RSC 2-8-0 CONSOLIDATION

[slick204]

A quick shot at the service track.

MCSA Connie1.jpg

[mrennie]

A quick shot at the service track.

MCSA Connie1.jpg

That's a great shot!

[mrennie]

I'm making a video of the UP Connie on the Castle Rock RR, and because the route has a lot of sharp bends, the new flange squeal really does come to the fore. In fact, it's flippin' loud! Is it too loud? I'd like to hear your opinions. If anyone finds the noise level annoying, I can upload a little mod to the proxybin file.

[bpetit]

I can hear it over the chuffs so I'm not too worried.

[mrennie]

I can hear it over the chuffs so I'm not too worried.

OK, good

[slick204]

I'm making a video of the UP Connie on the Castle Rock RR, and because the route has a lot of sharp bends, the new flange squeal really does come to the fore. In fact, it's flippin' loud! Is it too loud? I'd like to hear your opinions. If anyone finds the noise level annoying, I can upload a little mod to the proxybin file.

I think I mentioned something like that when I first ran it. I was on the C&P which is very twisty and I did find it to be too loud. Lately I've been running on the MC&SA and it sounds great. Does your mod just reduce the maximum volume or the entire volume curve (hopefully that makes sense!).

[mrennie]

I'm making a video of the UP Connie on the Castle Rock RR, and because the route has a lot of sharp bends, the new flange squeal really does come to the fore. In fact, it's flippin' loud! Is it too loud? I'd like to hear your opinions. If anyone finds the noise level annoying, I can upload a little mod to the proxybin file.

I think I mentioned something like that when I first ran it. I was on the C&P which is very twisty and I did find it to be too loud. Lately I've been running on the MC&SA and it sounds great. Does your mod just reduce the maximum volume or the entire volume curve (hopefully that makes sense!).

I haven't actually made the mod yet. but I was toying with the idea of decreasing the base volume (at the moment it's set to 1.0, but I could try 0.75) and tweaking the volume versus curve radius curve so that the flange squeal would begin on tighter bends than at the moment. In the end though, it's all going to be down to personal taste, so perhaps it's easier just to let people tweak it themselves (it's easy enough to do). If I distribute a patch through Steam, I might risk upsetting people who are happy with how it is now.

[SargNickFury]

Long time no type again. Son is taking a nap, and I have a little time to play with Daddy's choochoo instead of Thomas...

I hadn't fired up TS2013 in awhile....and am trying to relearn where I had got to with this loco.

I have a couple of questions, if fireman is set to automatic...do you still need to monkey with blower at start? or is it enough to simply turn them on? Also do I need to mess with the start with water injector etc per directions? Or if I have auto fireman is that also taken care of?

I seem to be hitting a wall at about 21 mph give or take but I am driving her on a route that has a 1.3 to 2.4 % grade....so unsure how much is me and ho much is route.


Also I still don't fully understand how to gear up on the reverser, I hate the new TS2013 hud.....I am trying to learn what to look for on gauges but it seems counter intuitive. I tend to pull back reverser any time I start to significantly lose steam pressure on lower dial...trying to hover it just below max around 171 or so .....is that right? Also when running esp up a grade after releasing breaks where do you suggest setting them back to to avoid losing pressure but taking least amount away from momentum? 10% on both train and loco breaks? Even after reading a book on running steam locos, I just really am having a hard time understanding how to be efficient up most any grade....Would give anything if someone would make a video with commentary or if someone will explain it to me I'd be happy to make video, but right now I feel like I'm just experimenting up the hill. I have been cheating and taking this loco up the Durango and Silverton...yes I know Wrong gauge....but I love that route. Plus skirting the canyon and praying I get breaks right makes it more interesting...

Steam is definitely shooting out that front Nozzle n front of stack.....so that means I have an issue with water injector right?

[mrennie]

Long time no type again. Son is taking a nap, and I have a little time to play with Daddy's choochoo instead of Thomas...

I hadn't fired up TS2013 in awhile....and am trying to relearn where I had got to with this loco.

I have a couple of questions, if fireman is set to automatic...do you still need to monkey with blower at start? or is it enough to simply turn them on? Also do I need to mess with the start with water injector etc per directions? Or if I have auto fireman is that also taken care of?

It depends on whether or not you're using a "HUD" version. If you are, then you don't have to turn on the various steam throttles in the cab (this is because there's no HUD control for them). If you're using the normal (aka "expert" or "advanced") version, then even with the automatic fireman, you still have to turn on the steam throttles on the pipes coming down from the steam turret (this is because the automatic fireman doesn't understand about those controls - he hasn't had much training yet ).

I seem to be hitting a wall at about 21 mph give or take but I am driving her on a route that has a 1.3 to 2.4 % grade....so unsure how much is me and ho much is route.

On a 2.4% grade, 21mph is actually pretty good. I've been able to get up to 30mph on a 1.3% grade, but you have to be very careful about balancing everything.

Also I still don't fully understand how to gear up on the reverser, I hate the new TS2013 hud.....I am trying to learn what to look for on gauges but it seems counter intuitive. I tend to pull back reverser any time I start to significantly lose steam pressure on lower dial...trying to hover it just below max around 171 or so .....is that right?

The lower of the two big dials is called "steam chest pressure". It's actually more of an indication of the live steam pressure (or perhaps the exhaust, or back, pressure) in the cylinders. To get good performance when accelerating, you want to try to keep this just below the boiler pressure (the upper large gauge). To increase the pressure, you open the throttle wider and/or push the reverser further away from centre, but if the steam chest pressure reaches the boiler pressure, it means you're running inefficiently (not using any of the energy from the expansion of the steam) and this means you need to reduce (hook up) the reverser, until the pressure once again goes below the boiler pressure.

To get good performance while cruising, you need to reduce the steam chest pressure, by hooking up the reverser and closing the throttle more, until you've got just enough "steam chest" pressure to maintain speed. That pressure depends on several factors, but it could be around 90psi, or even less.

If the boiler pressure starts to go down, first of all, open the damper ("M", or use the mouse to pull up the lever) - that lets more air reach the fire, so you get a hotter fire and more steam is produced. Also close the throttle a bit so that less steam will be allowed from the boiler into the steam chest and instead it will build up in the boiler. You should also try to keep the fire mass at 650lbs and top up the boiler with water, using the exhaust injector, frequently, so that a) you don't leave too much space above the top of the water in the boiler (less space means higher pressure) and b) don't inject a lot of cold water at once (that cools down the water in the boiler and so it will produce less steam).

Unfortunately, if you use the automatic fireman. he's rubbish at doing the above. He lets the fire mass go way down below the ideal level before bothering to shovel in more coal, and he's awful at using the injectors. So don't be surprised if you lose boiler pressure on a grade when using the automatic fireman.

Also when running esp up a grade after releasing breaks where do you suggest setting them back to to avoid losing pressure but taking least amount away from momentum? 10% on both train and loco breaks? Even after reading a book on running steam locos, I just really am having a hard time understanding how to be efficient up most any grade....Would give anything if someone would make a video with commentary or if someone will explain it to me I'd be happy to make video, but right now I feel like I'm just experimenting up the hill. I have been cheating and taking this loco up the Durango and Silverton...yes I know Wrong gauge....but I love that route. Plus skirting the canyon and praying I get breaks right makes it more interesting...

You should set the train brakes into the running position. That sort of "drip feeds" the train line with air from the locomotive, maintaining the pressure in the brake pipes.

I did a video on how (not) to use the air brakes going downhill ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COJHppa1wdY

Steam is definitely shooting out that front Nozzle n front of stack.....so that means I have an issue with water injector right?

Nope, that's the Pyle National DC electric generator's (dynamo) exhaust nozzle. You need that to be on for the lights to work

One thing about the injectors and using the HUD - don't! If you bring up the F4 HUD when using the normal/expert/advanced loco, it turns off the exhaust injector water valve. You can see it's done that when you look at the overflow pipe on the left side beneath the cab - there'll be steam coming out of it (if the injector lever is still open). That caught me out a few times. I learnt to keep my finger away from F4.

Cheers!

[SargNickFury]

Thanks! have a few more questions.

1.) I may not be clear on my questions. I am turning on the Blower, and injector throttles all the way, I also do open blower a bit at start. I have automatic fireman I am using the expert. I am keeping it at auto fireman just to learn. In any case, do I need to monkey with the water valve and injector lever at ALL with auto fireman on?

2.) As to the breaks, still not sure at where I should set them in the running area? is 10% okay? and is that on both breaks?

3.) On the first scenerio I am getting really weird crash because of derailment. Like clockwork when i go to drop off caboose at siding, when I unhook caboose the train derails. I do have breaks at 60% on both. I have throttle at maybe 4% and reverser at 75. When I uncouple the caboose I rubber band train off the rails? it's really odd.

4.) the HUD, you mean you can not use hud at all when using expert??? Why is that? I don't click on hud for controls but I do use it for information, and I'm using keyboard to manipulate or mouse on controls.

[mrennie]

Thanks! have a few more questions.

1.) I may not be clear on my questions. I am turning on the Blower, and injector throttles all the way, I also do open blower a bit at start. I have automatic fireman I am using the expert. I am keeping it at auto fireman just to learn. In any case, do I need to monkey with the water valve and injector lever at ALL with auto fireman on?

2.) As to the breaks, still not sure at where I should set them in the running area? is 10% okay? and is that on both breaks?

3.) On the first scenerio I am getting really weird crash because of derailment. Like clockwork when i go to drop off caboose at siding, when I unhook caboose the train derails. I do have breaks at 60% on both. I have throttle at maybe 4% and reverser at 75. When I uncouple the caboose I rubber band train off the rails? it's really odd.

4.) the HUD, you mean you can not use hud at all when using expert??? Why is that? I don't click on hud for controls but I do use it for information, and I'm using keyboard to manipulate or mouse on controls.

1. No, the automatic fireman will do all the work for you (apart from the steam throttle). It's just that he's really bad at it

2. The train brake should be left on Running (about 30% on the HUD) after releasing the brakes. What I do is to turn all the way to the left to release them, when you hear a loud hiss, then turn the lever to the right just until the hissing is barely audible. That's when it's in Running. When you release the independent (loco) brakes, you just leave it all the way to the left (there's no "Running" position for the loco brakes).

3. That is odd! I've never had that happen.

4. The HUD is meant for locos that have the standard RSC (Kuju) controls. The expert (normal) version of the loco has a lot more controls than that, and it fiddles with the standard controls (for example, to make the steam throttles function, to make a 1-second lag on the throttle, to have independent front and rear sanders with limited supplies of sand, to make the headlights have dim and bright positions, etc. etc.). The HUD can't map everything, and it interferes with the scripting of those advanced controls. So, I had to make a dumbed down version, stripping out some things from the scripts, to make one that works with the HUD. It means there's quite a lot of functionality absent from the HUD version. If you only want the HUD for information, you can use the F3 HUD instead (for track info) or F5 (for locomotive data). Just avoid the F4 HUD if you're not using a HUD-ised version of the loco.

[SargNickFury]

I am ashamed to say I figured out my Caboose derailment issue.....I uhh was seeing red caboose right? So I was unhooking the Loco from tender.....did I mention it has been awhile since I played?

Thanks for brake info that is great!!! Once I get basics mastered I do plan to try driving and firing. to get most out of this loco. Still I have managed to get it up 2.4% grade with about 6 cars at around 20mph. I am proud of myself.....

Just a curiosity question, the AI on Fireman, is that somehow hardwired into the game engine? Or could an improved firing AI be written by a third party? Seems like that is a huge complaint on all steam locos, and would be a popular DLC MOD. Enhancement packs can be pretty popular, I purchased/run the Armstrong Powerhouse lighting effects for example for more realistic nights.

And my last question, that I think I know the answer to... Have you, or has anyone tried mapping this Lima to the RailDriver? I would desperately like to be able to run it on there. Though my guess is since TS2013 does such a shoddy job integrating Raildriver settings (AKA no real intigration at all) It may not make much difference anyway. I really do love using Raildriver though.

It's been my pet peave at how little Kuju has tried to integrate the Raildriver....people have a view that it is not a precise control because of it. The reality is the Raildriver is quite precise when a program takes advantage of it, and has a integrated calibration tool......see the Zusi.... german simulator....


http://www.zusi.de/pages/anfang/start.php

[mrennie]

I am ashamed to say I figured out my Caboose derailment issue.....I uhh was seeing red caboose right? So I was unhooking the Loco from tender.....did I mention it has been awhile since I played?

Actually, I have to admit that I never tried unhooking the engine from the tender Someone mentioned this the other day, that when he did it, the whole lot flew into the air. So the solution is ... don't unhook the engine from the tender

Thanks for brake info that is great!!! Once I get basics mastered I do plan to try driving and firing. to get most out of this loco. Still I have managed to get it up 2.4% grade with about 6 cars at around 20mph. I am proud of myself.....

And so you should be ... 20mph, especially with auto fireman, is very commendable.

Just a curiosity question, the AI on Fireman, is that somehow hardwired into the game engine? Or could an improved firing AI be written by a third party? Seems like that is a huge complaint on all steam locos, and would be a popular DLC MOD. Enhancement packs can be pretty popular, I purchased/run the Armstrong Powerhouse lighting effects for example for more realistic nights.

The way the AI fireman behaves is hardwired, but bpetit is experimenting with changing some things in the simulation blueprint to try to improve the AI performance, such as putting the idle fire mass higher than the ideal fire mass (counter-intuitive, but apparently it helps the AI fireman to maintain the ideal fire mass level).

And my last question, that I think I know the answer to... Have you, or has anyone tried mapping this Lima to the RailDriver? I would desperately like to be able to run it on there. Though my guess is since TS2013 does such a shoddy job integrating Raildriver settings (AKA no real intigration at all) It may not make much difference anyway. I really do love using Raildriver though.

It's been my pet peave at how little Kuju has tried to integrate the Raildriver....people have a view that it is not a precise control because of it. The reality is the Raildriver is quite precise when a program takes advantage of it, and has a integrated calibration tool......see the Zusi.... german simulator....

I've mapped my flight sim 6-axis throttle quadrant to the normal controls, but it doesn't work with the normal Consolidation because that one manipulates the normal control values (like the one called "regulator") to achieve greater realism. It would probably work with the HUD version, since that does use normal controls. Try it with your Raildriver and let us know if it works.

[SargNickFury]

I will try Raildriver with HUD and let you know......but I have to say unless i run it for my son not likely going to be using HUD much, your work on expert version is too sexy to ever give up willingly.

[mrennie]

I will try Raildriver with HUD and let you know......but I have to say unless i run it for my son not likely going to be using HUD much, your work on expert version is too sexy to ever give up willingly.

Go for it!