Has anyone yet posted a prose or video guide to ACS/ACES as implemented in Boston Sprinter? My train keeps getting killed - with NO speed reduction, in fact an upcoming increase - and I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong.
There was a stream posted when the Boston Sprinter was released that may help. I don't recall the depth to which they went into ACS/ACSES, but I seem to remember there being some discussion of it. Hope that helps.
Similar principles for LIRR singalling system apply here too but now you have two speed limits displayed by system: the one related to signalling conditions (displayed in the speedometer corona) and the one related to track speed restrictions (displayed by two digits on top of the speedometer). Therefore: 1) Take into account your train lenght until your whole train lenght exits any applicable restriction. 2) Press ack button when new limit is received (warning sound will be triggered). 3) Press ack button upon lower limits reception AND apply enough braking (required deceleration must be met) till you reach the new limit. Typically 60% braking is required but even 80%-100% braking may be needed with F40 engine as its brake timings are longer. When enough braking is reached a yellow indicator is displayed. If you miss to press ack button or required deceleration is not reached in time the system will then command brakes till standstill. If required deceleration is not met during the WHOLE braking to the lower limit (if you release brakes for instance) system will also command brakes. Take into account that you may need to ack several times while braking if two or more limits are concatenated (eg: a 45 followed by a 30 while you are still braking). 4) Same as 3) applies if you overspeed the current limit during regular driving. 5) The most restrive limit among any of the applicable limits for a given point is the one in force (normally the corona will display higher limits due to signalling conditions being more permissive than track related speed limits --> proceed signal aspect does not always grant a top speed driving). 6) Very important: at the track terminus usually there´s an area where ACSES will NOT provide any further information about speed limits (an indicator will be lit to warn you about being inside of such areas). There you have to follow any other limit which is below the one displayed by ACSES. Examples of this are approaches to Boston or Stoughton stations. In those cases you need to know the limits by heart as there are no speed boards there. If I´m not wrong those are 10 mph limits in both cases. Best practice for driving is to anticipate to the speed limits by observing the signals ahead and start braking in advance before arriving to the signals. In that case you will have more time to meet the required speed limit or required deceleration without an automatic brake application. To deal with the sudden speed limit reductions it's better to press ack button and apply full braking just after that, specially if the speed limit reduction is considerable. This ensures you will meet the required deceleration as fast as possible. Smaller speed limit reductions can be performed easily in time without meeting the required deceleration. I have marked in red the relevant indicators in the following pic: - 10 is the track related speed limit given by ACSES. - RES (restrictive), 30, 45, 60, 80, 90, MAS (Max Authorized Speed) are the signalling related speed limits (the ones of the signals). - PERM SUPP is the indicator to announce enough braking deceleration has been reached (this is the SUPPESSION Indicator in the ACS-64 loco). - NO TSR DATA is the indicator to announce being inside an area without any further speed information provided by ACSES (the terminus stations case). I hope this helps. Cheers
Here is a good video by paul.pavlinovich The only thing he forgot to mention, is that you need to wait until the rear of the train passes the point where you get the speed upgrade before accelerating.
Thanks heaps for sharing the video Anthony Pecoraro you are correct about the rear of train - I did miss that, I wish it was easier to edit the videos.
