamic Brake at the bottom of the hill, whilst the momentum of the train was still propelling me forward, I would slowly notch up the throttle and allow the train to gradually 'stretch' (usually being in powering notch 8 before actually starting up the grade with the locomotive), to minimise 'coupling slack'). In this way, I constantly drew a 'sawtooth' pattern on the locomotive 'recording chart' (the equivalent of a plane's "black box") and anyone reading that chart could easily tell that I was in charge of the train (rather then the other way around)...

...if you have any further questions, I am always around to provide assistance, you just have to ask...

Jerker {}