AI Driver not successfully working grade on Emily Bay Route

I have been putting together consists for engines to run them with AI drivers on the Emily Bay Route, for future sessions.

I am running two SP SD40-2T engines at the head of a consist of IC 4 bay hoppers. I have just had the AI driver load the consist at the coal loading plant, and the driver is running them back to the north yard to unload them.

However, as the engines come around the steep bend by the engine repair house, the dispatcher makes sure the signal light is red at the top of the grade. [I guess he has a warped sense of humor...]

The AI driver comes to a halt with the grade reading about 2.58%. Once the signal goes green, the AI driver can't budge the consist and remains stuck at this spot.

I went back in the route and spotted two SD40-2T engines at the head of 5 IC 4 bay hoppers, fully loaded, near the coal loading plant, and drove this same section of track, making sure to stop on the same grade in just about the same spot. I am able to start up the consist from a dead stop in cab mode and then pull past the grade with no problems.

Maybe I am asking too much of the AI driver with two SD40-2T engines, trying to pull a consist of four 4 bay fully loaded hoppers up that grade, but I'm curious as to why I can do this with no problems with 5 loaded hoppers if I drive them myself.

Any thoughts on this?

Heinrich505

I just ran some quick tests.

CSX SD 40-2 pulling 8 Coal 2 Bay Westmoreland Coal Co. hoppers loaded with gravel with sand.

I set a straight track at 4% incline. It starts slowly but reaches 16 mph before slowing at the TrackMark End.

I tried it with 6%. It was slower, but it worked.

I put a series of curves in at 6%. Train started very slowly and then stopped.


At 3% straight track - the train goes.
At 3% curved track - starts slowly- gets to a tighter curve - stops.



Your post reminded me of the same problem I had a while back trying to start a train on curved hill. It just wouldn't do it. Starting back farther and giving it a running start, it had no problem making it up the hill.



RE:but I'm curious as to why I can do this with no problems with 5 loaded hoppers if I drive them myself.


1. You're just a better engineer.
2. Your lazy AI Drivers are paid by the hour and don't mind sitting at a red signal for hours on end.

Ecco,
Thanks for the reply. I had to laugh when your assessment was that I was a better engineer than the AI. Geez, I certainly hope so...
I pulled 7 fully loaded coal cars off a dead stop at the yard entrance hill curve with a single GP7, and I also pulled 5 fully loaded coal cars off the dead stop with an 0-8-0, so I know it can be done...just not done, apparently, by the AI drivers.

I did some more tests on the route and found that the AI driver in an RS-11 can pull 3 fully loaded 2 bay coal hoppers up the incline after getting stopped. Guess I will have to keep the number of coal cars down.

I appreciate you looking into this. I will not try to ask too much of my AI drivers in the future, haha.

Heinrich505

It's possible that this train is underpowered for the consist and grade. Two prototype SD40T-2s only put out 6000HP, Maybe you need a third engine for the consist since enginespecs can be kinda wonky between models and creators. Just my $.02

Ken_S,
Yes, you are probably right on those 2 cents. It is a wicked grade (2.58% at the highest point) in a curve with a very short lead to it, and the yard dispatcher usually has the red signal out right at the yard limit sign, stopping traffic on the uphill curve. So, the chances of being stopped by the red are very good, but not a guarantee as the past two sessions the coal run actually made it up the grade without having to stop.

I'm just playing around, trying to put together sessions on the route, and I've had three trains running jobs at the same time. Since it is a bottleneck running down to the harbor and the coal loading area, if one engine bogs down on the return up the grade, it messes everyone up.

I've given the RS-11 the job of loading 3 two-bay coal hoppers and returning them to the north yard to unload. It seems that consist is do-able and the RS-11 can pull the load from a dead stop in the curve. I wanted to avoid having too many engines for the job (as it seems the AI drivers struggle at times), but given the steep rise in that curve, for any serious coal runs, that will have to be the case. Or, the RS-11 crew will just have to make several runs.

It is a pretty complicated route, so I find I sometimes have to "help" the AI drivers through certain switches so they can follow their assigned schedules. Ideally the whole session would run with no interference from me.

It's all good though.

Heinrich505

It could be the engine spec as well. The ALco locomotives were fooled around with by someone back in the early days of fixing content and in the process broke the engine specs for some of the models. I ran into this with some RS3s which could barely move on level track. The answer in this case would be to search for another suitable locomotive or two.

Thanks John. Always appreciate the suggestions.

Heinrich505