In the new RT timetable we can use BR 143 on S6 services. However one thing bothers me is that, in most services you have the cab car facing north (or, 143 facing south) while in some ones you get a "reversed" train with the cab car facing south. Now I'm wondering if this is: (A) a common practice in Germany, like DB will have random consists rather than determined fleet with fixed formation (B) on purpose by DTG, in order to provide more variety in timetable services so we can drive in both directions (C) just a bug. Maybe they messed up some specific services This also happens in other routes like HRR and HMA. Does someone know how the cab cars work in real life?
B). In real life the cab car is always operated in one direction like it was on SKA or MSB. It's just for variety in timetable services. If it was always random, the first class, the bike compartment, the multi-funktion area would always be anywhere else. This would confuse passengers and would be unfavourable in planning boarding the train. If there is a wrong train formation in the network, the destination boards prepare the passengers: "Heute in geänderter Waagenreihung" ("Today in a modified scale").
Thank you. Speaking of SKA, every photo I could find shows the RE1 cab car facing west (Aachen) in real life. But in the game we have 146 facing west instead. Don't know why they made it like this.
Without a turntable or a "Y" shape track you can´t switch consist directions and this is not always practical anyway as it takes a lot of time while shunting them to create new consists. That´s the main reason why operators stick to the same directions configured for the consists when they put them into the tracks for the first time and if any change is made it just means coupling consists together or adding extra cars in very special cases to increase capacity. Cheers
