I've done some testing with the BR101 (7 wagons) on a test track to measure performance and compare it against nominal/real world values, for fun. Note: some of these differences are quite nit picky so I don't want people to think I don't enjoy or highly rate this DLC, it's one of the best so far. As someone mentioned in another thread the wagons have functioning brake selector levers on the undercarriage. These selectors have 4 settings, G,P,R and R+Mg. G = Freight setting. Very slow application and release rate of the air brake (18-30s to apply, 45-60s to release). Used to reduce coupler/buffer forces when braking long/heavy trains. Also low brake force*. P = "Passenger". Usually used in freight trains or old passenger trains (3-5s to apply, 15-20s to release). Low brake force*. R = "Rapid". Same application and release rates as P but has a function that increases brake cylinder pressure at high speeds to counteract weaker brakes at high speeds for older tread brakes. This setting or R+Mg is the setting that most passenger trains use. High brake force*. R+Mg, R setting for airbrakes but also has magnetic track brakes (or eddy current) that magnetize when emergency brake is commanded. Mg brakes provide incredible brake force and also will provide brake force even if low track friction means the airbrakes have locked up (especially eddy current brakes since they completely avoid friction and brake with Lenz law). This setting will shave off several hundred meters for the stopping distance at 160 or 200 km/h. (*): The sources I'm reading (in Swedish) states that G,P,R also have differences in brake force (due to differences in brake cylinder pressure) but I may have misread them so I'm not 100% sure and the differences in brake weight could be due to the different application rates. I wanted to see if these levers had any effect on the simulated train (spoiler, they do). From 160 km/h I measured the following emergency brake stopping distances (no electric braking used). Loco in R, all wagons in G: ~ 1400m** Loco in R, all wagons in P: ~ 1300m** Loco in R, all wagons in R: ~ 1020m Loco in R, all wagons in R+Mg: ~ 1020m (**): I tested the G and P settings in emergency but found no difference in braking distance. My guess for why this is the case is that the developers reduced the full service brake cylinder pressures for these settings but this left the emergency brake cylinder pressure the same as the other settings. What I instead did was to hold the electric brake at 0 and quickly go into full service and then subtract the distance difference due to slower application. 1. First difference between reality and TSW2 BR101: Mg-brakes seem to have no effect on the stopping distance and when checking the outside of the wagons when braking the magnets do not lower. 2. When calculating the BrH (Bremshundertstel = brakeweight/train weight) from the above stopping distances these were my results: Loco in R, all wagons in G: 95 (88-96)*** Loco in R, all wagons in P: 113 (105) Loco in R, all wagons in R: 139 (139) Loco in R, all wagons in R+Mg: 198(139) Real results (TSW2 results). (***): It was very difficult to get an accurate braking distance of the G-setting since locomotive gauges measure what's happening on the locomotive end but at the same time the locomotive is braking so it's hard to know when the wagons have achieved full brake force, thus the number is not very accurate. As can be seen above the R/R value is bang on the real (nominal) value, while the R/P values are lower than the real (nominal) values. The R/G number seems quite close. Of course the R/R+Mg value in TSW2 is much lower than real (nominal) since it isn't modeled. Conclusion: When using the train in a realistic setting (R-brake) and not needing emergency brakes, the BR101 is very realistic in terms of brake performance. For other (non-realistic or emergency) situations the brakes perform worse or are not modeled. On most < 160 km/h routes in Germany the MBrH (minimum BrH) is not achievable without Mg+R brakes. For example, if the driver fails to acknowledge an advance warning to stop (Vr 0 or Ks 2) the PZB will commence an emergency brake application 4 seconds after passing the 1000 Hz magnet or 182 meters at 164 km/h. With the Mg-brake inactivated as in TSW2 the train will overshoot the red signal (1000m signal distance) by ~ 200 meters but with BrH 198 the train will stop well in advance (around 80 meters) of the red signal (required BrH around 180). Of course in the latter situation the bistro will have rapidly cleared all tables, but that's preferable to the former situation... 3. Third difference vs reality: On the side of the wagons you can read two numbers (45/51 for example). These are the empty and loaded weights of the wagons. Since it is not uncommon for German trains to have more passengers than seats it is not too unlikely that a loaded train will match the second number. In TSW2 the wagons are all empty in either empty or loaded selection. The effect of this is higher acceleration and deceleration (due to electric brake) than in reality, around 10%.
IIRC magnetic brakes are mandatory on all trains in Germany going 120 or more. The braking distance with them is significantly reduced (as you've pointed out), but there's also one huge factor and that is that their application during accidents significantly lowers the risk of derail (the train basically becomes a big magnet stuck to a fridge) and therefore damage and casualties. Especially collisions of high-speed trains and trucks on crossings would go significantly differently with and without them.
Amazing work, thank you for posting this. Matt said in a stream (can‘t remember which one) that magnetic brakes are not modeled in TSW at the moment, so no surprise there.
Thanks, Breblimator and Lamplight! Yes, in-game default is R on the wagons and the locomotive. Interesting point. It is true that the magnetic track brakes will increase the weight/normal force (not mass) of the wagon, I do wonder by how much though. Track brakes work on a similar principle as normal friction brakes except the pad slides rather than rolls as the wheel. Kinetic/sliding coefficient of friction is independent of surface and I found a graph of the coefficient of friction which has an average value of around 0.2. Comparing stopping distances with and without Mg-brakes gives retarding forces (from only the Mg-brake) on the order of 20 kN per wagon. Since F_retarding = F_normal * CoF the normal force from the Mg-brakes is around 100 kN per wagon or about an extra 10 tonnes, which is more than I would've guessed.
