RSC 2-8-0 CONSOLIDATION

[ozinoz]

It is up now.

Thanks Bob, I really appreciate the work and personal time you devote to keeping the File Library going

second this

[mrennie]

That is great that my videos are helping you. If you want me to make more to help test your engine out just let me know. I have almost all of the American Routes except for the new one that was just released. Yes it was the AI helper but I will not use that anymore. I will make a quick new video for you to see with the Hud version.

Ah, I'm glad it was the AI Helper. That's easy to fix (I forgot to copy some script from the HUD version into the AI Helper's script).

Please do carry on testing the Connie. I'd like to get feedback about the upgrade in the next few days so that I can tweak anything that might need tweaking before it goes to DTG.

[dleeboy]

Here is the video. Do you want me to delete those other two videos if I can.
https://youtu.be/WeeHZZAgu3U

[mrennie]

Here is the video. Do you want me to delete those other two videos if I can.
https://youtu.be/WeeHZZAgu3U

Yes, it would be better to delete the first two videos, so that nobody gets the wrong impression

Many thanks for taking the time to do these videos.

[dleeboy]

Alright I deleted them. I will make some new videos Tomorrow when I have the time and put them in this section. Thank You for your great work.

[mrennie]

Alright I deleted them. I will make some new videos Tomorrow when I have the time and put them in this section. Thank You for your great work.

Thanks, and I look forward to another 12-15 minute video of the route

[mrennie]

Something I'm going to do for the final version is to make a more marked difference between the black, sooty smoke you get at the moment, and a lighter grey smoke when the fire is burning efficiently. It'll be based on how close the air/coal mixture is to ideal, which the script will work out from the fire mass, damper, blower and exhaust. You'll get the really black smoke if there's not enough airflow for the amount of coal in the firebox, i.e. if there are unburnt volatiles coming out of the stack.

[tg626]

I was just about to ask about that... Black is more dramatic, but I've read stories about how you'd get chewed right out for wasting coal if it happened too much.

[buzz456]

I have no idea what you have read but I remember plenty of black smoke on steam locomotives.

[mrennie]

I was just about to ask about that... Black is more dramatic, but I've read stories about how you'd get chewed right out for wasting coal if it happened too much.

Black smoke is unavoidable really, because when the locomotive starts off, even with the blower on, there's still not enough draft through the flues to get sufficient air passing through the firebox (the blower helps too, of course). That's because the rate of exhausting is slow - the pistons are moving slowly - and it's mainly the exhaust that creates the vacuum to draw the air through the firebox. So a lot of the volatiles in the coal come out of the stack as soot instead of being burnt completely. Assuming the damper is open, to let air into the firebox, the airflow will increase as the speed increases and the smoke will turn more grey. However, that's countered to some degree by shortening the cutoff at higher speed (to conserve steam and reduce back pressure) which reduces the exhaust, hence reducing the airflow, so even at higher speed the smoke can turn black again. You also have to consider the amount of coal on the grate - if it's too much, it restricts the flow of air coming up from the damper and so you get unburnt volatiles (soot) again.

I've just been testing a little routine in the script that will simulate all of that. I'm now getting much more of a contrast between the black and grey smoke, and you can see how it changes colour as you, for example, open and close the damper. That'll be in the Steam release version.

[jalsina]

Black smokes were frequent in European countries and even in some states in US, because of coals with high content of contaminants, more difficult to burn than the best anthracites, these locomotives breathed very black smoke.

I have not installed yet the new update.
Mike, you are asking for feedback. What do you want us to watch in this new version besides of a more realistic smoke?

[jalsina]

Here is the video. Do you want me to delete those other two videos if I can.
https://youtu.be/WeeHZZAgu3U

Subscribed.

[Griphos]

That's very impressive (the new video). Just installed the update. Thanks again for this wonderful loco that just keeps getting better.

[dleeboy]

I made a new video using the HUD version. This is located at the start of my V&T Route.

https://youtu.be/_k2Yd_hSRNw

[mrennie]

Black smokes were frequent in European countries and even in some states in US, because of coals with high content of contaminants, more difficult to burn than the best anthracites, these locomotives breathed very black smoke.

I have not installed yet the new update.
Mike, you are asking for feedback. What do you want us to watch in this new version besides of a more realistic smoke?

Most of all I'd like to see if the new smoke is pleasing, keeping in mind that the final version will add the greyer smoke when the coal/air mixture is nearer to ideal (and that's in response to a helpful comment I saw on the ferrosim.es forum). I just want to be sure that there won't be a lot of people wanting to have back the old smoke (I don't expect that, but I'd like to avoid problems).

However, I'd also like to know if there are any bugs (hopefully not) that I can fix before it goes to DTG - that way it'll have a smoother ride through QA.