My first time with a steam Engine

[thecanadianrail]

20% GRADE!!! i don't know if that is right.

[micaelcorleone]

20% GRADE!!! i don't know if that is right.

Maybe a 2% grade? 20% is a bit too heavy for any engine.

[arizonachris]

I have always been fascinated by the BIG North American steam locomotives. The Big Boy, the Challenger. I guess the Tornado and the Duchess too.

Keep in mind, a steam locomotive is a different animal than electric or diesel. Takes a lot of trial and error to get used to driving. I use Expert controls and Automatic fireman (some guys like manual firedude, tho) Brakes are brakes so that's easy. But, reverser (rev) is totally different as is regulator (reg).

This is how I start out: all brakes off. Reverser and Regulator both at 100%. As speed increases, back off of BOTH rev and reg (yes, watch the speeding limit!) Now I'm out on the mainline and I want speed. Keep my eye on the steam generation and usage, you want more generation than usage, so adjust the rev and reg up and down. Most times I will end up, on the Challenger as example because each locomotive is totally different, with about 30% reverser and 40 to 50% regulator. Big locomotives go with less rev, small loco's more rev. Give yourself a few runs on any route or scenario with a steam locomotive to get used to it. I still have to, it's not gonna be any different for any of us.

Electric is fun. It's fast, quiet, clean, easy peasy. American diesel is big, noisy, powerful, but still easy. Steam is of a different era, it's blood sweat and tears, romance of the rails. Why it's my favorite. If you ever get the Big Boy, you have to get Toripony's C&O Allegheny route. If you can master that coal drag with just one big butt steam locomotive, you can do anything with steam.

[thecanadianrail]

does anybody else feel that the SP GS-4 feel the same pulling power as the 4-8-8-4 big boy or the 4-6-6-4 challanger? i would love to know how to modify the charactaristics so they are realistic. there was a post before but i never understood it. i want the bigboy to be able to pull a 40 car reefer train up a 1.5% grade without stalling only 1/4 mile up the hill.

[johnmckenzie]

Thanks for that, Chris - as you say, steam is a very different animal to modern traction!
I do love the Big Boy and Challenger locos - simply fantastic!!

Two other steam locos worth trying out are the (British) Stanier Jubilee and the Gresley V2. Both very nicely modelled in RailWorks and beautifully proportioned locomotives in real life.

Electric is fun. It's fast, quiet, clean, easy peasy.

Although the RW tap-changer implementation on the WCML class 86 makes it virtually impossible to drive!
What I really want to see is a GG1.....

[thecanadianrail]

there is one, at britkits, it comes with the PRR pack!

[johnmckenzie]

Lovely! Thanks for that info!