Skyhook if you’re reading this. Some following features that often get forgotten about in TSW for some very strange reason. 1) Delay between engine revs, settling down and then pulling away. Should be around 2 sec delay. 2) gear change over speed is 57mph with most units. 58mph at most. 3) turbo sound 4) throttle off / spool down effect 5) decent bogie run sound audio ( very often it’s nowhere near loud enough ) and decent track joint and flange squeal sound effects 6) PHYSICS. please to god get the acceleration and braking correct. Very often DLC so overpowered. The physics set up should be almost the same as the CL166 but slightly quicker. I have included a link to a 159 acceleration so it should absolutely not be any faster than this. - 158s accelerate slightly slower than this I believe. 7) Braking should be practically identical to the Class 166. Definitely no harsher. 8) Brake Rub should be audible from the cab but not quite so much from the external views. If you have any doubts please compare your work to the incredible Class 158 pack by Armstrong Powrhouse. After numerous real life comparisons, they’ve got it spot on.
According to the video description this is a 159/1 - which is a 158 converted to a 159. The conversion did not include uprating of the prime mover to match the 159/0, therefore a 159/1 is - from a performance perspective - the same as a 158. Having said that, this appears to be on the Up leaving Woking, which means its initial acceleration is in a falling gradient of 1 in 326, then 1 in 387 - enough to make a noticeable difference to its acceleration. I agree with your broad point though - getting the physics right is critical, allowing it to operate realistically to the real-life schedules which will of course be implemented in timetable mode.
I did think it was a tad fast and wondered if it was on a downhill gradient. They are used on the Dawlish / Teignmouth line near me so in time I can get some on the flat recordings up that line. I don’t mind doing it and spending my own money but if they’re just going to get ignored like they did by rivet I’ll not bother. The AP model is very very good too so also a good reference to use I’d imagine.
Might I ask what do you mean by the 158 having the same brake as a class 166 practically I thought the 158 had better braking?
They vary from unit to unit even within class but they’re very similar across most 3 step disc brake performance of that era.
What a great clip! The engine sound on 158's and 159's is quite melodious compared to earlier Sprinter traction, only as you approach top speed do you get a slight undertone of a rougher edge. Skyhook have got to capture that. Also Skyhook need to take into account as you approach top speed the acceleration curve starts to tail off, though from what I heard the 159's could probably get up to 100 MPH (not sure if any overspeed trip sensors fitted). The other important thing Skyhook must avoid, as I've mentioned previously, is falling into the TSC Sprinter trap of simply making intermediate throttle positions a DCC speed cap. As regards braking, the 158's and 159's are primarily disc braked, so very little sound. The traditional rub sound comes from the fact the units had to be retrofitted with auxiliary tread brakes (colloquially known as "scrubber blocks") on the leading bogie of each driving car (i.e. under the cab) to keep the wheels clean and avoid the set disappearing off track circuits during leaf-fall season. There were several locations on the Southern in particular where this was a problem, notably between Salisbury and Romsey.
And don’t forget how the audio actually sounds unlike so called class 150/2 letdown of west Cornwall local cough cough
I honestly feel Skyhook has earned some goodwill at this point with how they handled Horseshoe Curve.
I remember before the scrubber blocks were fitted, in autumn they used to run hybrid 158s and 156s - half of a 158 paired with half of a 156 - so that the 156 half operated the track circuits (156s having tread brakes). I always used to choose to sit in the 158 half - much nicer seats.
And much sweeter engine sound! The 158 seats as fitted from new were really quite comfortable. The refurb with Chapman seats that the Canton fleet received made them very uncomfortable.
The other thing I’d say is that the ride quality on a 158 is about the best I’ve ever experienced on a DMU. You can better it on hauled stock - with no underfloor engines adding weight - but for a DMU the 158 is outstanding. I used to spend many comfortable hours on them on the Liverpool - Norwich services, for which they were ideal (although Central Trains really needed more of them to meet the demand - they got very crowded). From a Driver’s perspective, the only annoying thing about them was that the cab wasn’t air conditioned - which is odd given that the passenger saloon was. Why they were built that way I don’t know. I suspect cab a/c has been retro-fitted but I don’t know for sure.
