Specifically regarding the Class 37 and 31s. I fear I've gotten too accustomed to the responsive brakes on modern EMUs on SEHS. Whenever I apply the brakes I seem to either greatly over estimate or under estimate how much I'll need, which has led to an embarrassing amount of SPADs, as well as plenty of occasions where I've slowed my train to a crawl's pace when all I wanted to do was slow down for a 40mph speed limit. It's strange as I don't remember having these issues when driving loco hauled trains on NTP. Does the fact that these are freight trains really make that much of a difference. Are there any general tips or techniques I should get into the habit of doing? Many Thanks.
Actually, yes. Using the "Freight" setting for the brakes intentionally makes them slower to apply and to release. It's also the case that the Class 31's brakes are notoriously slow as molasses. The best you can do is use initial reduction and wait until the brakes have finished applying (watch the pressure), then increase only as needed. And release well in advance, because the slow-releasing brakes all the way back down the train are going to take off another 5-10 mph before they've finished. Everything about those old diesels, including the throttle, requires advance planning because the response time is the opposite of instantaneous. It's kind of an art, which takes practice (goodness knows I haven't mastered it yet).
