How Do You Brake?

Discussion in 'TSW General Discussion' started by fl991r, Sep 3, 2021.

  1. fl991r

    fl991r Member

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    I’ve been finding it difficult to keep to the time table, especially on German routes. The manual says to brake gently so the passengers don’t get jostled, but I find that I spend too much time at slow speeds to make the schedule if I brake gently. Usually I end up jamming on near full brakes from full speed at about 500m out, and then just moving the brake lever up and down until I eventually come to a stop (still often behind schedule).

    I read on one of the manuals that you’re supposed to slow down and release the brakes right at the end so the wheels don’t spin. Usually I do the opposite, go 40 kph until the last “parking spot” and jam on full brakes.

    In real life, do they just set the brake at the right setting and come to a complete stop on that setting? Or do they get the speed down low enough to then use varying amounts of brake to stop?

    I heard what you don’t want to do is slow down too much then accelerate again, but other than that I don’t know what constitutes a good stop.

    What do you do?
     
  2. jklimentowski

    jklimentowski Active Member

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    Generally you should brake late with pretty decent amount of braking and release it just before the stop. Most modern trains actually do the release part for you.
     
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  3. pinxtonpaws

    pinxtonpaws Guest

    Everyones method of braking is different but my general rule with the German trains is to allow 100 yards for every 10mph I'm travelling when starting the braking process (eg: 60mph = start braking at 600 yards) and find roughly the right braking notch that will slow the train down gradually...without overshooting. Fortunately, most of the German trains have similar braking forces so the notch (the red number) is normally around 5 but you can tweak the figure accordingly if you find you're braking too fast/slow. Use the final few yards to bring the train to a smooth stop as close to zero yards as you can.

    https://gamerdvr.com/gamer/boris-the-frog/video/143018248

    It takes a bit of practice from train to train but you'll soon get the hang of it

    Note: Some routes (Rapid Transit & Bakerloo for example) have incredibly tight timetables and they're still difficult regardless of how much you've mastered them so I wouldn't worry too much about being a couple of mins late. Besides, gold medals are very easy to get so if you nail the stopping points it doesn't matter about punctuality.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 4, 2021
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  4. CK95

    CK95 Well-Known Member

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    For passenger services I start slowing at around 1 mile out, depending on the train and speed it could be much closer, but I always try to enter the platform at 30mph.
     
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  5. skyMutt

    skyMutt Well-Known Member

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    Adding to above, as a driver you should make a mental note whereby you should be at a certain speed by a certain point.
    I.e. it's a good idea to enter a platform at 30 mph or around 50 - 60 kmh. However this can vary wildly depending on many factors, like the length of a platform, how well the train brakes, the train weight, weather conditions, etc.
    Due to this, you might have to brake earlier than usual in some situations. Always try to plan ahead, rather than throwing on full brakes at the last second.

    As you drive more and more on a specific route, you might notice yourself starting to brake at the same location at each time. Real world drivers use their knowledge of the route and refer to the scenery to know where they are. For example, when you cross a certain bridge you recognize, you might realize now would be a good time to start braking to stop at a station. This reference can be anything; it can be a building, a field, a light post, it can be anything in the scenery that you can recognize.

    If you want to give yourself a bigger challenge, try to not use a full braking application when coming to a stop.
    On most British locos and trains, there's a 3-step braking system (Step 1 using a small amount of brake force, with Step 3 being a full brake application). It's a good idea to not go above step 2, and only use step 3 if absolutely necessary.
    On German trains, this equates to using around 60% braking, and only going above that if necessary.
    It's also good practice to not constantly move the brake lever too much (also known as fanning).

    The ideal stop would be to apply some light braking at around 1 km away if you're at around 100 kmh (or 2 km away if you're at 160 kmh), and then do small adjustments as you deem necessary to bring the train at no higher than 60 kmh when entering a platform.
    When you are about a car/coach length away from the stop marker, release some of the brakes so that you come to a smooth and gentle stop.
    Once that's done, apply full brakes and then open the doors.

    If you want a more in-depth tutorial (and have three hours to spare), there's a fantastic lesson on YouTube that covers everything there is to know about braking ;)
     
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  6. fl991r

    fl991r Member

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    Thank you all for taking the time to write such helpful posts! You’ve given me a lot to think about and practice!
     
  7. formulabee#1362

    formulabee#1362 Well-Known Member

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    Ah thanks for that :D
     

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