Hi all Just a quick question, can one purchase an individual Rush Hour add on without buying / getting the Rush Hour season ticket? If so (and I'm assuming you can), I think I'm leaning towards the London Commuter Route, just picked up a couple of other UK routes in the sale and have to say I'm enjoying them. Alternatively would be the Boston Sprinter as I don't have many US passenger routes, just the Peninsular Corridor. What are people's opinions on those routes? Thanks
You can purchase them individually for the price of a normal route. Out off all of them I would recommend London commuter the most with over 1000 services there's plenty of variety, but Dresden and Boston are also amazing.
Boston Sprinter is really good, I can recommend it. The ATC is a bit weird at places, being too restrictive. But a few small issues aside it's a really good route, I love it.
They’re all decent for different reasons. london - sheer volume of service. Boston - High speed blast Dresden , great variety of traffic if you have other German routes
By the ATC I take it you are referring to the in-cab speed restrictions / notifications? I noticed that they don't seem to match up with the HUD display all the time, but from what I can tell, the game takes the HUD speed limits as correct... ? I also found the brakes on the Amtrak locomotive very soft, especially considering on the one run I did, I get up to 120 MPH, but even applying the brakes over a mile out I wasn't able to stop by the end of the platform! Could I be doing something wrong? It doesn't seem to be a particularly complex braking system, but even getting them up to above 60% application doesn't seem to want to slow the train down all that much. Obviously I got the Boston Sprinter add on, also the London Commuter, and despite the braking issue above, I think I'm going to have fun with them both.
Well a train doesnt stop like a car, but to me it sounds like you use the loco brakes only. This way its ineffective. But 1 mile at this speed is not that much. Try the other one.
Both routes are quite enjoyable as is the ACS 64. The combined power handle of the ACS 64 provides minimal braking and is mostly used for fine tuning speed or starting the braking process. The automatic brake does the work here; don’t be afraid to take it all the way to suppression. IIRC, an Amtrak engineer was on another thread and stated the braking for a station stop typically begins 1.5 miles out.
I was using the automatic brake, so I don't think it was that. True enough that one mile out isn't that much at 120 mph, really just basing it on for example the ICE German trains where the brakes definitely seem to have more bite.
Thanks. Yes, I had used the combined power handle (in the same way as I'd use a dynamic or electric brake), but was definitely using the automatic (train) brake to try and stop. Had indeed got it up to suppression and even beyond, but based upon what you say from the Amtrak engineer I guess I'm just starting it too late. Definitely think it's going to be a fun add on, and thanks for your help.
The ICE3 has the advantage of spreading the traction motors, and thus the dynamic brakes, throughout the length of the train -16 of them in an 8-unit consist - which is a lot more effective braking than just the loco's four.
Well, I hunted around the forums for a bit and found a few other threads that mentioned the Amtrak locomotive's braking, and it seems that JustWentSouth is spot on about going straight to suppression. Took it out for another run and had no problems braking and stopping in the right place, didn't need to start the braking too far out either, about 1.2 miles when at 100+ mph, a mile or less when slower. Starting out at suppression (64% or thereabouts) starts to slow you down right away, and if I'm going to come up short, releasing and then reapplying as necessary enabled me to come to a nice smooth stop. So all in all, going to be a very enjoyable add on, as is the London Commuter. Imagine my excitement when I spotted a Charing Cross to Hastings route in the timetable (my old commuter route from many years ago) only to find that engineering work at my old hometown's tunnel means a short alternate route to / from East Croydon.
