Hi.Can anybody post,or direct me to,a detailed run through of how to set up Class 40,37 and 20 for doubleheaded work? I want to have both engines giving power,controlled from the lead loc,is this possible?I believe a Class 47 doesnt have the option for multiple units but maybe wrong.Hope you can help me.
First off, thank you for giving me an opportunity to ramble about techy train stuff To business then. For the record, the locomotive MU connection in the game is the blue star system. This applies to the 20, 31, 33, 37 and 40. The 66 and 87 can also MU within their own classes. The 45, 47 and 52 don't have any MU capability, though I believe the upcoming 47/3 from Just Trains will be able to MU with itself. It's pretty simple to set up as the second loco doesn't really have to do anything, the connections are all made automatically. I find that sometimes it is worth just sitting in the driver's seat of the loco and then getting out again just to make sure it activates its simugraph physics. The control desk in the 2nd loco should be in complete shutdown - throttle off, reverser off, key out, brake in shutdown position, lights off. From there you simply couple the front loco to it, let the brakes come off and there you have it. Give the throttle a little juice and you should hear the second loco's engines spin up with the first.
It's a really interesting set up because on the 37s on TVL I believe you had to hit the slave cut out switch (I think it was that anyway) in order to activate the slow control setting for loading in a double headed formation which was a nice twist.
Yeah because the slow speed control can't communicate through the MU coupling, I believe the lead loco would start using speed control but the second loco would just start applying power as normal and quickly push too fast. This is how it was in reality which is why the slave cutout was added, you'll notice other locos with the same blue star coupling but lacking a speed control don't have a cutout. In more modern times the 66 does have a speed control, but it uses the American style of MU coupling which can communicate between the computers and actually does support the speed control.
