Notch 8 questions

I have had T:ANE (SP2) for a few months are I have been looking all over the internet and this site for info about driving real trains so I can duplicate real world driving. Specifically, how a real world passenger train gets up to speed. Using what I have found I have been making adjustments to a copy of the engine spec file ("F7") I have been testing on.

Then yesterday I stumbled upon a UTube video of a multi engine train (with some F7A's) trying to haul a heavy load up a grade. The train stalls right in front of the camera. What I found remarkable about this was the fact (based on the poster's comments and the sound of the engines) that the engineer was at notch 8 and the consist was at a crawl! In Trainz, being at notch 8 and crawling would have the amp meter pegged and the drive wheels would be slipping like mad.

Setting aside the wheel slip issue of notch 8 at a crawl, I decided (based on the video) my engine spec throttle numbers were way off. I adjusted them to max out at 120 per notch. Now the amp meter moves towards max at notch one and fairly quickly decreases to the midway point on the meter...at which point I move to notch 2. The way I have modified the engine spec you **could** move straight to notch 8 from a standstill and the meter would move almost all the way to the right and stay there until the speed reached was about half-way between notch 7 and 8 (in the engine spec file).

So, is that unrealistic? Or, what's up with the F7A's in the video (link below)?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBvfJvFVE-Y

Thanks for any input you can offer...

John

PS. I have just spotted another video of a F7A on YouTube. It clearly shows the amp meter only rising about a quarter of the scale of the meter at notch one and this while pulling some passenger cars. So, based on that, I think my 120 max notch setting is good but I will not have it hit until notch 5 or so.

Hi John, the engines in question are Victorian Railways B Class, 1500 horsepower 16-567 engine dual bulldog nose cab and were built in 1952-53. The S class is more like the F7, only longer.
On a passenger train of 6 cars, you want to get up to track speed quickly and the train is lighter so notches are skipped (1,3,5,8 guided by the amp meter). On a heavy goods train going to notch 8 is a gradual process where you need maximum tractive effort in each notch.
Don't forget that the engine drives a generator which sends power to the traction motor, therefore at notch 8 the engine is sending the maximum amount of power to the traction motors but has nothing to do with the speed of the train.
As an aside, I've driven that line on a 2000 ton grainy and going down Warrenheip bank on the other side toward Geelong, to avoid running out of brakes, I had the reverser in neutral and engine at notch 6 to increase the pumping capacity of the air compressor for the brakes.
cheers
Graeme
*edit* Have a look for a B class engine spec by user "Azervich" on the DLS

Hi,

The problem with that train and your US ones is our locomotives have much lighter axle loads so the fields are weaker resulting in less tractive force,

The US F7 being 4x D-27C's is 40,000lbs at it's Continuous, The Victorian B Class is also 40,000lbs at about the same speed with 6x D-27's however it has an extremely high starting tractive effort due to it being 20.5 tonnes axle load, the reason why that train in the video stalled is because of the T Class locomotives, one was shut down to save on fuel, by the time they had it running it started to rain and they also ran out of sand, T Class locomotives have high starting tractive effort and can put out up to 47,000lbs, however their light axle load of 16 tonnes only allow between 36,000lbs to 42,000lbs depending on track conditions and has a continuous of 29,000lbs at the same speed of the B Class and also has smaller motors being D-19's and D-29's (The ones for running on 3'6" Gauge http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4egCE-Ktk7k/UVJj4XE4caI/AAAAAAAAAlI/hLH-iXVBa08/s1600/20130327_134316.jpg ), the other loco in that train, S Class has a bit more power over the B Class with it's 6x D-37's and has 53,000lbs at it's continuous however it's axle load is a few tonnes lighter resulting in slightly less starting traction over the B Class, other differences between the B Class and S Class is the B Class runs it's generator at 800 rpm while the S Class runs at 835 rpm so it puts out more amps giving the motors more torque.

Cheers.