Update on the steamers

[dtrainBNSF1]

I'll be glad to help if ya want me.
I have all those locomotives.

Thanks! I'll keep you in mind when I'm ready for testing.

[billy]

The low end is very strong.
But I'm just guessing at train weight.
Spec are, I believe, around 5900 tons. ( but there have been reports of up to 7100 tons and above )
I've been testing today for the first time using 4014 and just under 7100 tons.

I'm using the 100 T Canadian Pacific coal cars.
I wonder if there are and period cars of 70 or 55 T with livery's that would be somewhat in the ballpark ???

[dtrainBNSF1]

It looks like 765 ,ay very well be getting her mars light reinstalled in the future, although the Fort Wayne Historical Society hasn't said anything concrete yet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC2Mud5fn9E

[dtrainBNSF1]

The low end is very strong.
But I'm just guessing at train weight.
Spec are, I believe, around 5900 tons. ( but there have been reports of up to 7100 tons and above )
I've been testing today for the first time using 4014 and just under 7100 tons.

I'm using the 100 T Canadian Pacific coal cars.
I wonder if there are and period cars of 70 or 55 T with livery's that would be somewhat in the ballpark ???

On what route? How did the run go?

[buzz456]

Great Northerner did a series of 55 and 70 ton hoppers.

[billy]

Up Sherman Hill from Ft. Laramie with coal.
I also switched over to 50 & 55 ton coal cars , so I could have a longer train, Hehehe.

Even at 5900 tons its a struggle. I'll set up a 3900 tons and try again as time permits.
I've yet to set up a reefer train at the same approximate weight.
But will do so in the next few days.

[dtrainBNSF1]

5800 trailing tons is the limit for Big Boys coming out of Laramie.

[billy]

Ok, Thanks !!!

[billy]

I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed, nor do I claim to be.
But I want to throw this in, as I'm having a ball with not only testing but learning a lot of stuff about the Big Boy.
I never cared to fool with it because of the looks and XDriver did a old man a great favor in this department.

Our SH grade is showing nearly a constant 1.5

With a tractive effort of 135,375 pounds, the high speed 4-8-8-4 substantially increased tonnage ratings on the Wyoming Division which was their home. The 4000's were designed to haul 3600 tons over Sherman Hill but in their final years were rated at 4450 tons over the 1.14 percent ruling grade!

To enable the 4000's to be turned, new 135 foot turntables were installed at Ogden, Utah; Green River, Laramie and Cheyenne, Wyoming and special extended stalls were added to the roundhouses. These were the world's largest turntables.

With a maximum drawbar horsepower of 6,290, the 4-8-8-4's could outpull four F-7 units (6,000 H.P. total, A-B-B-A) at any speed from about 19 M.P.H. to 60 M.P.H. At 30 M.P.H. the 4000's could develop a drawbar pull of about 75,000 pounds versus 66,400 pounds for an A-B-B-A, F-7 diesel combination. The 4-8-8-4's developed their best horsepower at about 30 M.P.H. and 60 M.P.H. was their highest practical speed although they did hit 80 M.P.H. on a couple of occasions. In service over "Sherman Hill" the 4-8-8-4's averaged between 20 to 30 M.P.H. with speeds sometimes dropping down to 15 M.P.H.

[dtrainBNSF1]

I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed, nor do I claim to be.
But I want to throw this in, as I'm having a ball with not only testing but learning a lot of stuff about the Big Boy.
I never cared to fool with it because of the looks and XDriver did a old man a great favor in this department.

Our SH grade is showing nearly a constant 1.5

With a tractive effort of 135,375 pounds, the high speed 4-8-8-4 substantially increased tonnage ratings on the Wyoming Division which was their home. The 4000's were designed to haul 3600 tons over Sherman Hill but in their final years were rated at 4450 tons over the 1.14 percent ruling grade!

To enable the 4000's to be turned, new 135 foot turntables were installed at Ogden, Utah; Green River, Laramie and Cheyenne, Wyoming and special extended stalls were added to the roundhouses. These were the world's largest turntables.

With a maximum drawbar horsepower of 6,290, the 4-8-8-4's could outpull four F-7 units (6,000 H.P. total, A-B-B-A) at any speed from about 19 M.P.H. to 60 M.P.H. At 30 M.P.H. the 4000's could develop a drawbar pull of about 75,000 pounds versus 66,400 pounds for an A-B-B-A, F-7 diesel combination. The 4-8-8-4's developed their best horsepower at about 30 M.P.H. and 60 M.P.H. was their highest practical speed although they did hit 80 M.P.H. on a couple of occasions. In service over "Sherman Hill" the 4-8-8-4's averaged between 20 to 30 M.P.H. with speeds sometimes dropping down to 15 M.P.H.

The 1.14% refers to the ruling gradient over the Wasatch mountains further along the Overland route beyond Sherman Hill. Sherman Hill is supposed to be a steady 1.52%; in Train Simulator it's shown as 1.5%, .2% less steep but even that small number that can make a difference.
This quote actually produces a good measuring stick to measure your performance against. If you can keep your speed between 30 and 15mph with full tonnage over Sherman then we're on the right track Where did you find it?

[billy]

she's weak D. The steam generation never recovers, but its the same with my big boy Sim files as well.
My version is just a little stronger.

On a lark, I swapped the FEF-3 files and steam generation went positive, or increased all the time as it should, but it was still too weak to finish the climb.
We need to ask Mike R. and figure out how that works.

The FeF-3 is set at 115K, and you can use it all in a hard pull, where as the Big Boy is 163K, but you never get close to using all of it.
If we can figure out how to get that much steam generation, it will pull the 5800 tons over the top for sure.

[dtrainBNSF1]

she's weak D. The steam generation never recovers, but its the same with my big boy Sim files as well.
My version is just a little stronger.

On a lark, I swapped the FEF-3 files and steam generation went positive, or increased all the time as it should, but it was still too weak to finish the climb.
We need to ask Mike R. and figure out how that works.

The FeF-3 is set at 115K, and you can use it all in a hard pull, where as the Big Boy is 163K, but you never get close to using all of it.
If we can figure out how to get that much steam generation, it will pull the 5800 tons over the top for sure.

This is a new power configuration that I'm trying out. Apparently it lacks. No problem - did some tinkering with the NKP Berks again last night with exciting results which I'll apply to the Big Boys.

[dtrainBNSF1]

she's weak D. The steam generation never recovers, but its the same with my big boy Sim files as well.
My version is just a little stronger.

On a lark, I swapped the FEF-3 files and steam generation went positive, or increased all the time as it should, but it was still too weak to finish the climb.
We need to ask Mike R. and figure out how that works.

The FeF-3 is set at 115K, and you can use it all in a hard pull, where as the Big Boy is 163K, but you never get close to using all of it.
If we can figure out how to get that much steam generation, it will pull the 5800 tons over the top for sure.

Wait a minute. Which files from Mrennie? His tevsspeed and cutoffvsspeed files?

[dtrainBNSF1]

I'm looking at the simulation file right now. During the weekend I was doing more tinkering on the Big Boy, Cab Forward as well as the Berkshire. Tinkering is a continuous process for me because I keep learning new things about the locos featured in Train Simulator 2015. The loco already performs differently than it did when I first sent you the simulation files to try around. Just a couple of more preliminary tests on my end and I'll send another Big Boy simulation file your way for testing.

[dtrainBNSF1]

Hold on billy. Just for a lark I reverted the Big Boy back to the state that it was in when I first sent it to you and made the run over Sherman Hill with a train exactly 5800 tons (49 Sherman Hill refrigerator cars, 1 empty Sherman Hill 3-bay covered hopper and 1 empty Sherman Hill low gondola) out of Laramie and the loco performed so well that I had to hold it back before it broke the speed limit of 40mph. Cutoff was at 12% and the throttle wasn't even "behind the ears". My safety valves were blowing off every couple of minutes. No blower, only damper. Fuel mass as between 92-94% the whole way. I was even building steam when the injectors were open (most of the time anyway). Though I slipped a little on starting with some sand and careful coordination between the throttle and the cutoff I was able to keep it under control. The loco should already be more than capable of handling a 5800-ton train over Sherman Hill from Laramie.

What happened on your end when you tried to take 5800 tons over the hill? What stock did you use? Are you perfectly sure that the total trailing tonnage was indeed 5800 tons? Did you use main tracks 1, 2, or 3 (3 being via Red Buttes, which is a bit steeper)?

Screenshot_Sherman Hill_41.14220--105.51069_12-21-01.jpg