Sand Patch Grade Helper Services

Discussion in 'TSW General Discussion' started by treid09, Nov 6, 2020.

  1. treid09

    treid09 Guest

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    Hi everyone,

    I just read on a Dovetail Live article that helper services have been added to westbound autorack trains on Sand Patch Grade. I absolutely love watching manned helpers shove trains up a mountain, so this sounds like an amazing feature! I looked on YouTube, but couldn't find any videos of players running these services on TSW 2, so I wanted to check with those who have TSW 2 already. How does it work in the sim, and it is enjoyable? Thanks.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 6, 2020
  2. breblimator

    breblimator Guest

    • Helpful Helpful x 1
  3. stujoy

    stujoy Well-Known Member

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    In the sim there is a system which simulates the actions of an engineer in the lead helper locomotive (copying your actions in the leading cab) but not the engineer themselves, so you don’t see an engineer sitting in the cab, and the player can’t play as the helper engineer either, except when returning the helper locos back down the grade from the summit. The system used is a fictitious Banking Comm unit in the cab rather than real DPU operation, but it acts as though it is all controlled from the front cab when you play, even though it’s supposed to simulate a second engineer.
     
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  4. treid09

    treid09 Guest

    Interesting. I've never heard of "banking." I thought that the operation would be performed like in TS helper services: the player hooks up to the rear, thereby taking control of the whole consist. Hopefully they will tweak this in the future.

    I do have an idea of how to replicate this however, using the scenario planner....
     
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  5. treid09

    treid09 Guest

    A "Banking Comm"? Very strange. At least you can take the helper locomotives back down the grade.
     
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  6. JGRudnick

    JGRudnick Well-Known Member

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    So it is really just a DPU, not manned helper operations. :(
     
  7. treid09

    treid09 Guest

    Seems so. But hey, we didn’t have DPUs before, so that’s great!
     
  8. breblimator

    breblimator Guest

    DPU is with us since the very beginning (CSXHH) :)
    This article is some kind of overdue misunderstanding. Nothing new has happened about the SPG.
     
  9. Crosstie

    Crosstie Well-Known Member

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    Yes, I'm a little confused myself. There have been a lot of posts on the forum detailing MU, DPU and banking com. Nothing new here.
     

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