TSW build 659 "California Dreamin' "

[artimrj]

CNW you can throw the switches from the map. Click a switch and the color changes to the to show you where you are going to go.

[dr1980]

Thanks for the insights Howard, I’m certainly enjoying the route and getting the hang of braking properly so I don’t undershoot or overshoot the stopping marker.

Do you know what the initial reduction would typically be? I’ve been using a 5-10 psi reduction at first and trying to hit the platform around 30mph which from what you wrote is the very upper end of things and doesn’t leave me much margin or error to get the train stopped. I’ll try aiming for 15 mph.

[cnwfan]

CNW you can throw the switches from the map. Click a switch and the color changes to the to show you where you are going to go.

Thank you!!! I figured there had to be a way.

[cnwfan]

Do you know what the initial reduction would typically be? I’ve been using a 5-10 psi reduction at first and trying to hit the platform around 30mph which from what you wrote is the very upper end of things and doesn’t leave me much margin or error to get the train stopped. I’ll try aiming for 15 mph.

A 6 lb brake pipe reduction is usually considered a minimum reduction. Its my understanding that it takes at least that amount of reduction for the valves to recognize the reduction and initiate a set. The engineers all their "air spots" for each station, and would start their sets at that spot. The amount of set was adjusted for train speed, equipment, dry/wet rail, etc. As a trainman, when I felt that initial set kick in, I knew I had to suspend revenue collection and concentrate on the doors.

[dr1980]

Thanks! I’ve got some practicing/route familiarization to do then :)

[mjlevy1118]

Howard, thank you for your insight! I've also been hitting most platforms at about 30mph, then applying more brakes / releasing / holding as necessary. It's good to know Caltrain's real-life operating practices so we can try to emulate.

As far as locomotive acceleration, what is the best practice for throttling up? Would the engineer slowly increase the throttle a notch or two at a time, wait for the ammeter to start to fall, then notch up more? Or would the engineer throw the throttle wide open after an initial 2-3 notch start?

[cnwfan]

As far as locomotive acceleration, what is the best practice for throttling up? Would the engineer slowly increase the throttle a notch or two at a time, wait for the ammeter to start to fall, then notch up more? Or would the engineer throw the throttle wide open after an initial 2-3 notch start?

What I remember is them swiping to run 8 after after they got the train moving. A 5 car train with the tight lock couplers didn't have a lot of slack. So once the slack was either stretched or bunched, it was ding ding... full speed ahead. The schedule was tight, especially on a local. With all the stops, you had to get up to track speed as quickly as possible.

An exception was that if you entered into a station working on signal that restricted your speed (such as a yellow or restricting), you were still operating under that signal aspect until passing the next signal. So if you did a stop and proceed (move under restricted speed) past the block signal into the station, when you departed the station, you were still under the restricted speed rule until your leading wheels past the next signal... and that signal was not a stop and proceed or an absolute stop signal. As a conductor, I had to remind the engineer upon departing the station that we were still operating under a signal aspect other than clear.

Another exception is for posted track speed. Departing the San Francisco platform, the engineer would notch up to get some speed in order to do a running brake test. But he wouldn't swipe to run 8 as the track speed was 10 or 15 mph until getting around the curve at 7th street.

Another exception was for delayed in block (train speed falls below 10 mph or train stops). When you stop at a station, you are delayed in block. In CTC territory, our rule (which was the GCOR rule modified by a general order), stated that for passenger trains, a train could speed up to 45 mph until the engineer could see the next signal AND could see that the track ahead was clear. You'll notice that just about all stations have a departing signal pretty close to the platform. That's by design to minimize the effects of delayed in block. The signal was close enough that the train speed was usually below 45 mph when passing the signal.

Before CTC was installed, the territory was current of travel ABS. Under ABS rules, a delayed in block passenger train could accelerate to 45 mph and had to maintain that speed until the leading wheels passed the next signal. So again, having a departing signal aspect close to the platform minimized the effects of delayed in block.

One of the favorite spots for engineer compliance testing in ABS days was around the curve from the So City platform on the southbound track. The next signal after the So City platform was around the curve. The manager would sit there with a radar gun, and if the train was exceeding 45 mph when passing the signal... instant vacation.

You might be asking why the difference between the ABS rule and the CTC rule. Once CTC was installed, if a switch was opened, it would show up on the dispatcher's panel. In ABS, the dispatcher can't see open switches. So it's up to the engineer to ensure the track is clear. The 45 mph speed was determined that a train could stop within the engineer's view if a switch was open. Again, the train could enter a block on a green and someone opens a switch past the platform. The engineer still thinks he is operating under a clear block, but in reality the block is not clear. Switches in ABS territory were hooked up to the signal system. So if a switch was open in a block, the signal governing entrance into the block would display red.

That's a very long way of saying that 99.9% of the time, the engineers went to run 8 as quickly as possible unless there was some reason to limit the speed.

[rrroberttt]

@cnwfan:

Thank you for the very helpful explanation of signaling on the San Francisco to San Jose Route.

[_o_OOOO_oo-Kanawha]

IIRC, On a freight GP40 you cannot move the throttle past notch 4 until a certain speed has been reached. Or some kind of governor limited prime mover r.p.m. and output.

Do these passenger locomotives have such limitations?
Are their brakes set to gradual release?

[BNSFdude]

IIRC, On a freight GP40 you cannot move the throttle past notch 4 until a certain speed has been reached. Or some kind of governor limited prime mover r.p.m. and output.

Do these passenger locomotives have such limitations?
Are their brakes set to gradual release?

GP40-2s are parallel only, and have a power matching module that limits the load reg to around 2000 HP until something like 22 mph? You can actually hear it IRL in the cab as the turbo will be puahed harder and you can hear the slightest pitch increase.

The brakes the F40s on Caltrain use are similar to NJT and use I believe a 26E stand which is similar to a 24RL but with EP hold.

[zawal]

Good morning, everyone.


A word from the Frenchman to tell you that I love this new road and that DTG has done a great job on this beautiful Peninsula.

The new shift also fixed some good problems on the base game.

I am more than satisfied that they continue to work hard on the basic game , I am sure that it will become a very great game just like TS is.

Mr DTG continue your work and I will continue to pay for it.

Zawal....

[AmericanSteam]

I downloaded this a few weeks ago and today I played on this a bit. I chose the GP38-2 UP and I was not impressed with the scenery. All things, background clutter and rolling stock look fuzzy and lack detail, however, the locomotives themselves looked good. I do not know if this was to represent fog or not. No idle rolling stock or AI in the unloading aggregate scenario. The horn sounds are just plain bad. TS2020 just has a better feel and detail. I am of the opinion there is an upper limit of detail and/or memory usage that will not allow for more detail or idle stock. I will try other journeys/scenarios later but is a bit hard to get over this disappointment.

Update: I ran a Caltrain scenario, better video quality, still empty streets and very little idle rolling stock. I played on my laptop, good frame rates. Better color than Heavy Haul.