Bug discovered! Already over 90 years old!

[GreatNortherner]

Hi,

News from "Project Vaporware"
But some good news I guess, the doodlebug just made some nice progress this evening. And it even works in TS2012 now.
And has a working, albeit simple, cabview.

I'll post a new public beta soon!

A quick question -- which of the default RW horns would you say should I use? Dan already mentioned that the SD40 horn isn't very realistic for these old gas-electrics. So which one is? One of the UK diesels maybe?

Thanks,
Michael

PS:

[NDORFN]

WOW! Love it!

[Griphos]

Looking great. Who doesn't love a doodlebug?!

[GreatNortherner]

Hehe, thanks!

The new beta is already available, the packaging went quicker than I thought.
Please see here for the link and more details: viewtopic.php?f=29&t=2097&p=54192#p54192

Thanks,
Michael

[NDORFN]

I'm gonna put it through it's paces on my route right now!

[NDORFN]

Just read the the readme. I think I'm gonna have some constructive feedback on traction etc by the sounds.

[jpetersjr]

Awesome, looks good enough now to even upload this version to RailworksAmerica as freeware, that is whenever you're ready.

Can't wait to give it a try.

Once I do my 30's route this will work perfectly on it.

[PapaXpress]

Something to keep in mind is that these were used just like buses are used today. I have heard many anecdotal stories from old timers talking about how they had to take a doodlebug to school, go into town for groceries, you name it. So short lines between cities (at stations) with stops at people's back yards, are things you can add to your route to bring this model to life.

Where can you find a working doodlebug today?
http://www.skunktrain.com/index.html
http://www.skunktrain.com/aboutus-history.html

Just to give you an idea here is a quick Google Map between Fort Bragg and Willits CA.
http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Fort+ ... ra=ls&z=11

The route highlighted is the highway so ignore it. Make sure you have the satellite view turned on so you can see the environment. You can find the Fort Bragg station near the shore line and have fun following the route to Willits

FYI: The doodlebug I rode is part of the Niles Canyon Railroad and was not indigenous to that area.

[harryadkins]

I would use one of the older horns, like the single horn F7.

[NDORFN]

I can't for the life of me get the brakes to work. It seems it's emergency or nothing. Otherwise is going great. It can handle a continuous 2.7% gradient around tight curves and gets up to speed pretty quick. Possibly a little over-powered?

[Csxgp38-2]

This horn should work:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGOIRLqtd1g
Very good recording.

[GreatNortherner]

Hi,

Thanks a lot for your replies! From looking at the video it appears that the Class 37's sounds, which are a bit higher pitched in the doodlebug thanks to the higher RPM setting, fit quite nicely. And one of the F7s' horns could indeed stand in quite nicely for the 'flat' single tone horn.

The brakes, thanks for reminding me! They do need some more work. Judging by the cab photos of the real world MW #31, this car didn't have an independent brake, only a train brake. So this is task one, get rid of the indy brake. Then I'd need to edit the brake parameters for the train brake -- or could it have been the other way around -- only a loco brake, no train brake??? But I doubt this would have been legal in the 1920s. At any rate, the current beta's brake setup is the one from Kali's and my F7s. Which probably needs some adjustments, as I think the doodlebug would have had more responsive brakes -- and I think I'd also need to increase the brake force in general. Does anybody know what the max. brake force (kN) of a real doodlebug might have been like, approximately?

There's another bug that got reported, the TS2012 light beams aren't positioned yet.

Also, the whole car still needs it B-end cab -- is it possible to use the loud sound setup (basically exterior sound set) for cab A, where the engineer practically sits on the engine, and use one of the muted "cab sounds" for cab B only?

Thanks for your help!!!

Michael

[jpetersjr]

More likely it would have been a loco brake and no train brake. If I remember I don't think many locomotives had train brakes back then, because I know the 4,4,0 American from 1885 didn't have one.

[PapaXpress]

JP you can't compare this to any other type of locomotive. It is truely a cross between a heavy truck and coach. The one I was in had a manual transmission! Unfortunately I cannot say what type of brake it had (at least it was not a foot pedal).

I cannot promise I can visit the Niles Canyon Railroad any time soon, but if I can I will get more information.

[Kali]

There's no particular reason why it wouldn't have normal Westinghouse brakes if it could pull stock - but from a small steam engine, not road-switcher-sized compressors/reservoirs ( probably takes a fair chunk of power to run a big compressor ) - the photos of these I've browsed seem to have air pipes. If you've got air reservoirs there's no reason not to have straight-air independent brakes either. Have you got a cab shot, Michael?

The F7 brake setup will be way too slow to apply, although the non-self-lapping handle setup is probably right. How much force it has would depend on how many brake shoes there are, which at a guess would be the same as a passenger car of the same era ( so two per wheel? ). Start at 55%, that's what current european freight stock is approximately which is about the same mechanically.