SD75 Released

[krellnut]

Set Spring Coefficient to 20,00 and Spring Damping to 10,000. That will get rid of the stretch which is completely unrealistic. I wish RSC would give up on trying to implement coupler breakage. This stretching thing is the result of trying to get there.

[_o_OOOO_oo-Kanawha]

Well, there seems to be a "strength" parameter, set to 150 units. What this means, how strong the coupler is before it breaks or wether it is used at all nobody knows?
The same goes for the "max force" parameter, set to over 2 million units. Who knows what and how please tell us?

One would assume the combined maximum static tractive effort of a lash-up must not exceed this value. Taking dynamics into account makes pulling away and braking more realistic (like in Trainz 12's Tehachapi Pass where couplers do break) but will stress the already overloaded game engine even more.

If we presume this "strength" parameter to be measured in metric tons, 3 ES44's (a 180 metric tons unit at 30 % adhesion) would break couplers, which defies US practice where as much as 6 units are lashed up, like was said earlier in this thread.

[krellnut]

I've set the strength to 0 with the coupler still not breaking. I use the values I've shown, and forgot about coupler breakage.

[_o_OOOO_oo-Kanawha]

Correct. If you revert back to the RW2 couplers or substitute the Britkits couplers (those with brake hose animation) then the problem goes away.

I wonder if switching off TSX also cures the problem? Haven't thought about that nor tried it, as I have no desire to revert back to RW2.
I only want RSC to sort out these most common problems first instead of churning out DLC. The SD75 without the CN version is essentially superfluous IMO. The CN version has its own right of existence if RSC wants to open up the Canadian market. Then again, first the old CN/CP rolling stock assets need to be updated so prospective Canadian players don't feel ripped off by having to buy outdated assets at full price with only a vague promise of future updating to current standards.

[MikeK]

haha thats great! coupler distances can be fixed simply by editing the xpivot and ypivot values in the engine.bin file.

No, it is the spring coefficient and damping values in the couplers that are waaaay too low for the way the couplers are modelled.

Unfortunately the way RSC models couplers, they are unbounded, meaning that a higher force will just stretch them further. There is currently no way to stop this other than using a massive spring coefficient so that the force required to stretch them unrealistically is larger than the force in a normal train.

Of course "normal train" is the problem here. In Britain I guess this means 1 loco and 10 or 20 cars, so that is all RSC seems to test with. In the past I have seen 150 car trains with all the power at the head end, and nearly 200 cars with distributed power before. But this is just not a test case for RSC.

So we get springy stretchy couplers, phased sounds when there are 2 or more locos together, a brake pipe that can magically recharge in seconds instead of minutes, all because these things only affect US trains. I have sent emails to RSC support about every one of these issues and I always end up with a response along the lines of "we are going to consider this closed unless we hear from you again". I gave up each time.

[_o_OOOO_oo-Kanawha]

There is a contradition in that statement.
A Union Jack and a roll of US dollar toilet paper don't go together, but I do understand what you mean.

The US market is way larger than the UK home market and since the chosen architecture of .xml hierarchy is flexible by design, RSC could easily adapt it to the common US practices.
If they want is the operative phrase, because so far their attempts are half hearted IMO. Good routes and bad routes, good and needed assets and assets which are of no real importance, like this SD75.
Anyway, RSC has been discussed at length many times before, so I better leave it at that.

[PapaXpress]

mdurdan there was some talk recently on the "other site" where they were complaining that RSC was catering to "those Americans" again, so I don't think your Union Jack fits. And really, what small software shop wouldn't be after some money to keep afloat?

Now with that all being said. I will not go into the quality of their work, which is my real beef with them.

[glenn68]

Mdurdan,
funny pictures.

Glenn

[glenn68]

Ok,
I guess after seeing the fail express this will serve as a deterrent for me to purchase.

Glenn

[Csxgp38-2]

I'll wait for a sale, I mean, it looks nice, but I like east coast stuff more. Especially since this looks so similar to an SD70 which I bought already since NS owns SD70s. Not to insult the Santa Fe fans, but the only SF units I really like are the F-units, the signature CF7, their steamers, and I like the zebra stripe early EMDs. Modern stuff and western roads, RSC needs to do something to impress folks like me, I'm 13 and sick of modern diesels, I like seeing what I missed but I like seeing close to home roads like the SAL, L&N, SOU, even the PRR and B&O and such, my great-grandpa was a bridge carpenter for the B&O into the mid 20th century and I'm proud of that.

[Merlin75]

I guess the big problem is RSC are a British company so research trips to the US are going to cost quite alot of money so they'll make what they think will sell and make the most profit. And that is going to mean alot of US stuff may not get made unless someone on the US makes it. As for the SD75 it's a nice enough model shame it lacks the CN version but again I'm more of a NS fan so this will spend most of it's time being dragged by NS units.

[BNSF650]

Sure wish they would wake up and ask US for research

[ArcticCatZRT]

They sent RSC Adam to The Railroad Museum of PA in Strasburg, PA but all we got so far from the museum equipment was the K4, and the GG1(then again I did see that someone saw a GE44 tonner in development by RSC, there is one at the museum I believe, but still!). I have a hard time understanding why only two locomotives came from that, most likely, expensive trip!

[Csxgp38-2]

I third that, we represent the (slightly :P) mature members of the RW community and have good ideas and suggestions.

[BNSF650]

But still when they do a US Loco they should do ask us for help